KEARNEY — The 2013 Helping Babies from the Bench will take place Saturday at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

The event is part of the UNK Counseling and School Psychology Department’s Professional Development Series.

The workshop is open to mental health professionals, school psychologists, clinicians, students and others in helping professions.

“It will give them a good understanding of how trauma impacts children at such a young age and give them tools to help those families overcome those situations,” said Tammi Ohmstede, assistant professor of counseling and school psychology.

Ohmstede said the workshop will cover the mental health issues related to children, but also inform attendees about what happens when a child can’t stay in his or her home.

“They will get a general understanding of how traumatic events and stress impact development from birth on and the legal process of what happens to children when they are removed from their home,” she said.

The workshop will take place in the UNK Communications Center Room 101.

Judge Douglas Johnson from the Separate Juvenile Court of Douglas County will give the welcome at 9 a.m.

Johnson was appointed to the Separate Juvenile Court of Douglas County in 1993. He has been an adjunct professor of law at Creighton University School of Law since 1995.

He is the past president of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and is a longtime member of its teaching faculty. He is the founding lead judge of the Omaha Model Court and has written numerous articles for the CASA Judges’ Page Newsletter.

At 9:30 a.m., Mark Hald from Options in Psychology of Scottsbluff and Johnson will present “Overview of 0-5 Child Development and Understanding the Impact of Abuse/Neglect on the Developing Child.”

Hald is a licensed psychologist in private practice with Options In Psychology, LLC in Scottsbluff. In the last 30 years, he has worked with children, adolescents, and families in a variety of roles and settings including schools, outpatient, residential treatment centers, and psychiatric hospitals.

Hald has been involved with Helping Babies from the Bench since the first training in May 2008.

At 11 a.m., Hald will present “Assessing Trauma and Identification of Social Emotional Delays; Services and Interventions to Improve Child Developmental Outcomes.”

Amy Bunnell from the Department of Health and Human Services and Joan Luebbers from the Nebraska Department of Education will present “Early Development Network — The Importance of Early Intervention and Early Childhood Services and Supports for Infants and Toddles in the Child Welfare System” at 1:45 p.m.

Bunnell is employed with DHHS as the Early Development Network Program coordinator for the state. Luebbers is with the Nebraska Department of Education as a co-lead for Early Intervention Services, which provides support to children birth to 3 years old with disabilities and their families.

In this capacity, she provides consultation, training and technical assistance to school administrators, early childhood educators, related service providers, services coordinators and children and families across the state of Nebraska.

At 3 p.m., Johnson will present “Focusing Juvenile Court Hearings on the Specialized Needs of Babies and Toddlers.”

The cost is $85 for professionals and $30 for students. Attendees can register before the event.

For more information, contact Grace Mims at 865-8358 or mimsga@unk.edu.

email to:

sara.giboney@kearneyhub.com