Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

Gina Rogers is a dynamic, passionate individual who is eager to serve at-risk children and families. Currently, Gina works at Boys Town North Florida on the Development Team; her title is the site’s Donor Relations Specialist. Gina has earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Social Work and has been certified in Child Welfare Practice as well as Leadership in Executive and Administrative Development. Gina is determined to serve children and families in need and believes in maximizing every child’s opportunity to succeed.

Donna Whittle is a native of Tallahassee, FL. Donna professionally holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management and has worked for the State of Florida since September 2008. She is a certified traditional foster parent for the State of Florida Department of Children and Families, which began November 2017. Donna and her husband have welcomed nine children into their home, ranging in age from an infant to teenagers, over the past four years. Donna stated, “All the children that we have fostered will always have a piece of my heart. Each child that has left my home are forevermore my godchildren.” Donna’s passion is advocating and caring for children. In November 2019, Donna and her husband adopted three sibling brothers that were their past foster children. Donna stated, “Our boys are a true blessing. I am so grateful that I get to be their mother.” Donna began volunteering for the Heart Gallery Big Bend in June 2021. She has taken on the role of social media coordinator, became a board member in October 2021, and January 2022 became the Vice President. Donna studied website design for three years and participated in yearbook design all four years of high school. She enjoys updating and designing for the Heart Gallery Big Bend website and social media platforms. She is confident that expanding our platform to promote and advocate for children, will increase their chances of getting adopted. She believes every child should have a loving, caring, supportive family. By volunteering, she hopes that she can make a difference by helping children find their forever homes.

Belinda Heys is a former foster mom and now adoptive mom. Her passion is advocating for kids to find their forever families. She has been volunteering for the Heart Gallery Big Bend for the last 3 years.

Cassie Branch professionally holds a Master’s  Degree in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Educational Leadership and is the owner of a local childcare facility.  Cassie and her husband have invited 12 children in her home ranging from infant to teenagers in the last 3 years. She is a mom to 7 children.  Cassie and her husband adopted 3 children in 2020.  The Heart Gallery holds a special place in Cassie’s heart.  She hopes to help increase awareness of what the Heart Gallery is and increase the number of people involved in volunteering in this organization.  She also believes that advocating for children through legislation brings awareness and funding to allow these children to find a forever family.

The Heart Gallery Big Bend is dedicated to increasing awareness of children in our community who are available for adoption and in need of loving, permanent homes. The individuality and spirit of each child has been captured by local photographers who have generously donated their time and talent.

https://heartgallerybigbend.org/

https://www.facebook.com/HeartGalleryBigBend

https://www.instagram.com/heartgallerybigbend/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Jenni Alpert (Cami) - Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist Jenni Alpert (Birth name: Cameron, Cami) was born in Los Angeles, CA and adopted out of the foster care system at the age of four. She started to sing and play piano while staying in various foster homes. With the encouragement and support of her adoptive family, she learned to play the guitar as well and began writing and record songs early. With her honest rich songwriting and soothing musical melodies, songstress Jenni Alpert’s haunting, powerful, and sultry voice has gained the respect of fans and music tastemakers worldwide. Her emotionally driven songs weave a unique web of eclectic Soul-Americana Pop. As familiar with jazz and Americana as she is pop, Alpert graduated from UCLA in the Ethnomusicology Department after completing a four-year jazz program headed by Kenny Burrell. No stranger to the recording studio, Alpert has released 8 albums and has independently toured over 14 countries with regularity. Upon reuniting with her biological father who was homeless, addicted, and running from the law at the time, yet a musician just like her, a film team decided to make a short documentary entitled Homeless: the Soundtrack directed by Oscar-nominated, Peabody and Emmy Award winning documentary film director Irene Taylor Brodsky, produced by Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz about the early stages that unfold the journey of their biological reunion capturing the unique bond they share. The two performed to share their biological reunion adventures and on creative approaches towards transformation in story and song together alongside supporting the film as a duo under the name Cami and Don,The Biological Duo until his passing. Currently Jenni Alpert (Cami) continues to join a range of non profits and organizations that focus on adoption, foster care, the Adoption Constellation, and homelessness as keynote speaker and performer in support of education and healing.

Listen to Don’s Take in soundbites https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/KGpcgbiuhLt6eMc29

Read article from EpochTimes: https://www.theepochtimes.com/father-daughter-duo-proves-home-is-where-the-heart-guitar-and-family-are_3076655.html

NBC Nightly: https://youtu.be/ZEsc-j7pMaE

https://vimeo.com/577773273 Password: jennialpertbiologicalreunion

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578938138/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_F56B7GGM6VYKXB27RKKD

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cdP6dotlBs23P1dR3eL9r3gqMUDu-oy

https://www.facebook.com/camianddonbiologicalduo

https://www.facebook.com/jennialpertmusic

www.jennialpert.com

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Richard Rose is the Director of Therapeutic Life Story Work International (TLSWi). TLSWi provides consultancy and training on Therapeutic Life Story Work and working with ‘hard to reach’ children and adolescents and develops academic training programmes in the UK and Internationally. TLSWi is also the professional body for Therapeutic Life Story Work and engages in research, supervision and professional development of all members.

