Are you a foster or adoptive parent?  Did you think that parenting could be this hard?  Does your adopted or foster child have behaviors that scare you?

It is not uncommon for parents with wonderful intentions to want to foster or adopt a child.  Then, a few months after the foster or adopted child enters the home and behavior problems begin to arise, start to wonder if becoming a foster parent or adopting a child was the right thing to do.  After trying every parenting technique known to man, even great parents can question if there is something wrong with them as a parent.

How does trauma effect children?

Children who have been removed from their biological parents have almost always experienced some degree of trauma in their lives due to abuse, neglect, medical problems, or any number of traumatic experiences.  Due to the trauma, these kids often interpret their world differently than children who had their needs met in a loving and consistent way during their first few years of life.  Research in the field of neuroscience and child development  is now changing the world's understanding about infant development, mental health, attachment and treatment for children with trauma histories.

Each child in the foster care system has a trauma history (even if the only known trauma is the separation or loss of the biological mother or family).  Traumatic experiences, including neglect, can have a tremendous effect on the child's ability to trust others and thus establish and maintain close, healthy relationships.  The way the child's brain becomes wired often makes his nervous system hyper-sensitive to his surroundings and thus react out of a fear-based survival response (fight, flight, or freeze) when he interprets the environment as unsafe.

Parenting Foster and Adopted Kids Advanced Training in Arizona

This parenting class is specifically designed for parents of children who have experienced trauma.  It utilizes information gathered from experts in the field of child development, neuroscience, and attachment.  Materials from this course include The Great Behavior Breakdown® developed by the Post Institute, The Circle of Security®, and from Trauma, Brain, and Relationships DVD.  This class helps foster and adoptive parents learn how to help their children heal from their traumas and become healthy and happy kids.  This class is not a behavior modification class; although it does help change behaviors.  It does not focus on effective punishments, rather  it's focus is on shifting from fear-based parenting to love-based parenting and learning how the parent-child relationship can help to heal the traumas of their adopted or foster children.

Continuing Education Credits

This class offers 10 continuing education credits for foster parents who need credits renew their license as foster parents.

Parenting Foster and Adopted Kids Advanced Training Details

Click HERE to see a more detailed outline of what will be covered in the training. 

Click HERE to register for the class.

For more information about this parenting classes, contact the class facilitator, Shiloh Lundahl, LCSW. (602) 492-5055.

Presentations by B. Bryan Post from the Post Institute