Foster Care Issues

I have worked with all aspects of foster care, including foster children, parents of children in foster care and foster parents. I understand the complexities of foster care and the issues surrounding separation, abuse, trauma and adjustment. Adults who were in foster care as children often struggle with the impact that foster care has had on their lives. Understanding trauma and the effects of family disruption is key to providing therapy.

Children and teens who come into foster care carry extreme trauma, attachment wounds, and have experienced great loss. I help prepare families for adoption, foster families to provide safe spaces for their the children and teens in their care, and for kids and teens to prepare for adoption, reunification, and/or independent living.

I have training and experience in trauma-informed care along with TBRI (trust-based relational intervention) to help transform the way you're connected to your foster kids and how they're connected to you. I am EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Trained and experienced in identifying the negative core beliefs that are lingering from the trauma that being in foster care can leave on a child.

I worked in many different capacities in the foster care field; office manager, case manager, trainer/recruiter, and always an advocate. The foster parents I most connected with are the ones that help solidify that becoming a counselor was my next step, and most importantly all of the children I worked for. I have worked with a lot in foster care, from failed reunifications to failed adoptions- and yes the best things in the world are good reunifications and perfectly matched adoptions.

I have worked with all aspects of foster care, including foster children, parents of children in foster care and foster parents. I understand the complexities of foster care and the issues surrounding separation, abuse, trauma and adjustment. Adults who were in foster care as children often struggle with the impact that foster care has had on their lives. Understanding trauma and the effects of family disruption is key to providing therapy.

I value community service through my volunteerism. As a mentor in a ministry for adults with special needs, I participate in a weekly dinner which provides a place for community and socializing. I have enjoyed my role as a facilitator of outdoor education team building activities in an annual camp for children in the foster care system. The camp provided a safe place for teens to have fun and process their story.

As a foster parent and former Treatment Director for a foster care agency, I understand the challenges that come with being a foster parent. I have also worked with foster kiddos both in my home and professionally. Foster Care is a unique system with many challenges.

I have worked with foster care related issues in various arenas including crisis intervention and treatment. I have had the privilege of working with some incredible children and youth who have experienced horrific tragedy to a degree of which many will not experience even in an entire lifetime. I have also presented on foster care related topics.

Foster care/Adopting can be one of the most beautiful experiences you and your family go through together. Whether your family is thinking about FC/adoption or you already have and are having a hard time with attachment and behaviors I would be honored to help you explore this together. Using Karen Purvis' TBRI model you can build very strong attachments with children in blended families especially with kiddos coming from extremely difficult situations.

Professional and personal experience treating and working with this population. Area of specialty focuses on serving individual who was former foster youth.

Having previously worked with foster care agencies, I continue to enjoy providing therapy services to biological, foster and adoptive families. It is important for all parties to recognize doing what is best for the child is most important, as is everyone working in the same direction. This approach improves success for the family and child.

Foster parenting is more than caring. You must be able to de-code each child's needs and experiences. Better understanding is needed to zero in on that child's outlook so you can guide them from that point. The foster care experience shapes a person all their life. Processing earlier events as an adult may help you understand the impact of those events without them defining your whole life.

Young people in the foster care system or adults who spent time in the foster care system experience something that most of us can't directly relate to. Even in the best of circumstances, an encounter with the foster care system is still traumatic. It's important to make sure that these individuals get the support they need to process those experiences.

I am adoption competent trained and worked with children and families involved in foster care for over seven years. I understand the extensive attachment trauma and complex traumas that occur in the dependency system and after adoption. I have worked with children and the biological families affected by the dependency system, and the foster families and adoptive families. I also specialize in working with the social workers, case managers and other helping professionals that are in this field.

I have worked in different faucets of the child welfare system for over ten years. I understand the in's and out's of the foster care system and the hardships faced by adolescents and adults who have lived through it.