In today’s world, stress is not only personal - it is collective, ongoing, and often overwhelming. For youth in foster care, everyday stress is layered on top of trauma histories, placement transitions, and systemic instability. At the same time, like all young people, they are navigating school pressures, friendships, identity development, and social dynamics, while also being exposed to complex and often distressing global events.
This experiential training supports CASA advocates, staff and other child-serving professionals in meeting youth within this full reality. Participants will learn ways of showing up that foster safety, connection, and regulation in the face of hard topics and big feelings.
Together, participants will explore how to support youth facing both the ordinary stresses of growing up, and the extraordinary stressors many foster youth carry. Advocates will leave feeling more confident, grounded, and equipped to support emotional regulation and connection during visits, even when conversations feel complex or emotionally charged.
Participants will learn and practice:
- How to create space for authentic, developmentally appropriate conversations that reduce isolation, strengthen trust, and offer co-regulation when the world feels heavy or unpredictable.
- How to recognize and validate layered stressors, including personal trauma, placement changes, social pressures, and the broader weight of what’s happening in the world
- How to open space for difficult conversations without forcing them, follow a youth’s lead, and still provide emotional anchoring and support
- Simple, age-appropriate language and conversation starters that normalize stress, support nervous system regulation, and build emotional literacy
- What it means to model calm, responsive presence, even when topics feel heavy, uncertain, or emotionally activating
- Tools and strategies for tackling the conversations you're most nervous about having
The session will also explore the difference between “fixing” and “being with,” using experiential activities to help advocates feel this distinction. CASA volunteers will leave with practical approaches they can immediately apply to foster connection and regulation during visits - especially in moments when the world, or a young person’s inner world, feels overwhelming.
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Lacy Alana, MSSW, LCSW is a psychotherapist, facilitator, and founder of Yes And Brain. With over fifteen years of experience across community, education, and healthcare settings, she specializes in nervous-system-informed, experiential training that supports connection, regulation, and resilience. Her work integrates brain science, psychology, communication, and play-based approaches to help caring adults show up with steadiness and compassion - especially in complex or emotionally charged situations. Lacy’s trainings emphasize practical tools, relational presence, and confident support for youth navigating stress, uncertainty, and change.