How Connection Heals – Navigating the Beauty and Complexity of Adoption
Key Takeaways Adoption is a beautiful journey but often begins with loss, impacting a child’s emotional experience. Loss of connection to biological families can lead to unresolved trauma that manifests in different stages of life. At Chosen, relational connection is key to healing and helping children thrive, and that’s why we provide tools and support […]
Creating Felt Safety During Spooky Season
Key Takeaways Felt safety is essential: Children who have experienced trauma need to feel safe, especially during disrupted routines like Halloween, so intentional planning is key. Preparation reduces fear: Understanding potential triggers, setting clear expectations, and trying on costumes ahead of time can help children feel more in control and prevent overwhelming situations. Prioritize choice […]
Caring for the Caregivers: Combatting Compassion Fatigue
Key Takeaways Compassion Fatigue Awareness: Social workers and caregivers must recognize the signs of compassion fatigue, which can jeopardize their well-being and the quality of care they provide. Prioritizing Self-Care: By prioritizing self-care practices such as body awareness and seeking support, individuals can build resilience and mitigate the effects of compassion fatigue. Organizational Support Matters: […]
Celebrating Black Hair: Empowering Beauty and Resilience
Key Takeaways Black hair symbolizes resilience and empowerment: From the depths of historical oppression to the forefront of self-expression, Black hair stands as a testament to strength and pride. The CROWN Act champions hair equality: Enacted in multiple states, this legislation combats discrimination based on hair texture or style, fostering a more inclusive society. Moisture […]
Mastering the Chaos: Navigating Parenting with the Circle of Control
Key Takeaways Dial Down the Drama: Parenting kids with a trauma history amplifies this struggle. Let’s dive into a tool that turns down the volume on the chaos: The Circle of Control. Covey’s Circle Magic: Remember Stephen R. Covey? He gave us more than just habits; he gifted us the Circle of Control. It’s like […]
Building Skills with Connection
Building Skills with Connection: The Power of Scaffolding Have you ever seen a building under construction? Often it is surrounded by metal poles or wood planks. These temporary structures, called scaffolding, are put in place to provide stability for the growing parts and to aid in construction. Children who have experienced abuse and neglect often […]
Piñatas and Felt Safety
Finding the Function in Dysfunction My daughter has an irrational fear of piñatas—the fear that makes your heart race, palms sweaty and stomach turn. Complicating this fear is the fact that she spent most of the first 5 years of her life living in Mexico, land of the piñata. Where we lived, piñatas are just […]
Even Small Things Feel Big
I was never an angry person until I had kids. This is something I often joke about with my husband: I reminisce about how when I was a single college student, before him, before three littles demanding my constant attention, I don’t remember ever getting angry. Marriage made life more nuanced. Suddenly, there were things […]
Dr. Bruce Perry’s Concept of Regulate, Relate, and Reason
The Three R’s Think about a time you felt upset. Was it over something big or small? Did someone help you feel better? While you were still upset, did you listen to reason? Did hearing, “Calm down!” help? A popular phrase sums it up well, “Never in the history of calming down has anyone calmed […]
Handle Sibling Fights and Nurture a Positive Attachment Every Day
BY BETHANY HALL If you are a foster, adoptive, or kinship family, then you know caring for multiple children isn’t easy. Squabbles, sharing, and getting under each other’s skin is bound to happen any time of the year. However, sibling fights and other behaviors tend to get worse during long breaks like summertime or holidays. Our […]
Screen Time: Summer Parenting Tips to Help You Manage
When it comes to screen time and kids, it is easy to feel like you are facing off against a monster. Television and video games have been around for decades, but in recent years, use and ease of access has exploded. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children until 18 to […]
Parenting Tips: Summer Advice that Can Bring Structure and Make Free Time Count
Summer is filled with fun and games, but it also has frustrating moments. There’s often dysregulation in the house (tantrums, defiance, whining and disrespect.) Why is that? The sudden lack of structure over summer break can cause “bad behaviors” to emerge. The good news is we as parents and caregivers can do something about it. […]
