The Dynamics of Disruption
By Nancy Spoolstra, DVM Although there are several possible explanations for why an individual, a couple, or a family chooses to add an unrelated child to their home, in today’s modern society it usually boils down to one basic principle—the desire to parent a child or another child. Perhaps some are motivated more by altruistic […]
ATN Angel: Gail Trenberth
In celebration of ATN’s 2016 Angels in Adoption award, we’re profiling ATN members who have helped ATN win the award — and who have themselves been Angels to families and children. by: Nancy Spoolstra One of the FIRST angels related to attachment and trauma issues was Gail Trenberth. Gail founded the Attachment Disorder Parent Network […]
ATN Angel: Billy Kaplan
In celebration of ATN’s 2016 Angels in Adoption award, we’re profiling ATN members who have helped ATN win the award — and who have themselves been Angels to families and children. By: Sarah Neal and Vincent Kennebeck When our children came to live with us, we recognized something wasn’t right almost immediately – they were […]
ATN Angel: Donald Craig Peterson
By: Julie Beem Tireless. That’s the word that comes to mind when describing Craig Peterson. Those on Facebook know him as Donald Craig Peterson. Craig is an author, an activist, an advocate, an advisor…but most importantly he’s a dad. Parenting six he adopted as a single parent has been far from easy. His children have […]
That Familiar Holiday Rant: “You’ll never be my real family!”
by: D. Craig Peterson Six words. For many vulnerable children, they give context to a complicated history. For many parents who’ve opened their hearts, they cut to the bone. The words unfortunately rear their ugly head, especially during the holidays – when family gatherings are the norm. I know too well. After years of […]
I Believe Therapeutic Parenting Sets the Stage
by: Julie Beem Every day ATN gets calls and emails from parents struggling to find answers for their children’s behaviors. These behaviors are the result of early, often chronic, trauma. Whether the child has experienced abuse, neglect, painful medical procedures or witness violence, these Adverse Childhood Experiences alter the child’s social and emotional development. They […]
Everyday, I Get Up and Go to Work . . .
Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote everyday, about the kind of community you want to live in. – Unknown by: Julie Beem Everyday, I get up and stumble into my home office…to volunteer. Often I’m three cups of coffee in and still […]
Why I Always Renew My ATN Membership
by: Julie Beem Ok – this is a strange topic for the Executive Director to blog about. Yes, I’m biased. But here’s the deal…I pay my annual Attachment & Trauma Network (ATN) membership dues each year because I know what an impact my dues make. In the beginning, my membership was all about me. I […]
Catching More Flies with Honey – IEP Meeting Strategy
by: Julie Beem “You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” my grandmother was fond of saying. I have to admit that I didn’t start out using this principle for IEP meetings. I was way too intimidated. At first I believed what I was told in IEP meetings, that everyone there had the singular purpose […]
Back to School with Traumatized Students: What Do We Tell New Teachers?
By: Jen Alexander, MA, NCC, RPT It’s back to school time for all of us. It can be overwhelming to think about what to tell this year’s teachers about our children. What’s too much? What’s too little? The answers, of course, are different for everyone, but here are some ideas to think about sharing. Educators […]