Many adoptive and foster parents wonder if their child may have FASD, or they have a diagnosis but aren't sure what to do next. In Part 1 of this workshop, you will explore the impact of prenatal exposure to alcohol on a developing baby and identify the primary, secondary, and tertiary symptoms of FASD. In Part 2, you will learn practical techniques for accommodating and supporting children with FASD.

Sandra Flach is a mom of 8 children, 5 through adoption—2 diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. She encourages and equips foster and adoptive parents through her weekly Adoption & Foster Care Journey Podcast and blogs at SandraFlach.com. Sandra is co-founder of Justice For Orphans and author of Orphans No More: A Journey Back to the Father. She is also a trained facilitator of the FASCETS Neurobehavioral Model. Sandra and her husband Wayne have been married 35 years. They reside in upstate NY where they love to spend time with family, especially their 8 grandchildren.

Click here to download a transcript for this episode.

Relevant Links

Justice for Orphans

Sandra's Blog

Orphans No More* by Sandra Flach

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Last year's reflection episode was a listener favorite, so we're back with another one! With the demands of life and parenting, it can be hard to find time to stop and reflect. But pausing and reflecting is good for our soul, our nervous system, and our relationships. In this last episode for 2023 we thought it would be fun to answer the following questions:

Describe a moment of clarity in 2023

Name something that became newly important to you in 2023

What is one new thing you want to explore in 2024

What do I have right now that, five years ago, I only dreamed about having?

Click here to download a transcript for this episode.

Relevant Links

Centering Prayer MP3

Music for the podcast was composed by Oleksandr Oleksandrov on Pond5.

Kinship care, the full-time care of a child by relatives, comes with many added relationship dynamics and complexities. In this episode Nakole Wooley shares how they navigate the challenges of kinship care, and the importance of overcommunication and compassion in the process.

Nakole and her husband, Brandon, have been married 15 years. They are raising six kids including three who joined their family through kinship care. She is a military veteran and a licensed master social worker in Missouri. She and Brandon are also Cultivate Connection Facilitators.

Click here to download a transcript for this episode.

Relevant Links

Blocked Care 101

Reclaim Compassion: The Adoptive Parent's Guide to Overcoming Blocked Care with Neuroscience and Faith*  by Qualls and Corkum

Join Reclaim Compassion

Free Blocked Care Assessment

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In this episode Angela Coston, the executive director of For the Sake of One, shares her journey as an adoptive and foster mom. She candidly discusses her experiences and challenges in parenting children with complex needs while being a community leader. Angela explains how being able to name blocked care helped her shed the shame that she was abnormal or a bad parent. She shares practical strategies that helped her overcome blocked care and highlights the importance of setting boundaries and taking time for nervous system care to maintain resilience. Through her personal experiences and growth, Angela offers hope to listeners, emphasizing that while it might get worse before it gets better, it's entirely possible to navigate the challenges of parenting children with complex needs while taking care of yourself and learning to understand blocked care.​

Click here to download a transcript for this episode.

Relevant Links

For the Sake of One Website

FREE Blocked Care Assessment

Reclaim Compassion* by Lisa C. Qualls and Melissa Corkum

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Many children with early adversity have an overactive stress response that can create challenging behaviors. In this engaging workshop you will see compelling case studies, visuals, and research about the role of innate neurodevelopmental movements in healthy physical, mental, and social-emotional functioning. You will gain a new perspective about the importance of neurodevelopmental movements and how they can help with anxiety disorders; sensory issues; overwhelm; and fight, flight and freeze states.

Sonia Story developed the Brain and Sensory Foundations curriculum to provide comprehensive training in the use of neurodevelopmental movements for addressing sensory, learning, physical, behavioral, emotional, social, and speech challenges. Since 2006, she has been working with children, parents, and professionals in hands-on sessions and training courses. Sonia’s courses are approved for professional continuing education for occupational and physical therapists, mental health counselors, myofunctional therapists, and massage therapists. Her work has been featured in the books, Almost Autism: Recovering Children from Sensory Processing Disorder; Special Ed Mom Survival Guide; Family Health Revolution; and Same Journey, Different Paths, Stories of Auditory Processing Disorder.

Click here to download a transcript for this episode.

Relevant Links

Sonia's website

Connect with Sonia on Instagram

Slides from Sonia's presentation

FREE Resources page for Mental Health Professionals and Parents

Click here to join Reclaim Compassion for future workshops

Is your adoption journey turning out differently than you imagined? You had so much love to give, but now you feel ashamed and bewildered by your lack of compassion.

