GROWING DEEPER

Learn. Grow. Serve.

For volunteers in Minnesota, we offer ongoing training. These trainings tackle topics specific to the work and service that host families, parent advocates, and support volunteers encounter often while serving with Together for Good.

The goal is to equip and encourage each volunteer in the work God has called them to through TFG.

Trainings With Social Work CEs

All trainings will take place at the Together for Good Minnesota Office

1407 Cleveland Ave N

St. Paul, MN 55108

Growing Deeper Sessions

When Behavior Tells a Story: Understanding Childhood Trauma

Led by Katie Tomic · Thursday, September 17, 10 - 11:30 AM

Receive a practical and compassionate introduction to childhood trauma and its impact on a child's development, behavior, emotions, and relationships. Drawing from her experience as a therapist working with children and families impacted by trauma, foster care, adoption, and other early stressors, Katie will help participants understand what may be happening beneath a child’s behavior and how safe, consistent, and supportive relationships can promote healing and resilience.

Katie Tomic grew up overseas as a missionary kid before moving to Minnesota for college. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with her master’s in Developmental Psychology with an emphasis in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. Katie works as a therapist, specializing in work with children, families, and parents. Her clinical experience includes working with children and their families impacted by early stressors, including trauma, foster care and adoption, prenatal substance exposures, caregiver mental health challenges, and neurodevelopmental disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Katie has been hosting with Together for Good for three years and loves coming alongside vulnerable families through this ministry. In her free time, Katie enjoys being outside and spending time with friends and family.

Seeing the Whole Child: Understanding Autism and Walking with Families

Featuring Jean Bird, Katie Hait, Katie Tomic, Brooke Reimann · Thursday, October 15, 6:30 - 8 PM

Gain a deeper understanding of autism from an incredible panel. Panelists will share common characteristics, misconceptions, de-escalation strategies, and ways to better support children and families. Speakers will share from their personal and professional experiences, including the mental health challenges and added complexities families may face when resources and support are limited. The panel will also explore how the church and Together for Good can come alongside families with greater understanding, practical support, and hope.

Jean Bird, M.Ed., ASD, has been a special education teacher for 14 years, with autism as her licensed area of specialty. She loves teaching and being part of the team that encourages and supports students in their learning.

She has been volunteering with Together for Good for about four years and is blessed to serve on the ministry team at Hillside Church as well and provide support to TFG families hosting children with special needs.

Katie Hart, MA, LPCC, is a licensed mental health clinician and former early childhood educator with a passion for supporting young children and their families. She considers this work more than a profession; it is a calling. From a young age, Katie has felt God uniquely gifting and leading her to serve children and caregivers with compassion, hope, and practical support. She earned her master’s degree in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health from the University of Minnesota and has worked in education, community mental health, and outpatient therapy. Katie believes that strong, healthy relationships are the foundation for lifelong wellbeing and is passionate about helping families better understand, support, and advocate for their children.

Brooke Reimann, MSW student, has been teaching special education for 5 years. She holds a K-12 licensure as an academic and behavioral specialist. Brooke has taught across multiple settings, working primarily with students with autism and behavioral challenges. Brooke also has a 16-year-old sister with Autism, who she spends a lot of time with. Brooke is well connected with her church's disability ministry and serves on the respite leadership board.

Connected in the Hard Moments

Led by Lydia Rex · Thursday, December. 3, 10 - 11:30 AM

As a TFG host family, you're learning to respond to trauma-impacted kids who come through your door. You also have a beautiful opportunity to gain deeper knowledge of God's heart for your family. Trauma-informed, brain-based, biblically-grounded parenting not only meets the needs of kids from hard places—it fosters authentic connection and growth for everyone.

Join us to learn more about the Connected Families framework: a simple but transformative way to approach every circumstance with your kids.

Lydia Rex is a mom of two, Director of Family Support at Bien Aimé Farm, a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) Practitioner, and a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach. When she and her husband found themselves overwhelmed by the challenges of parenting children with trauma, the Connected Families Framework became their first step toward healing. Seven years later, it continues to shape the way they parent every day!

Cultural Awareness Training

Led by Lambers Fisher · Friday, January 22, 10 AM - 12 PM

Designed especially for those who are building relationships with children and families from different racial and cultural backgrounds, this training will help attendees grow in cultural awareness. You will better understand how your own experiences and assumptions can shape interactions, and have the chance to build practical skills for engaging thoughtfully and respectfully with the families we serve.

This training is open to social work professionals and TFG volunteers and qualifies for two cultural CE hours through the Minnesota Board of Social Work.

Lambers Fisher, MS, LMFT, MDIV, is a marriage and family therapist who has counseled individuals, couples, and families from a variety of cultural backgrounds in private practice and non-profit organizations, as well as ministry environments.

