Inside Rhode Island's Child Welfare Simulation Lab

Join us as we sit down with RI-DCYF Clinical Training Specialist Steve Pacheco to explore the evolution of Rhode Island's "CORE-I" New Worker simulation training program for child welfare. Learn how realistic practice scenarios, professional standardized patient actors (SPAs), and competency-based feedback help prepare workers for the complex realities of serving children and families.   Special thanks to the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center as well as Chris Dorval of Ocean State Recovery and The Autism Project for all of their help building and bringing the simulation program to life!   

  Join us as we chat with Pathway to Resilience co-founders Melissa Santoro and Linzi Rae Matta to discuss the concept of post-traumatic growth. Together they explore how individuals can move beyond surviving trauma to discovering strength, resilience, joy, meaningful relationships, and personal growth. The conversation examines the difference between post-traumatic growth and toxic positivity, the connection between PTSD and healing, and practical ways helping professionals can foster resilience in both the people they serve and themselves.  

Join us as we chat with Dr. Christina Tortolani, psychologist, educator, and co-author of Disobey: Finding Freedom from Your Eating Disorder. We explore common misconceptions about eating disorders, the complex factors that contribute to their development, and the role that families, caregivers, and helping professionals play in supporting recovery. Through a discussion of evidence-based treatment and lived experiences, listeners will gain a deeper understanding of how recovery can help individuals build lives that are bigger than their eating disorders.  

Join us as we chat with Lisa Guillette, Executive Director of Foster Forward.  From family finding and mentoring to housing and workforce development, this conversation explores how child welfare professionals can help build strong relationships with foster youth and learn more from an agency continuously striving to create pathways to permanency, belonging, and sustainable futures!  

In this episode, we sit down with Rhode Island DCYF Director Ashley Deckert, who shares her journey into child welfare leadership and her deep commitment to family preservation and prevention. The conversation explores Rhode Island’s Children’s Behavioral Health Consent Decree, the state’s plans to transform behavioral health services through initiatives like a single point of access and enhanced care coordination, and the vision for a system that better supports children in the least restrictive settings possible.  

In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked topic of pet loss and grief through a child welfare lens. Joined by Dr. Michelle Crossley, Associate Professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Rhode Island College and Vice President of the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement, the discussion examines why the loss of a companion animal can be as emotionally significant as the loss of a human loved one, and important connections to child welfare practice; including how pet loss and separation from pets can affect children in foster care, residential treatment, and family reunification situations  

Join us as we chat with Dr. Kalina Brabeck, professor and co-chair of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Rhode Island College and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Clinical Program Manager, and Adjunct Professor at RIC, Elise Jarvis. Throughout the episode, we explore how trauma impacts children and adults, highlighting key differences in development, behavior, and mental health outcomes. You will hear expert break downs of evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment approaches, including therapies like TF-CBT, prolonged exposure, and cognitive processing therapy. The episode also emphasizes resilience, cultural considerations, and practical guidance for supporting trauma survivors across diverse settings  

In this episode of the Partnership Connections Podcast, we chat with Dr. Gabriela Torres, professor of anthropology at Rhode Island College, to explore the experiences of the Guatemalan immigrant communiric parricty in Rhode Island. Drawing on both her personal journey as a Guatemalan and her extensive experience as a professional, Dr. Torres offers powerful insights into the cultural values, family structures, and migration patterns that shape this community. The episode dives into the broader forces driving migration, including systemic violence, corruption, and the legacy of genocide in Guatemala. Dr. Torres explains how these realities contribute to deep-seated mistrust of authority and how trauma—often cumulative and deeply rooted—can influence interactions long after migration.Listeners will gain practical, trauma-informed strategies for building trust, including understanding non-linear perceptions of time, prioritizing transparency, and recognizing how past experiences can shape present behaviors    

In this episode of Partnership Connections, art therapist Emily Natale of Create Art & Wellness explores how art therapy supports children, teens, and adults—especially those impacted by trauma—by offering a safe, creative path to self-understanding and healing. Emily busts common myths about art therapy, explains what sessions really look like, and shares powerful stories of how creative expression can foster belonging, resilience, and emotional regulation for both children and adults.   

Join us as we welcome back Dr. Frederic Reamer, Professor Emeritus at the Rhode Island College School of Social Work. Throughout the conversation we focus on effective altruism and how it breaks down how evidence, ethics, and impact analysis to help practitioners, agencies, and policymakers move beyond good intentions to doing the most good for children and families. Listeners are invited to reflect on daily practice, career choices, and system-level priorities through a practical, thought‑provoking lens.