Ellie Krug is a former civil trial attorney, nonprofit leader, radio/podcast host, author and national speaker on human inclusivity. Most of all, she is the parent of two Korean-born adult daughters, one of whom Ellie lost when she came out as transgender in 2009. Our interview will touch upon the challenges of being an adoptive parent years after the adoptive child comes home, but will particularly focus on how Ellie and her oldest daughter regained their relationship following several years of estrangement. Theirs is a story of open hearts, persistence, and love.

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Rick Delaney and Charley Joyce will define what is meant by anger and aggression directed at mother figures in foster care. We will learn how they determined this can be a dynamic in foster care, describe what the anger/aggression looks like, possible reasons for the anger and some considerations in how foster families might respond.

FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA

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In this episode, we are joined by award-winning science journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa. Donna is going to share with us the latest research on Positive Childhood Experiences, why they are so vital for us to understand and practical ways to incorporate them with the children in our lives and in our communities.

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Visitation can be a very difficult process for youth in foster care, foster parents and birth parents as well. We will hear from Charley Joyce, MSW and Rick Delaney, Ph.D. as they share the important, yet difficult ways visitation fills a vital role in reunification and maintaining connectedness to birth parents. Considerations on how foster parents can support foster youth in the visitation process will be discussed.

FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA

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In this episode, we are joined by author, clinician, and adoptee advocate Cam Lee Small. Cam will share an overview of what it means to be Adoption Literate, outlining how we can best support those impacted by adoption in our families, schools, and communities.

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As we all know, the foster to adoption process doesn’t magically happen.  We will hear from long-term social workers and colleagues from St. Louis County, Char Matheson and Katie Rodel about their day-to-day work.  Char and Katie have reputations for excellence in serving the adoption, foster care, and kinship communities, often going above and beyond to ensure Minnesota children have the permanency and support needed to thrive, both now and into the future.

FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA

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In this episode, we are joined by Heather Simonich. Heather is the Director of the Center for Holistic Health at Concordia College in Moorhead. She has 8 years of experience as an operations director at PATH, a foster care and adoption agency in North Dakota. She will be sharing with us what it means to view the world through a trauma-informed lens and practical strategies to use every day when caring for youth who have experienced trauma.

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In this episode, we are joined by Beth Syverson, adoptive parent and founder of Unraveling Adoption, an organization that seeks to connect and support in growth and healing those who have been touched by adoption. The holidays can be a time of intense and often conflictual feelings, and Beth is going to offer some insights and strategies on how to navigate the holidays with grace and ease.

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In this episode, we are joined by Jana Battagler, a licensed professional clinical counselor at Empower Counseling in Fargo, North Dakota. Jana is going to tell us all about overstimulation in parenting: what it is, how we got here, and ways to minimize our activation and empower us to take care of ourselves while caring for children.

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Join Rosilynn Morris as she shares her reflections on working as a Therapist in an organization that primarily served Native American children, teens, and adults. Discover how she learned to integrate Indigenous knowledge with evidence-based treatment to create a holistic approach to healing

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