Parenting Strategies

Every child entering foster care has experienced some amount of trauma—if nothing else, removal from his or her home and placement into foster care is itself traumatic. In most cases, children in the child welfare system have multiple experiences with trauma, often referred to as complex trauma. Parenting a child who has been separated from… More

In an adoption world where disruption looms all too often, this session offers a positive approach for workers and families. Here is a way to make sense of (and deal with) some of the negative feelings that adopted children can make their parents feel. Understanding this dynamic, as well as other key parent-child interactions which… More

Children who have been prenatally exposed to drugs, particularly alcohol, can have significant challenges with learning and behavior. When parents or foster caregivers understand the underlying causes and the impact on the brain from prenatal exposure, they can develop therapeutic parenting and teaching strategies that allow both parent and child to experience success! Presented by… More

Children do best when they know the truth about their lives. But sharing difficult information with children is not easy. This webinar will give participants the tools to discuss the most challenging situations (abuse, parental incarceration, death, HIV, incest, termination of parental rights) with children of all ages. Please bring your own challenging questions to… More

Research is revealing that the typical youth brain is not capable of true adult functioning until 20+ years of age – information that has critical implications in terms of cause and effect understandings, critical thinking skills and maturation. For youth who have experienced foster care and adoption, this developmental process can be significantly affected. This… More

Parenting a hurt child calls for innovative, creative, and nurturing ideas. Too often, parents can’t understand why techniques used to successfully parent other children simply have no effect. This session will explore which parenting tools do not work and why, and help parents retire those tools without guilt. Parents will then learn new ways to… More

Many children in adoptive and foster families come to us with challenging behaviors. Parents and caregivers need to have the knowledge, skills, and understanding of where these behaviors come from, and how to deal with them. This is one of the most common topics in support groups. Join us as we discuss and explore ideas… More

What child doesn’t want to play on a Little League team, go on a school field trip or sleep overnight with friends? What teen doesn’t dream of getting a driver’s license, earning money at a part time job and attending the prom? Many of us can remember how foundational these and similar experiences were in… More

Raising a child who was abused or neglect or who has experienced other significant trauma is different than other parenting. Even experienced parents may need to explore new techniques to respond to the challenges resulting when children have been traumatized. To become the best possible adoptive parent you can be, we encourage you to explore… More

by Richard Delaney, PhD Dr. Delaney is a clinical psychologist who has worked with foster, kinship, and adoptive parents and their children for more than 30 years. His thoughts about parental mind reading were recently studied at Northwest Media, parent company of Foster Parent College. He is a major contributor to the interactive online training… More

by Kayla VanDyke, NACAC youth engagement coordinator Kayla was in foster care and uses her experience in a number of capacities to make a difference in the lives of other youth. After graduating from Hamline University, Kayla lead the national It’s Complicated project, which sought to bring comprehensive sexuality and relationship training to youth in… More

by Stacy Manning Stacy Manning is a registered nurse, post-adoption family coach, and educator. She and her husband are raising six teenagers, three adopted and three biological. In 2011, Stacy created Hope Connections, which provides family coaching sessions to current and prospective adoptive parents across the U.S., and offers workshops, sensory tools, and a hands-on… More

Children who experience early trauma learn to survive by not trusting their caregivers or the world around them. They become naturally defensive and face the daunting task of learning to trust once they are in the care of trustworthy parents. Caregivers face the huge challenge of keeping their minds and hearts open despite repeated experiences… More

This article was originally published in Adoptalk, NACAC’s quarterly newsletter. Adoptalk is a benefit of NACAC membership. Learn more about becoming a NACAC member. Years ago, I was the social worker on two separate cases that disrupted the same year. With each set of parents I tried to explain a fundamental truth: relationship reciprocity and… More

When a foster or adopted child has special needs, parents must juggle appointments with mental health therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, psychiatrists, ophthalmologists, allergists, and asthma specialists. They must attend IEP meetings, keep in touch with the school principal and their child’s teacher, check in with the social worker, and establish a schedule… More

People often ask me what they need to know to successfully adopt and parent older children. Well, I don’t have a magic answer (sorry, but I really don’t think there is one), but I do have some suggestions to make it easier. Be Prepared to Change When an older child joins the family, we need… More

In a world where telephones and email dominate our interactions, we sometimes forget there are other ways to communicate. In the adoption world, particularly, communication without words takes on special meaning, and psychologists have given us a concept of non-verbal communication that makes an incredible amount of sense in the context of adoption. It is… More