Professional development day features childhood trauma expert

Friday, February 20, 2026

photos by Alexandra Butler, photographer/photo editor

Jennifer Lake, a Trust-Based Relational Intervention practitioner and founder of Dwell Orphan Care, leads a professional development workshop for students in Penn College’s human services & restorative justice program.

Penn College’s human services & restorative justice program recently hosted a professional development day and welcomed Jennifer Lake, founder and executive director of Dwell Orphan Care, as its speaker.

Lake presented two sessions – “Early Adversity and the Developing Brain: ACEs and Brain Architecture” and “What Does Attachment Have to Do with It? Attachment Styles and Their Impact on Relationships.”

The first session explored how adverse childhood experiences influence brain architecture and development, shaping behavior, stress responses and long-term outcomes. Participants engaged with the Brain Architecture Game to better understand how early experiences, both positive and toxic, build the foundation for lifelong health, learning and relationships. The second portion examined infant and adult attachment styles and how early relationship patterns influence connection, communication and behavior across the lifespan. Students explored implications of attachment theory for relationships and practice within human services and restorative justice settings.

Program faculty aim to offer a professional development session each spring to current students.

Christina L. Gordon and Makayla M. MacGill, both human services & restorative justice majors, participate in the Brain Architecture Game. Students “built a brain” using materials based on the cards they drew, symbolizing the reality that no one can predict the “hand they’re dealt” in early childhood. As they constructed the structures, they encountered both supportive experiences and unexpected stressors, mirroring what children ages 1 through 6 often face. The activity helps illustrate how early experiences, both nurturing and stressful, shape the developing brain and influence lifelong health, learning and relationships.

“It gives them an opportunity to participate in an event that is treated like a real-world experience,” said Sarah S. Moore, assistant professor of human services. “It requires them to register, attend and complete assignments afterward to receive credit for attending, just like they may have to do in their future careers for continuing education credits. We don’t have an expert related to children on our staff right now, and these two sessions focused heavily on children. It was beneficial for all students, but especially those that know they want to work with children and families in their future work.”

Lake’s experience is expansive, and Moore said that her professional background reflects both deep expertise and a remarkable commitment to service.

“She is someone who has dedicated her career to supporting vulnerable children and the families who love them,” Moore said.

Dwell Orphan Care opened in 2019, not as a foster agency or an orphanage, but “out of a need for continued wrap-around support and a desire to see foster, adoptive and kinship families thrive for the sake of the children entrusted to their care.” The nonprofit offers several programs in support of that mission, including Hope Chest care packages, trauma-informed training, adoption grants and family support groups.

Lake holds a master’s degree in family and community development from Oklahoma State University and a graduate-level trauma-informed professional certificate from Lock Haven University. She also is a professional certified coach through the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching, credentialed by the International Coach Federation, as well as a Trust-Based Relational Intervention practitioner through the Karen Purvis Institute of Child Development.

To learn more about Penn College’s human services & restorative justice program, call 570-327-4761 or visit www.pct.edu/humanServices.