FOSTER & ADOPTIVE RESOURCES

I am an adoptive mother and have extensive training in adoption-competency and trauma. Because of that, I am intimate with the challenges specific to foster care and adoption. I am here to support the individual and community, and am also able to facilitate education and support groups for resource parents or resource workers that can provide a great deal of value. Topics discussed in these groups include grief and loss,  behavior management techniques, working with birth parents, conflict resolution with children, the importance of siblings, child safety, substance abuse and child development, and coping skills. Groups can be done as one-time or occur on a regular cadence and can include as many or as few people as desired.

Anticipated Outcomes of this Service

1) Foster and adoptive parents will increase their knowledge base and skillset regarding parenting foster and adopted children, which will lead to more stable foster and adoptive placements.

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2) Foster and adoptive parents will have an opportunity to process their concerns and questions related to their foster and adopted children with me and with other foster and adoptive parents. This will increase the level of support that foster and adoptive parents feel they have, which can lead to less burnout and disrupted placements.

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Education

Giving foster and adoptive families the education they need to help understand the complexities of foster and adoptive care can be a key component to healthy families. Through education, family members have the ability to better deal with the changing dynamics that may occur in their new family. The goal of sessions center on providing an opportunity for family members to increase their understanding of each other, assist with discipline tactics, improve communication, and learn how to problem-solve. Working with birth families and all those involved in the child's lives can also be conducted. Parents may seek educational interventions with or without their children to work on parenting skills, personal and relationship recommendations, and any problems that might affect the well-being of their children and families.

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Trauma

Trauma permeates foster and adoptive lives in a way that many people don't fully comprehend. Understanding all the ways trauma can appear can be instrumental in helping families cope with all the complexities that foster and adoptive care can bring. What's even more helpful is understanding that there are things we can do to help, and family members are the key to success in all trauma work. Crystal is certified in Advanced Trauma Treatment and Family Trauma Treatment and is current on many aspects of trauma treatment - tools and strategies that can have a resounding positive impact in creating healthy families. 

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