Tuesday Toolbox — Bedtime and Sleep Issues

This post originally ran as the second post in a two part series last October.  We are re-running it because so many of our traumatized children have sleep issues (including my youngest daughter, who routinely stays up past her mom’s bedtime!).  Jennie’s post has wonderful and practical information to help parents, especially in these challenging […]

Changing Rehoming Laws Isn’t the Answer

by:  Julie Beem What do the stories of Arkansas Rep. Harris and his wife, Torry Hansen (who returned her son to Russia in 2010), and the families in last year’s Reuters report on rehoming have in common? All were adoptive parents who found they could no longer safely parent their children in their homes. While […]

Tuesday Toolbox — Silliness Builds a Bridge

by:  Gari Lister My middle daughter has started to follow in her older sister’s footsteps and taken to hiding in her room.  Oh, she’s not literally hiding — she’s “cleaning” it or she’s “reading”.  But it takes hours, doesn’t seem to make an enormous difference in the cleanliness of the room or the number of […]

The Trauma Van

by:  Craig Peterson I chose to laugh, not cry.  My minivan looks like a wreck. But the two of us could never part ways. We’ve shared too much history together. In 2001 with two new sons in tow, my family of seven needed more space. So while the rain came down in sheets, I negotiated […]

Does This “In Your Face” Video Help Children with RAD?

by:  Julie Beem While the “dress color” controversy and video of two escaped llamas is going viral with the general public, this video is definitely making the rounds on Facebook and in the blogsphere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ypmGTGGN7A Whenever ATN finds something that can be useful to parents of traumatized children and to those who have RAD and […]

Tuesday Toolbox – I Love You Rituals

by:  Gari Lister I think one of the most challenging elements to having multiple children who suffered early trauma is the dance of building both a cohesive family  and one-on-one connections with each child. My younger girls no longer have severe attachment issues, but I have found that taking steps to enhance our connection goes […]

Upcoming Conferences and Trainings Coming Your Way

by:  Gari Lister As the mom to three kids from trauma backgrounds, I find that my therapeutic toolbox needs frequent updates!  My girls are very different, and the techniques that work with one do not always work with the others.  There are a number of events scheduled for the spring and summer of 2015 — […]

The Borderline in My Daughter’s Personality – Part 3

This is the final installment in a three-part series that ran earlier this week.  The first installment can be found here, and the second here. by:  Julie Beem “Borderline feels like I’m going to lose my mind You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline…” Madonna As I read further into this article, I […]

The Borderline in My Daughter’s Personality – Part 2

This post is the second entry in a three-part blog.  The third part will run tomorrow.  The first part ran yesterday; you can read it here. by:  Julie Beem “Borderline feels like I’m going to lose my mind You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline…” Madonna As I read further into this […]

The Borderline in My Daughter’s Personality – Part 1

Today’s post is the first in a series of three blogs about Julie’s daughter and borderline personality disorder.  Parts 2 and 3 will run Thursday and Friday. by:  Julie Beem “Borderline feels like I’m going to lose my mind You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline…”  Madonna We’ve been at this whole […]