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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 […]
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How to Talk to Children in Foster Care about School Shootings
May 27, 2022 – It’s hard to find words in the wake of tragedy. The death of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Middle School in Uvalde, TX due to gun violence is just the latest in a long line of school shootings in the US over the past several decades. Knowing how to talk […]
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Building Your Family’s Adoption Profile
September 27, 2022 – The time has come, you’re finally ready to take the plunge into the world of Adoption! While you set aside time for training, background checks, paperwork, paperwork, and well…more paperwork, this is also a great time to start thinking about your family’s story and how you’d like to share information with professionals and […]
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Intimidated by Adopting? Why You Don’t Have to Be Perfect
November 23, 2022 –Many people are intimidated when they think about adopting a child. Will I be a good enough role model? Will I provide well enough? What if I lose my temper or make a huge mistake in front of them? Well, let us be the first to say, none of these things should […]
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Thankfulness Can Look Different for Youth Who Have Experienced Foster Care
November 23, 2022 –Thanksgiving, as the name would suggest, is a natural time to reflect on the things we are thankful for. Oftentimes, families will gather around a dining room table and name these out loud, expressing gratitude to each other. However, for youth who have experienced foster care, this may not come naturally, or […]
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A Merry Christmas? Holiday Advice for Foster/Adoptive Parents
December 22, 2022 – When Joseph Yearns became a foster parent, he knew he wanted to make a difference in the lives of children who had experienced trauma. In his first year of fostering, he and his husband welcomed three teenagers and two infants into their home. They got to know and love each of them […]