Welcome to FaithBridgeU!

Are you a foster, respite, or adoptive dad? What is your role in this journey? Come be part of a safe, supportive, fun space for foster, respite, and adoptive dads to feel seen, heard, and share experiences. You will get to hear from other dads in a similar place to you and encourage each other in your unique role.

Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in different forms with varying levels of severity. It is characterized by atypical communication, language development, eye contact, and sensory experiences that can sometimes be challenging to parent. Join us in learning how to adapt to the needs of children on the Autism Spectrum.

Working with birth families is an important part of our ministry as foster parents, but it can be challenging. This training will teach you the impact of a positive relationship between foster families and birth families. It will also teach you practical strategies to develop a positive relationship with birth families.

How do you help children feel comfortable and at ease, especially when they come to your home for the first time? We will look at creative ways to be a haven during respite, while also hearing experiences from seasoned and new respite homes.

Lindsey Martin, LCSW, TBRI® Practitioner will lead us in How to Correct Difficult Behaviors. Lindsey has been a therapist for 11 years working primarily with individuals who have experienced complex childhood trauma. She is trained in TF-CBT, Narrative therapy, and EMDR.

TBRI is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI uses:

• Empowering Principles to address physical needs
• Connecting Principles for attachment needs
• Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors

TBRI intervention is based on years of attachment, sensory processing, and neuroscience research. It is designed for children from “hard places” such as abuse, neglect, and/or trauma. Because of their histories, it is often difficult for these children to trust the loving adults in their lives, which often results in perplexing behaviors. TBRI offers practical tools for caregivers, or anyone who works with children, to see the “whole child” in their care and help that child reach his highest potential.

Some people love the teenage years and some people dread them. Regardless, teenagers can present with some hard, “scary”, and unknown behaviors. This presentation will also include an open dialogue about teenage behaviors and how to best manage them and much can be applied for biological and foster children alike. Come learn some techniques about how to best handle the behavior of children during their teen years.

Parenting a child with a history of trauma comes with unique challenges—and questions. TBRI® Parent Coaching Sessions are designed to give you real-time answers tailored to your family's specific needs. Bring your parenting questions, concerns, and scenarios, and receive personalized guidance grounded in Trust-Based Relational Intervention® principles. These sessions are a safe space to explore practical, connection-driven strategies that help you build trust, foster healing, and confidently navigate the ups and downs of parenting.

This training module focuses on understanding the impact of trauma on sleep and providing foster parents and caregivers with trauma-informed strategies to help children in care develop healthy sleep habits. It emphasizes the importance of creating a calming, secure sleep environment and offers practical tools for addressing common sleep problems.  This course is taught by Jon Hester.  Jon is a Trauma Therapist, Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional, Certified Maxwell Leadership Coach, Certified DISC Behavioral Analyst, Career Coach and Counselor, Life Coach, and Trainer.

TBRI® is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI® uses Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles for attachment needs, and Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors. the intervention is based on years of attachment, sensory processing, and neuroscience research. TBRI® is designed for children from “hard places” such as abuse, neglect, and/or trauma. Because of their histories, it is often difficult for these children to trust the loving adults in their lives, which often results in perplexing behaviors. TBRI® offers practical tools for caregivers, or anyone who works with children, to see the “whole child” in their care and help that child reach his highest potential.  This course is taught by Lindsey Martin. Lindsey is a therapist working for 11 years primarily with individuals who have experienced complex childhood trauma.  Lindsey is trained in TF-CBT, Narrative therapy, and EMDR. 

Fostering can be hard on biological children in the home. It is always the hopes of foster parents that this will be a learning and growing experience for their entire family but sometimes it’s not that easy for the biological children. Come learn some tools about how to best support your biological children during your fostering journey. This presentation will also include an open dialogue to ask questions and share insights.  This course is taught by Anne Keller. Anne is a LCSW, Therapist, SAFE Certified Home Study Consultant, and FaithBridge Trainer.

The 2025 FaithBridge Institute will take place on Saturday, August 23, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at First Baptist Church Atlanta. Lunch will be provided. Childcare is available, but space is limited. Please sign up for childcare HERE!

Please join us for a full day of learning and encouragement at First Baptist Church Atlanta. Earn 7 CEs, meet other foster parents and ministry leaders, and hear from industry experts. Our focus this year will be, "Don't Lose Heart".

Join us in this training to understand the anxiety symptoms throughout the ages from newborns to seniors. We will then discuss how to Identify and cope with anxiety throughout the years. This course is taught by Krystal Speier, LCPC. Krystal has a long history of working with a variety of clients, having spent years working in psychiatric hospitals for children and Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) with children and their families. She has worked with children and families in the foster care system to assist in achieving permanency in the home or getting back into the biological home. Krystal has engaged in individual, group, family, and couples therapy. She has her clinical license and is a nationally certified counselor. In addition to her direct client care services, Krystal has a history of developing and presenting training sessions on trauma-informed care and working as the lead member of a team challenged to implement Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) within a system of care.

Parenting requires bravery, and for foster and adoptive parents, even more so! In this training, there will be practical direction and encouragement to develop goals for you and your children, prioritize these goals into manageable contexts, and then strategize solutions to tackle the most important ones. This course is taught by Ashlyn Ayres Ellington. Ashlyn is a therapist providing individual treatment, family therapy, and parent coaching. She received her Bachelors in Psychology from Furman University and her Masters in Social Work from the University of Georgia. Additionally, Ashlyn completed the Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy at University of Georgia.