TCFR Annual Conference Scheduled At TWU

3/12/03

DENTON — Texas Woman's University will host the 2003 Texas Council on Family Relations Conference April 3-4 on TWU's Denton campus.

The conference, titled “Families with Special Needs,” will take place in the Administration and Conference Tower (ACT). Keynote speakers are Brad Thompson and Dr. Camille Catlett.

Thompson, a licensed professional counselor, and his wife, Karen, formed The HALI Project in honor of their daughter, Hali, who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and developmental delay. The goal of The HALI Project is to help parents deal with the emotional, physical and social challenges of special-needs children.

Dr. Catlett, an investigator at the University of North Carolina's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, directs three federally-funded early childhood/early intervention personnel preparation projects. She currently works with 18 states to support changes in the preparation of the future work force.

Registration, which includes all sessions and the April 4 luncheon, ranges from $25 to $110 prior to March 22, and $55 to $120 if postmarked after March 22.

For more information, contact Dr. Linda Ladd, chair of the TWU Department of Family Sciences, at (940) 898-2691 or lladd@twu.edu, or visit www.ncfr.com/txcfr.

Participants should register beginning at 11:30 a.m. on the second floor of ACT. The opening session of the conference — including remarks by TWU Chancellor and President Dr. Ann Stuart and Denton Mayor Euline Brock, as well as the keynote presentations — will begin at 1 p.m., followed by breakout sessions. Friday sessions begin at 8:45 a.m.

A post-conference presentation titled “Navigating the Grey Zone: Examining Your Ethical Decision-Making Process,” is scheduled from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. April 4 on the third floor of ACT. The workshop, designed primarily for family therapists, offers an opportunity to create and implement ethical decision-making processes through presented dilemmas. The cost of the workshop, which includes materials, is $35 for those who register for the conference and $50 for those who register for the workshop only.

The conference will include a silent auction, with proceeds going to a local organization that offers programming to special-needs children. A student paper competition and a student poster session also are part of the annual conference.

TCFR is a state affiliate of the National Council on Family Relations.

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For Further Information Contact:

Karen Treat
Senior Copywriter
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: ktreat@twu.edu