Richard has worked with traumatised children and families since he was 17 years old, and in that time has been shaped by those he has journeyed with over the last 38 years. He qualified in Social Work in 1989 and since then worked in the UK in local authority child protection and from 1997 with the highly regarded residential therapeutic treatment agency SACCS, including four years as the Clinical Practice Director of the Mary Walsh Institute.

Throughout his career, Richard has worked with children and their families in and out of home care and within birth family placements, with the aim of enabling these placements to become healthy and nurturing.

Richard is a regular visitor to Australia where he is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Social Work and Social Policy at La Trobe University, Melbourne and Honorary Associate of Berry Street, Melbourne. He is also an Honorary Associate of the Open Adoption Institute, University of Sydney. He is a regular visitor to the USA, where he presents for Portland State University, DHS Oregon and ORPARC (Adoption Services).

Richard is the author of The Child’s Own Story – Life Story Work with Traumatised Children (2004); Life Story Therapy with Traumatised Children – A Model for Practice (2012) and Innovative Therapeutic Life Story Work (2017).

In 2020 he founded Therapeutic Life Story Work International (TLSWi) and this will now be the home of TLSW and a new International Professional Community that impacts across the World.

He is married to Paula and has two children, Ben and Callum.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-richard-rose-81779045/

https://tlswi.com/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Seasoned professionals Phil and Mike share 2 lifetimes worth of insights, learning and understanding into what helps adopted kids thrive. Given the depth and breadth of their experience there's a host of nuggets here, so settle in for your own learning.

Phil Scarpelli is the President and CEO of the Brevard Family Partnership Family of Agencies. 

Phil joined the Brevard Family Partnership in November 2018. Since the inception of privatization, he has been proudly involved in Florida’s child welfare system as early as the late 1990s. Previously, Phil worked as part of the Department of Children and Families Central Region’s Leadership on its middle and senior managers’ professional development and talent management. Before that, he was the State Director with Key Assets Florida, Inc., part of the International Core Assets Group, a leading children’s services provider.

Phil has 30 years of experience working in behavioral healthcare and child welfare in both clinical and administrative capacities. Throughout his career, he has been committed to children and families at risk. To develop a perpetual learning environment willing to challenge the status quo, embrace innovation, inclusion, transparency, and trust.

Phil has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Gerontology from Iona College and a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Yeshiva University.

Mike DiBrizzi is President/Chief Executive Officer Camelot Community Care

He began his employment with Camelot in 1994 and has held various direct care and leadership positions before being appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2007. Mr. DiBrizzi has served on various community boards and committees including as Board Chairman for The Foster Family-Based Treatment Association and The Florida Coalition for Children Foundation.  Mr. DiBrizzi is a graduate of Leadership Pinellas and serves on the City of Largo, Fl. Planning Board. Mr. DiBrizzi received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Tampa and his Masters in Business Administration from the University of South Florida.

https://brevardfp.org/

https://www.facebook.com/BrevardFamilyPartnership/

https://twitter.com/BrevardFP

https://www.instagram.com/brevardfamilypartnership/

https://www.youtube.com/user/Brevardfamilypartner

Bringing Families Together For A Bright Future.  

At Camelot Community Care, this is not merely a slogan – it is our “calling”.  Our dedicated team seeks to live out this calling each and every day with respect, compassion and commitment equal to the enormous trust placed in us on behalf of our community’s most vulnerable children and families.  We measure our work against the most important yardstick we know; making a tangible difference in the lives of those we serve.

 Camelot Community Care’s ability to create better outcomes for those we serve can be seen in the wide variety of effective programs that we implement and oversee.  We continue to make a positive impact that will be felt in our community for generations to come!  

As a community-based care agency, partnership, and a spirit of collaborative caring are written into the DNA of our organization.  Through collaborative partnerships with other agencies statewide, our foster parents, volunteers, and community benefactors, our mission of enabling children and families to realize their fullest potential by stopping the cycle of abuse and neglect in families and in our community is possible.  The success of this model of care continues to be demonstrated year after year.  In spite of on-going society-wide economic challenges, the state’s opioid crisis, an increase in the number of children receiving out-of-home services statewide, and flat funding, our network, and tremendous community partnerships have allowed Camelot to continue our forward-thinking approach. 