You may be experiencing blocked care—a self-protective mechanism in your nervous system that makes it difficult to connect with your child and maintain compassion. When it happens, it’s like your heart seems to have left the relationship.

In this episode, we identify the ten signs of blocked care and how to overcome them. It is never too late to reclaim compassion for yourself and your kids!

Click here to download a transcript for this episode.

Relevant Links

Our new Adoption Wise website

Free Blocked Care assessment

Reclaim Compassion: The Adoptive Parent's Guide to Overcoming Blocked Care with Neuroscience and Faith* by Lisa C. Qualls and Melissa Corkum

Join our Reclaim Compassion coaching group

* this is an affiliate link

Music for the podcast was composed by Oleksandr Oleksandrov on Pond5.

Every adoptee walks through life dealing with the loss of at least their first family, and each one will experience that loss with a different lens. This week, Suzanne Stabile joins Lisa and Melissa for a rich conversation about adoption, the Enneagram, mystery, and curiosity. Suzanne shares vulnerably about how she's dealing with the "adoption-shaped hole" in her life.

As an internationally recognized Enneagram Master, Suzanne has conducted over 500 Enneagram workshops over the past 30 years. She's the author of The Road Back to You, The Path Between Us, and The Journey Toward Wholeness. When she is not on the road teaching and lecturing, Suzanne is at home in Dallas, Texas with her husband, Rev. Joseph Stabile, a United Methodist pastor with whom she co-founded Life in the Trinity Ministry and the Micah Center. She is the mother of four children and grandmother of nine.

Click here to download a transcript for this episode.

Relevant Links

Life in the Trinity Ministry

The Enneagram Journey Podcast

Ambiguous Loss* by Pauline Boss

Healing Through the Dark Emotions* by Miriam Greenspan

The Girls Who Went Away* by Anne Fessler

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Do you have a child who doesn't seem to be fully present? Perhaps it seems they're often daydreaming or in la-la land. This can be especially frustrating if they have trouble focusing at school or completing a task. In this workshop you'll learn:

the neurobiology of shutdown

how la-la land is protective

how to offer safety and connection

Robyn loves cultivating deep, resonant connections with anyone who is up for it, and is especially fond of all the grown-ups in the world who love and care for kids impacted by trauma- helpers, healers, educators, and parents.  Her favorite thing ever (besides glittery coffee mugs) is teaching anyone who will listen to harness the power of neuroscience so they can cultivate deep, resonant connections. What would change in the world if we could all do that? To see, be with, feel, and deeply know each other…and ourselves. Robyn thinks everything could change.  You can get your hands on all sorts of free resources at www.RobynGobbel.com, including her podcast The Baffling Behavior Show. Robyn’s first book, Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors: Brain-Body-Sensory Strategies that Really Work, will hit bookshelves everywhere September 21, 2023.

Click here to download a transcript for this episode.

Relevant Links

Robyn's website

Connect with Robyn on Instagram

Connect with Robyn on Facebook

How to Change People Pleasing Behavior

Free Webinar from Robyn

The Connected Therapist* by Marti Smith

Click here to download the handout for this workshop

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This week we answer listener questions such as:

How do I prepare for every possible scenario and keep balance in our lives?

Why does our young adult reject us but show loyalty to practical strangers?

How do I help my spouse with blocked care?

How do I provide choices to a child who doesn't learn from poor ones?

Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

Relevant Links

# 41: Mentally Preparing For Your Adoption or Fostering Journey – The 11 most important things you need to know

#42: Practically Preparing For Your Adoption or Fostering Journey – The 6 most important things you need to do

Join Lisa as she talks with Amy J. Brown about the journey of parenting children with special needs. We talk about the moment she realized her children's challenges were going to change her life and family forever. We talk honestly about guilt and shame as adoptive moms, blocked care, and a practical exercise for moving from guilt to acceptance.

Amy J. Brown is a writer, mentor, and co-host of the podcast, Take Heart. She is the author of the book The Other Side Of Special: Navigating the Messy, Emotional, and Joy-Filled Life of a Special Needs Mom. Amy has a Master’s Degree in Spiritual Formation and Leadership.  She shares honestly about adoption and parenting children with mental health issues and trauma.  She is the mother of six children. She lives with her husband in Michigan. ​

Click here to download a transcript for this episode.

Relevant Links

The Other Side of Special* by Amy J. Brown, Sara Clime, Carrie M. Holt

Connect on Instagram

Join our Reclaim Compassion Coaching Group

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