Talking with Your Adopted Teen

Talking with Your Adopted Teen

Teens typically have an endless appetite for talking with friends, but when it comes to talking with adults or (even worse) parents, conversation often consists of one-syllable words, grunts, and eye rolls. When it comes to talking about adoption with some teens,...
Brain Development and Trauma Recovery

Brain Development and Trauma Recovery

Sometimes teens struggle with the question, “Who am I?”. This process is called Identity Formation. Finding the answer often involves figuring out how they are similar to, and different from their parents. This task can be complicated for children/youth who have both...
Adoption Trauma

Adoption Trauma

Let’s be clear.. for the infant, child or teen, adoption is a traumatic experience. The trauma of forever losing one’s maternal and paternal family tree, lineage, cultural identity, genetic mirroring, relationships, siblings and other connections and will be...
What to do With all That Anger?

What to do With all That Anger?

Yes, it is true that children in care have been negatively impacted by abuse, neglect and multiple placements. Children in foster care arrive in their new families with pain, fear, anger, confusion and despair. The good news is that children change, grow and heal...