Resources for Family and Friends
Dear Friend,
I’ve told you before how I’m struggling with my child’s behavior but I’m not sure you understand how serious—how desperate—things are.
Here’s the unvarnished truth—my child relies on manipulation and melt-downs to control his surroundings. He refuses to follow the simplest of instructions and turns everything into a tug-of-war as if it’s a matter of life or death. Every day, all day, I deal with his extreme behavior. He screams, puts holes in walls, urinates on his toys, breaks things, physically assaults me and so much more. I’m doing the best I can but it’s frustrating and overwhelming.
Most people, maybe even you, blame me for my child’s behavior. This makes me feel even worse. I already blame myself most of the time, especially Read more
Don’t miss these posts…
Parents in crisis can’t parent therapeutically – so stop expecting us to.
Adoptive and foster parents usually reach a crisis point before we get help. No doubt, our children need us to be that calm and steady,…
The ugly truth about trauma
Understanding the devastating impact of early childhood trauma requires a paradigm shift. It’s invisible to the untrained eye so we tend to minimize its severity,…
Christmas Gift List for kids in Residential Treatment Facilities (RTFs)
It can be challenging to Christmas shop for kids who are living in residential treatment facilities (PRTFs, RTFs, or group
Joker: A warning we should heed
Joker reflects a reality we are already seeing in our society today. Early childhood trauma is at epidemic levels. Our mental health system is in…
Here’s what “trauma informed” looks like…
Due to startling research on the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on children, there is emphasis on “trauma informed
Video: Early Childhood Trauma – we need treatments now!
Learn more Aging out of RTF and into the real world: A dangerous proposition Raising a child with Developmental Trauma
Book Review: Becoming Superman
J Michael Straczynski’s (JMS) new memoir, Becoming Superman: My journey from poverty to Hollywood, is compelling, heartbreaking, and inspirational. It
NEW video teaches kids about trauma and the brain
I am so excited to share this exciting new resource with you! The Brain Game is a new psycho-educational, 20-minute
An Introduction to Developmental Trauma
To better serve children with developmental trauma, Kolk has proposed adding a new diagnosis to the DSM called Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD). The new diagnostic…
What is Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)?
Kids with RAD have an indefatigable need to control the people and situations around them because they only feel safe when they prove to themselves…
Understanding the long-term impact of early childhood trauma
Due to trauma during her early development, the lens Kayla viewed the world through was warped. It made even loving caregivers seem unsafe. Situations and…
Raising a Child with Developmental Trauma
Raising a child with developmental trauma can be incredibly difficult and isolating. The more you understand your child’s trauma history, and learn about the science…
Documentary exploring the school-to-prison pipeline
The Kids we Lose is a PBS documentary that explores how ineffective discipline techniques in schools feed the school-to-prison pipeline. It does a great job…
Why adoption stories aren’t fairy tales
Adoption finalization is a reason to celebrate. Parents have filled out mountains of paperwork, waited months or years and shed
95% of adoptive parents jump in heart-first, but unprepared
Our recent Facebook poll showed up to 95% of adoptive parents are not sufficiently trained on developmental trauma and the
Childhood Trauma Leads to Brains Wired for Fear
This story was produced by Side Effects Public Media, a news collaborative covering public health. Negative childhood experiences can set our brains
It takes a village
My son Devon has a long track-record of making false allegations against staff at treatment facilities where he’s a patient. “I’m afraid
What we might learn from another tragic story of mental health help given too late, too little
Caleb, 11, was thin with blond hair, glasses, and a big smile where crooked teeth jockeyed for space. He and
How kids in “typical” biological families grow up with attachment issues
Adults who grew up in so-called “typical” families—the families we pay no or little attention to because it looks “normal”,
What it’s like being the sibling of a child with RAD
“It’s like living in a prison. We can’t go anywhere. All doors are locked. Alarms everywhere. We can’t have friends
Why Residential Treatment is good (and not good) for kids with RAD
What’s your success been with Residential Treatment Facilities (RTF)? My son, Devon, has been in 2 group homes and 5
Dear friends & family
Dear Friend, I’ve told you before how I’m struggling with my child’s behavior but I’m not sure you understand how
Movie Review: The Boarder
When Annika and Zeb adopt Carl, an 11-year-old boy from the foster care system, they’re confident he’ll heal and thrive
How parents of kids with RAD get PTSD
“It’s unreasonable to force a parent to bond with a child whose behaviors have led to his or her PTSD,”
Trauma and the Incredible Hulk
Effectively parenting children with a history of trauma requires a paradigm shift. This short video by psychologist Jacob Ham is
When a mom struggles to love her child
Originally published by the Institute for Child Development. Carol was bitter and angry—on edge. Shortly after we met through a
Amazing stories of violent children with RAD and the families that love them. (Video)
Here are the stories of one dozen children with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and how their families found the answers
3 Reasons Traditional Parenting Doesn’t Work With Kids From Trauma.
For years I pulled out my hair not understanding why my parenting strategy was working with my birth and other
I’ve tried the system. It doesn’t work.
The media is calling the Parkland massacre “preventable” and pointing to missed warning signs. But, I’ve heeded the warning signs. All these mental health services,…
Don’t blame workers for psych center woes
Here in Charlotte, NC we’ve recently had a lot of news about Strategic Behavioral Center, a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility
I will only adopt cats from here on out.
Since I was about 16, I have wanted to adopt children. Not babies, children. I really felt God had called
Three cousins
I adopted my three cousins six years ago. Mom and dad of one boy died of drug overdose, other lost
Adopting family tortured by girl’s RAD illness | KSL.com
It took Jay and Jodi Bean of Alpine years to figure out why their new daughter brought anger and fear
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