The child welfare system journey is ongoing and we would like to thank you for sharing it with us as we continue to keep our children safe and create a bright future for our most important resource.

https://www.camelotcommunitycare.org/

https://www.facebook.com/camelotcc

https://www.linkedin.com/company/camelot-community-care-inc./

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Adoptee & therapist Brett dives deep into how we change. We want to change and yet the work involved seems daunting. Why is that? How does safety keep us stuck? How does adoption impact safety? Where's the freedom from this for adoptees? It's an empowering and uplifting conversation. 

Here's some info on Brett and the Center he works at from their website.

Dr. Brett Furst holds a B.S. in Child and Adolescent Development from The University of California, Davis, an M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Chapman University, and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He has his Doctorate in Psychology from Alliant International University. Dr. Furst is a fully trained, EMDRIA approved, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist. Dr. Furst, in addition to his focus on the underlying causes of addiction, specializes in academic and educational difficulties, and provides supportive services to those clients pursuing continuing education at PACE, including managing ADHD symptoms, proper study habits, and processing difficulties, from a therapeutic lens. Therapeutically, Brett comes from a Gestalt perspective, placing emphasis on the exploration of the authentic self and how inauthenticity and the negative personas clients create contribute to their unhealthy habits and the disconnection from themselves through substance. Dr. Furst has worked at several local treatment facilities where he has customized several young adult curriculums. Brett has also developed one of the first experiential poetry groups, and finds group work to be some of the most rewarding he has done. He enjoys spending time with his family and dog, and exploring new parts of his native Orange County.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettfurst/

https://fursttherapy.com/

At PACE Recovery Center, we believe in empowering our clients to fulfill their own particular dreams. We believe that Positive Attitudes Change Everything. Our trained addiction treatment staff will help our clients identify their specific recovery goals, and help them achieve them. From our home base in Orange County, we also provide in-depth mental health services that address the root issues driving addiction and mental illness. Once men leave our program, they have all the tools they need to thrive in recovery.

Long-term sobriety is more than simply not using alcohol or drugs, it is about living life. Helping our clients develop life skills, educational aims, or vocational goals not only teaches them about responsibility and accountability, but also helps improve their self-esteem.

https://www.instagram.com/pacerecovery/

https://www.facebook.com/PaceRecoveryCenterLLC

https://www.pacerecoverycenter.com/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Therapy is often seen as THE route to overcoming trauma and thriving. Mentoring is less known and less common. In this episode I interview mentor Jessica on the benefits of mentoring to help adoptees thrive. Listen in for insights, aha moments and personal learnings.

Jessica is a transracial adoptee born in Bogota, Colombia who grew up in Long Island, New York. She is an Adoptee Advocate, working to create supportive spaces for adoptees and their families. Jessica was one of the founding mentors in the NYC Teen Mentorship program which began in 2006, and now is the Manager of Community Engagements at Spence-Chapin, overseeing all community programming. Jessica’s passion for connecting with adoptees and their families has always been the driving force in her work and is the reason she continues to create spaces for adoptee stories and voices.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-m-luciere-3a438340

https://www.instagram.com/jmluciere/?hl=en-gb

Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children is a non-profit organization that has been providing adoption and adoption support services for over a century. The Spence-Chapin Way is to provide guidance and support to children, women, and families throughout all our program areas.

https://spence-chapin.org/community-programming/

https://spence-chapin.org/

https://www.facebook.com/spencechapin/

https://www.instagram.com/spencechapinsvc/

https://twitter.com/SpenceChapinSvc

https://www.youtube.com/user/AdoptionsNYC

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Life can feel really tough when our kids are showing the signs of their trauma. Adoptive mom of two Heather has been there and felt like throwing in the towel. So how do we get past this? How do we ride the emotional rollercoaster that is parenting kids from tough places? Heather goes deep on self regulation, unconditional love, absolute security and tapping into a source bigger than ourselves so our families thrive.

Heather T. Forbes, LCSW, is the owner of the Beyond Consequences Institute and author of numerous books on the topic of working with children impacted by trauma. Coming from a family of educators, Heather has a passion for helping children in the classroom. Trauma robs children of their curiosity, and Heather’s passion is to help these students return back to their innate love for learning. She consults and lectures extensively with both general and special education schools around the nation and the world.

Her signature style is to bridge the gap between academic research and “when the rubber hits the road” classroom situations, giving teachers and school personnel the understanding and tools they need for even the most challenging of students. Heather has worked in schools with trauma-impacted students and knows firsthand how challenging it can be on a daily basis with these students.

Much of her insight on understanding trauma, disruptive behaviors, and developmental delays, comes from her own experience of raising two internationally adopted children and mentoring a severely trauma-impacted young adult.

https://www.beyondconsequences.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BeyondConsequences

https://twitter.com/HeatherTForbes

https://www.youtube.com/c/HeatherForbes/videos

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Known stories heal. So how do we do that? Adoptive mom and story expert Alisa shares a host of practical insights into this vital topic. She breaks the process down for adoptive parents so they can gather and share their child's story in an empowering and healing way.

