Perspectives on Challenged Family Building

Typical children are often the least involved throughout the adoption process. Few agencies provide them information about the brother or sister to come, or the changes the family may experience when adopting a child with mental health diagnoses (i.e., PTSD, Bi-Polar Disorder, AD/HD, RAD, etc.) Parents tend to focus on issues such as sharing a [...]

Take a few moments and experience the exercise below designed to help adults see moving through the eyes of the child*:
You are sitting in your apartment’s living room on a warm summer evening. Your spouse is dozing peacefully on the sofa. You’re curled up with a good book, and your feeling is one of contentment.
 
Suddenly, [...]

Children who have experienced trauma enter the family with thoughts about themselves, adults and the world that are faulty. For example, children who resided in homes replete with domestic violence and physical abuse may think:

Aggression is a means to solve problems. In homes with domestic violence and physical abuse, it is the strongest member of [...]