Compiled by Jenny Riddle with Traci Newell, LBSW, TBRI® Practitioner, Education Specialist & National Program Director for Families Count™ For foster parents, talking with children in their care about their families may be uncomfortable, particularly when circumstances are challenging. As shepherds of their children’s hearts, though, parents must recognize that a child’s understanding of his

“Education is a matter of building bridges.” Ralph Ellison Recently, one of our Bridge tutors spent some time with a fifteen-year-old girl with Down Syndrome who with tears streaming down her face, asked why she had to been born different? We have all heard the bowl of alphabet soup diagnosis: OCD, ADHD, ODD, GAD, Dyslexic,

“Ugh, teenagers!” “Teens just go brain dead for a little while and then come back.” “It’s all the raging hormones — they act crazy!” “If we can just get through these years, we will be ok.” In the book Brainstorm, Daniel L. Siegel, M.D., provides abundant research on the changes that take place within the

Children, especially those from trauma backgrounds, tend to find stability and safety in structured, predictable environments. Those two words are not typically used to describe holidays or winter breaks. Additionally, holiday breaks are short in nature, so the transitions are swift and bring abrupt changes and challenges in a short amount of time. Add cold

Developed by Lynn Beckett, LBSW Adapted for blog by Neisha Roberts It’s the age-old conundrum for those named “mom” or “dad” — how do you keep up with all the essential (and some fun) tasks as a parent and still have time to take care of yourself? Research shows that taking a break, rest, or

Lifeline Family Counselor speaks on how parents can help their children feel safe.

Although sheltering in place can bring many positive opportunities to our homes, the unpredictability and stress of the situation can caused unexpected challenges. Your child’s behavior may have regressed due to the unpredictability and stress of this new normal during the COVID-19 crisis. While trying to maintain some sanity, you may have slipped into some

WHY NUTRITION MATTERS: A healthy diet is an important factor for everyone. When we eat properly, we give our bodies the nutrients it needs to feel our best. For a child coming from trauma, proper nutrition proves to be even more significant. A child who comes into your care through adoption or foster care is

Stealing can be a sensitive subject for many of us, especially when there is a strong emphasis on the value of working hard in our culture. When something that belongs to us is stolen, it evokes a strong response. Sometimes this is an emotional response or even a physical response. This makes stealing something that

Self-Harm is a term that may cause foster or adoptive parents’ anxiety level to go up. We hope this information will better equip you as a parent to feel pre-pared and capable to respond appropriately to this behavior. Let’s begin by de-fining what the term actually means. WHAT IS SELF-HARM? Self-harm, or self-injury, is the