Here's a bit about Alisa and her organisation from her website:

Alisa Matheson received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Counseling, in 2017 from the University of Northwestern – St. Paul and completed an Advanced Certificate in Therapeutic Lifestory Work and The National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative Courses.

She has experience as an adoptive and foster parent, adoption recruiter, educator and contractor; completed 30 Lifebooks and 80 Social and Medical Histories. In every role over the past 11 years, she has championed communication, relationship building, and respect for the personhood and rights of everyone involved in the child welfare system.

We envision a world in which everyone has the same person-centered access to their own personal history, stories, and medical information.

Power of Story completes Lifebooks and Social Medical Histories with children and youth in Minnesota foster care to bring these necessary, healing, therapeutic, and valuable items to life.

We also provides life history specific resources and workshops nationwide.

More at:

https://powerofstory.us/

https://www.facebook.com/powerofstory.us/

https://www.instagram.com/powerofstory.us/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/power-of-story/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw1LBjPOu_Oybwke8AtemnQ

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Being where the other is. Putting ourselves in our kids' shoes. Seeing life through their lens. Maria goes deep on how we build empathy and connection with our kids to help them heal and thrive.

Maria Nanos, LCSW, Ph.D., is the Chief Executive Officer of the Greenlight Family Services. Dr. Nanos received her Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work from the Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago and her masters in social work at Jane Addams, University of Illinois. Dr. Nanos’ clinical career began in 1987 focusing on children and families of sexual abuse and neglect in the Chicagoland area. Dr. Nanos rapidly moved into managerial positions supervising programs in areas of mental health, child abuse, sexual assault, DCFS investigations and more recently grandparents raising grandchildren. Dr. Nanos is an avid advocate for human services in Chicago and is a frequent presenter at conferences and trainings. Dr. Nanos is an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago in the Masters program and has a part time clinical private practice. She has consulted with many agencies in Chicago thus reaching thousands of families.

Dr. Nanos is a native Chicagoan who enjoys most outdoor activities, travel and nature. She resides with her family in Evanston.

Greenlight Family Services (formally known as Center for Law and Social Work) has been preserving families, providing hope and protecting lives throughout the State of Illinois since 2003. Our mission is to achieve the best outcomes for families, young adults, and children by providing the highest quality services. In the beginning, Greenlight focused on providing legal assistance for the growing population of grandparents raising grandchildren. Each year, Greenlight strategically expanded its legal and social services.

In 2017, Greenlight acquired Porchlight Counseling Services and added specialized sexual assault therapy to our array of crisis counseling services programming. These services exist to help college sexual assault survivors achieve healing and wholeness and to create a world in which a person’s life is not defined by the devastating experience of sexual assault. The program provides counseling, advocacy, and other supportive services to the survivors of campus sexual assault, with the goal to provide high-quality, long-term counseling at no charge to the client.

In 2019, Greenlight expanded its services and moved its main office to the South Side of Chicago to better serve its foster care and post adoption families where they live. Greenlight also opened a Springfield office to better serve the southern region of the state of Illinois.

Today, Greenlight manages the Heart Gallery of Illinois and Adoption Listing Service for the state of Illinois and provides relative, non-relative, second parent, step-parent, adoption services as well as DCFS foster parent adoption and post adoption services. Greenlight provides services for more than 7,000 families and young adults each year.

https://greenlightfamilyservices.org/

https://greenlightfamilyservices.org/heartgalleryofil/

https://www.facebook.com/GreenlightIL

https://www.instagram.com/greenlight_il/?hl=en

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

If our kids come from trauma life can be dark. Where's the bright light of hope? It's in neuro-plasticity, the brain's built in capacity to change. Melissa translates the science into every day language we can all understand and sets out practical ways to harness neuroplasticity so our kids can thrive.

Melissa is an adoptee and adoptive mom. Here's a bit about her and her organisation from their website

Patrick and I are parents to six by both birth and adoption (ages 14-23). Our open-door policy has blessed us with lots of honorary family members along the way. As an Enneagram Coach, Safe and Sound Practitioner, and Empowered to Connected parent trainer, I love helping families laugh more and yell less. I hate cleaning and love extra crispy french fries.

Here at the Adoption Connection, we use our real-life experiences in adoptive parenting to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

You’ll find practical resources rooted in our faith in Jesus and backed by brain-science to bring you hope for your family’s future at

https://theadoptionconnection.com/

https://www.facebook.com/theadoptionconnection

https://www.instagram.com/postadoptionresources/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.