BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Social Current - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.social-current.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Social Current REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260225T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260225T140000 DTSTAMP:20260410T163045 CREATED:20260206T143554Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T161052Z UID:10000593-1772024400-1772028000@www.social-current.org SUMMARY:Centering Fathers’ Mental Health as a Core Prevention Strategy DESCRIPTION:Register \n \n This webinar is designed to elevate fathers’ mental health as a core prevention and family well-being strategy\, recognizing that fathers’ emotional health\, identity\, and connection to their children are critical protective factors for families. The goal is to shift the narrative in the social sector from viewing fathers as peripheral or “hard to reach” to seeing them as essential partners in prevention\, healing\, and long-term family stability. Participants will deepen their understanding of how structural stressors\, such as economic insecurity\, systemic racism\, involvement with child welfare or the justice system\, and unresolved trauma\, shape fathers’ mental health and engagement with services.  \nThrough interactive dialogue and shared perspectives from fathers who work in child and family well-being\, participants will explore practical actions for strengthening father engagement across systems. These lived and professional insights will ground the conversation in real-world experiences\, highlighting both the barriers fathers face and the strategies that have supported their own mental health and engagement. Participants will examine trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches\, integrate strength-based assessments\, and consider how services can be redesigned to be more accessible\, affirming\, and responsive to fathers.  \nKey lessons from this experience center on the idea that supporting fathers’ mental health is not an “add-on\,” but a foundational prevention strategy that reduces harm and improves outcomes for children and families. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding that when fathers are supported\, emotionally regulated\, and meaningfully engaged\, families are more stable\, co-parent relationships improve\, and systems become more effective and humane. Ultimately\, this work calls the social sector to move upstream and invest in fathers’ well-being as a pathway to stronger families\, healthier communities\, and more equitable prevention efforts.  \nTakeaways\n\nHow fathers’ mental health directly impacts child and family well-being\nHow systems\, bias\, and policy shape fathers’ engagement and help-seeking\nPractical strategies to support fathers’ mental health without increasing surveillance or risk\nHow to apply a prevention-oriented lens to everyday practice\, supervision\, and program design\n\nWho Should Attend\n\nCommunity-based organization staff\nFoster care and kinship care trainers\nFamily support workers\nChild welfare agency staff and supervisors\nJuvenile justice and survivor-centered staff and teams\n\n \n\n \n\n \n \n \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Romero Davis\n \n Senior Director of Child & Family Well-Being \n \n Biography\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Romero Davis\n Senior Director of Child & Family Well-Being \n \n Romero Davis is the senior director of child and family well-being at Social Current. A mentor for professional development and community justice champion\, Davis has worked nationally with agencies in areas such as poly-victimization; trauma in families; equity\, diversity\, and inclusion; juvenile justice; and domestic violence. He is a member of the technical assistance team for Child Safety Forward. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Michael Cupeles\n \n Coordinator of Men’s Initiative \nGateway Community Action Partnership \n \n Biography\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Michael Cupeles\n Coordinator of Men’s Initiative \nGateway Community Action Partnership \n \n Michael Cupeles is a passionate advocate for fatherhood\, early childhood education\, and the well-being of families and communities. Having overcome childhood sexual abuse\, he transformed his experience into a lifelong mission to support parents\, especially fathers\, in breaking cycles of pain and building safe\, loving environments for their children. He is nationally certified through the Fathers & Families Coalition of America and the National Fatherhood Initiative\, and serves as an ordained minister and chaplain\, committed to human rights and holistic family well-being.   \nMichael is the coordinator of the Men’s Initiative at Gateway Community Action Partnership Early Head Start & Head Start\, where he leads innovative fatherhood engagement and prevention programs that help fathers build parenting skills\, navigate complex systems\, and connect with workforce development resources to achieve economic stability. For seven years\, he has sustained the publication of the Fatherhood Times newsletter\, an influential resource for fathers across New Jersey.   \nAt the state and national levels\, Michael serves on the New Jersey Department of Children & Families Office of Family Voice Fatherhood Engagement Committee\, acting as a liaison to the New Jersey Head Start Association. He is also the Community Liaison for the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence through the Men of Courage Network and is featured in the documentary Men of Courage produced by Byron Hurt with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the New Jersey Department of Women.   \nMichael is an active member of the Birth Parent National Network (BPNN) through the Children’s Trust Fund Alliance; the FRIENDS CBCAP Parent Advisory Council\, where he chairs the newsletter committee; the National Expert Board for the Quality Improvement Center on Helplines & Hotlines (QIC-H2); and the Family Network Housing Advisory Board.   \nMichael is also the managing partner of Unified Family Dynamics Consultants\, providing leadership and training to strengthen families and systems of care. Previously\, he served as vice president and chief strategy planning & development officer for Latino X Radio\, a nonprofit media organization in New Jersey. His work blends lived experience\, community leadership\, and strategic systems change\, making him a powerful national voice for fatherhood engagement and family strengthening.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Tristan Gross\n \n Education Program Coordinator III \nMedical College of Wisconsin \n \n Biography\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Tristan Gross\n Education Program Coordinator III \nMedical College of Wisconsin \n \n Tristan Gross has over 15 years’ experience working with public health issues including infant mortality\, teen pregnancy prevention\, men’s health\, tobacco prevention\, eliminating racial disparities\, and intimate partner violence. He has worked as an advocate for youth\, men and boys\, and social justice causes providing direct service to communities. These experiences provide the foundation for training and learning opportunities facilitated for professionals\, consultation to organizations and policy recommendations to lawmakers. Tristan’s passion for the work of creating social and institutional change has always been fueled by his experiences and informed by his own personal healing and growth journey. His vision is to create a world where every human being has access to the resources and support necessary to reach their full potential.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n William Walker MSW\, LISW \n \n Owner / Clinical Director \nThriving Families Counseling Services \n \n Biography\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n William Walker MSW\, LISW \n Owner / Clinical Director \nThriving Families Counseling Services \n \n William Walker is an experienced mental health therapist and social worker with a specialized background in parenting care and services\, including fatherhood engagement\, trauma counseling\, and adoption services. As the owner and clinical director of Thriving Families Counseling Services in West Des Moines\, Iowa\, William oversees a dedicated team of staff and students who provide individual and family mental health services to the community.  \nWilliam Walker holds a master’s from the University of Iowa\, a bachelor’s from the University of Northern Iowa\, and an associate’s from Ellsworth College. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Certified Trauma Specialist. Additionally\, William is certified in the 24/7 Dad program\, Quenching a Father’s Thirst\, Carrying Dad’s Curriculum\, and Effective Parenting.  URL:https://www.social-current.org/event/centering-fathers-mental-health-as-a-core-prevention-strategy/ CATEGORIES:Child and Family Well-Being ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.social-current.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Safety-Resilience_5.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR