Foster families claim and then relinquish children they love. Children who are adopted change the families who claim them in permanent ways. Blended families often have foster children, adopted children and birth children. These children all have different experiences of…
Technology plays an important role in all our lives and children are increasingly more digitally literate than their parents. While technology—and social media in particular—can bring people together, it also presents risks. These risks include but are not limited to…
As adoptive and foster parents, we know that our youth may need additional supports as they enter adulthood, but these supports are often hard to find and difficult to understand. Parents often “Don’t know what they don’t know” and learn…
There are amazing aspects to caring for a child or teen who is either questioning- or clear- that they are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. At the same time, there are also thought provoking and stressful elements to…
Being your authentic self at work is the key to more joy, fulfillment, and success. Based on over ten years of helping clients discover and show up as their most authentic selves, research, and drawing on personal experiences and insights…
Description: This presentation provides caregivers with a basic background of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and a variety of tips and strategies to support children with FASD. Strategies included covering topics such as: communication, emotional dysregulation, sensory environments, and more. To move…
Before it became a popular buzzword, resilience was an adjective used to describe goldfish or tires, something that didn’t need much taking care of. Even the dictionary says that resilience is about the “ability to return to the original shape.”…
The histories of youth in foster and adoptive families often involve details that can feel difficult to discuss as a caregiver. Learn how to share your child’s history with them in ways that promote healthy communication, offer developmentally appropriate language,…
Adoption is a lifelong journey, and adopted individuals face different challenges during each stage of life. The late adolescent and early adult years offer unique opportunities for growth, independence, and identity formation, but also create new obstacles as life experiences…
We often focus on the time it takes for children to reach permanency and strive to meet permanency timelines set by both the courts and the federal government. However, it is also important to consider why timely permanency is important…