CCA EVENTS

CCA HOLDS TWO ANNUAL TRAININGS (W/ CEUS) IN JUNE + NOVEMBER AND TWO ANNUAL PRACTICE FORUMS IN THE SPRING + FALL

CCA Announces Our Spring 2026 Forum:

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF PRENATAL SUBSTANCE EXPOSURE

A Forum for Members of the Connecticut Council on Adoption
& Adoption Community Network

As substance use continues to impact families across the country, foster and adoptive parents are increasingly faced with understanding the effects of prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol on the children in their care.

Join us for an informative and supportive discussion with two Connecticut experts:

Dr. Amanda Lowell
Dr. Sharon Ostfeld-Johns

Together, they will share:

  • Current research on prenatal substance exposure

  • How exposure may affect child development over time

  • Practical strategies for parenting and caregiving

  • Guidance for adoption and child welfare professionals

Dr. Sharon Ostfeld-Johnsis a Med-Peds hospitalist — spending half her clinical time taking care of hospitalized adults and half taking care of hospitalized kids, including newborns during their birth hospitalization.  She is a medical educator, and has research and quality improvement interests in diagnostic reasoning, breastfeeding medicine, and health disparities. She has been working in the area of prenatal substance exposure since 2020 and in that time has collaborated with local partners including my pediatric hospital medicine colleagues, child abuse specialists, addiction medicine specialists, obstetrician/gynecologists, social workers, a Yale Law School student clinic, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, community partners and others locally and nationally committed to improving care for families affected by substance use and substance use disorders. 

Dr. Amanda Lowell is a licensed clinical psychologist, Assistant Professor at UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate, and Assistant Professor Adjunct at the Yale Child Study Center. As a clinician, Dr. Lowell provides psychotherapy and parenting support to caregivers who have experienced complex trauma, those who are in recovery from addiction, and any caregiver working to break harmful intergenerational cycles. Her research is informed by practice, and applies the science of attachment to increasing access to evidence-based supports for parents in recovery and young children impacted by prenatal exposure. She is therefore passionate about supporting workforce development across systems to train helpers of all kinds in best practices for developing trusting and transformative relationships with families impacted by parental substance use.
 

Event Details

📅 Date: April 23, 2026
🕘 Time: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
📍 Location: 195 Farmington Avenue, U3071
                    Farmington, CT 06032

☕ Light refreshments provided: Bagels and coffee will be available

Who Should Attend

Foster parents, adoptive parents, pre-adoptive families, and professionals working in adoption and child welfare

Hosted by

Connecticut Council on Adoption

REGISTER HERE by Monday, April 20th


This forum will be followed by our bi-annual Adoption Community Network (ACN) meeting, offering an opportunity for CT adoption professionals and adoptive/guardianship families to share updates and resources.