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Tips for Locating an Adoption Competent Therapist
Adoption is a beautiful and complex journey that requires emotional support and understanding. Whether you’re an adoptive parent or an adopted child, navigating the intricacies of adoption can bring to light a diverse set of feelings—joyful, hopeful, and sometimes even difficult emotions. Finding the right therapist who is knowledgeable about adoption issues can be instrumental […]
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Science-Backed Tips to Help Your Child Have a Great Back to School
Back to school can be a challenging but rewarding time for children and parents alike. While it signals the end of Summer – likely your child’s favorite time of year – it also provides a wealth of enriching new experiences, friendships, and activities to shake up your child’s routine. This shift can be sudden and […]
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Ten Tips to Help Foster Families Transitioning a Child to an Adoptive Home
Transitioning a child from a foster care setting to an adoptive home can be a profound and emotional experience for both the child and the foster family. The process requires sensitivity, patience, and intentional planning to ensure a smoother transition for everyone. In this week’s blog, we’ll explore some key tips for foster families to […]
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Meeting the Cultural Needs of Foster and Adoptive Children in Your Home
Welcoming a foster or adopted child into your home is a beautiful and enriching experience that can bring joy to your family, but it also comes with important responsibilities—particularly as it comes to addressing and honoring the cultural needs of your child. Culture plays a critical role in shaping a child’s identity, values, and sense […]
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Understanding Adoption Depression and Blocked Care: A Guide for Adoptive Families
When families embark on the journey of adoption, they often envision a beautiful story filled with love, joy, and connection. However, the reality can sometimes be more complex, leading to emotional hurdles such as adoption depression and a phenomenon known as blocked care. It’s important for families to recognize and understand these challenges, and doing […]
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Mindfulness and Self Care for Professionals
January 27, 2022 – Introduction: For My favorite analogy for self-care is clichéd, but accurate. When you get on an airplane and the flight attendant gives that safety spiel, when they get to the part about the oxygen masks, the first thing they tell you is: “If you’re traveling with children or others who need assistance, […]
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Transitioning Children with Developmental Trauma into an Adoptive Home
January 27, 2021 – By incorporating The 3–5–7 Model: Preparing Children for Permanency, by Darla Henry, workers and families conduct the preparation work, assist the child in grieving losses, formulate self-identity, establish trust and security through attachments, and build relationships and openness to join families on a permanent basis. 3 Tasks, 5 Questions, 7 Skills The 3-5-7 […]
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Understanding the Ages and Stages in Adoption
January 27, 2021 – When I was at Harvard many, many years ago, I was looking at the developmental stages in adoption. My professors laughed and said there wasn’t a “psychology” of adoption. I told them there was indeed. I think Erik Erikson was the only one who “got it.” Having never known his father he […]
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Trauma’s Impact on Social Skills – Now What?
February 17, 2022 – I felt the sting as my girls, ages 7 and 7.5 headed out the door to catch the bus without as much as a wave. What was that? Were they blowing me off because I was short with them after the 5th reminder to brush their teeth? Or maybe they just don’t care that […]
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Silencing the Savior Complex
March 9, 2022 – I’m sure you’ve all experienced it…walking through the grocery store, leaving the school play, grabbing lunch at your favorite local diner, the church parking lot…it doesn’t matter where you are, I’m sure you can all spot them, or at the very least feel their stare as you wrangle the kids from point […]