Art Therapy is for Everyone

Led by Lisa Lounsbury · Thursday, February 25, 6:30 - 8 PM

Learn about the benefits of art therapy as a tool for emotional expression, connection, and healing. Lisa will share from her experience as a board-certified art therapist about how creative expression can help children and adults process emotions, make meaning of difficult experiences, and build self-awareness. Participants will also have the opportunity for a hands-on art experience, giving them a practical way to explore how simple creative activities can be used to support wellness and connection.

Lisa Lounsbury, MA, LMFT, ATR-BC has been an artist her entire life, and she sees everything as a creative project. She explores a variety of art materials and mediums in a regular art-making practice that includes painting, mixed-media assemblage, art journaling, sculpture, and more. Her interest in rich textures, vibrant colors, and patterns from other cultures has influenced her as an artist and an art therapist. Lisa is the founder of Art Lab Rx, a mental health agency specializing in art therapy services and wellness workshops. As a Board Certified, Registered Art Therapist for over a decade, Lisa guides clients to an understanding of life’s complications through the process of creative self-expression, believing, “When someone makes art, there’s a release, a relief, and a reveal.” Her sessions help people gain self-awareness, make meaning of circumstances, and improve overall functioning. "By applying a mixture of psychology, neuroscience, and art-making to the canvas of my community, I have been given the gift of witnessing precious transformation, catharsis, and enlightenment. This is the hardest work I've ever loved."

Upstream Support: Strengthening Families Before Crisis

Led by Kayla Thomas · Thursday, March 18, 10 - 11:30 AM

Deepen your understanding of the child protection system and the experiences children and families may have as they move through it, and why this understanding matters in Together for Good’s “upstream” work. Kayla will provide insight into the trauma that can accompany abuse, neglect, foster care, and separation from caregivers, as well as how early support and intervention can help families before they reach a crisis point. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of what families may be experiencing and how relational support, stability, and connection can help strengthen families and potentially prevent deeper involvement in the child welfare system.

Kayla Thomas, MSW, LICSW, is a licensed clinical social worker with a background in child protection and outpatient mental health. She earned her master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Minnesota and began her career in child protection in Hennepin County, supporting children and families through the complexities of abuse, neglect, and child welfare involvement. Her professional approach is rooted in the belief that, even in the midst of life’s most difficult circumstances, healing, restoration, and renewal are possible. Today, Kayla works as an outpatient mental health therapist, supporting children, adolescents, and families who have experienced foster care, adoption, and trauma.

Creating Safety and Hope: Trauma-Informed Support for Mothers and Children Impacted by Domestic Violence

Led by Stacy Sikorski · Thursday, April 15, 10 - 11:30 AM

Learn how to respond to the impact domestic violence has on mothers and children, with a focus on providing trauma-informed, compassionate support. Drawing from Stacy’s extensive experience in child welfare, mental health, substance use, and her current work serving women and children who have experienced domestic violence, she will offer practical insight into creating safety, building trust, and responding well to trauma. Participants will consider how Together for Good can walk alongside families with dignity, compassion, and hope, building supportive relationships that promote healing and stability.

Stacy Sikorski, LICSW, is an Independent Clinical Social Worker with more than 26 years of experience serving individuals and families across a wide range of settings. She currently serves as the Senior Director of Programs at The Dwelling Place, an agency that supports women and children who are survivors of domestic violence. Throughout her career, Stacy has had the privilege of working in K–12 and higher education, child welfare, drug and alcohol treatment, and with individuals experiencing co-occurring mental health and substance use concerns. She is passionate about creating meaningful programs, walking alongside those in need, and investing in and building up the teams she leads. A lifelong Christian, Stacy’s faith is central to who she is and deeply shapes her commitment to serve others with compassion, dignity, integrity, and hope.

The Way We Help Matters: Lessons from When Helping Hurts

Led by Together for Good Staff · Thursday, May 20, 10 - 11:30 AM

This session will revisit When Helping Hurts, a book that has deeply influenced how we think about serving families at Together for Good. Attendees will have the opportunity to reflect on key ideas from the book and discuss how they apply to our work with participants, particularly the importance of moving beyond simply meeting needs toward relational, empowering, and restorative support. Together, we’ll explore how this framework helps us serve families with greater humility, dignity, and a Biblical lens.

Bring a copy of your book or receive one from Together for Good staff.

When Helping Hurts is a rallying cry for the Church that simultaneously convicts and compels. Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert set out to awaken American Christians to the stark contrast between their beach vacations and the grinding poverty in foreign slums. However, they don’t intend to stop at motivating just any action. They also provide a framework for understanding when “helping” is counterproductive and how to make a real difference by “walking with the poor in humble relationships.”

Never miss a story of hope or an opportunity to help.

Stay up to date on the impact of your support and receive opportunities to help families in crisis.