In the past, many of you offered up some really neat suggestions for adoptive families in need of help. I am specifically trying to remember two group homes, care facilities, or Christian camps for troubled kids. If you know of any helpful resources for families that are struggling with their children, will you please be so kind as to leave the info in the comment section so that myself and others can refer back to this post.
A big thanks ahead of time.
10 inspiring thoughts:
I have a friend with a teenage son at Teen Challenge in Florida. It is like a christian boot camp for teenage boys. I know very little but she is very pleased and feels it is exactly what he needed. He is happy, too.
Wish I could help.
I don't even know of much in Ontario where they have places like that except for CPRI and sadly we may be looking at that for Joe...
I'm praying and praying it doesn't come to that.
http://ranchforkids.org/
Awesome place.
Hi!Families could check with the adoption agency from where they got the child .The adoption agencies directors of social services generally have lists of support services for family. But many of the private placements are quite good but very expensive.Adoption support groups may also have some leads.Good luck, Pat
Sorry that this isn't an answer but another question-
Do you know of any place that lists respite care providers by state or even by city? This is something we could have REALLY used and came up empty handed when we needed it most. NO Agency we spoke with (and we spoke with 3 that were involved on different levels) could help us. so agency help in our experience is pretty non existant. In fact, one flat out told us to "get rid of her as soon as possible" (sigh)
I have offered respite care for a few specific situations but didn't end up doing it (parents changed their minds, one kept the child at home and the other dissolved the adoption) and I really think that having some sort of a directory for respite providers with some qualifications/experience/references could be very helpful to families who need a break and a chance to regroup and come up with a new game plan.
www.ahome2come2.com is Hope House in Marsing, ID. They work with families with disrupted adoptions, long-term care, and a lot more. Christian based, small, and family-focused. They provide life skills for the older teens, and work with them as they age out and get jobs. They help them off to college and welcome them home for the holidays. Most of their kiddos are from other countries originally.
www.youthranch.com Idaho Youth Ranch in Rupert, Idaho, is another live-in location helping predominately teens from troubled backgrounds. They are a bridge to the future for these teens and families. They work primarily with teens ages 8-14 but up to age 18.
www.shepherds-home.org is in McCall, ID and serves children ages 3-18 that are placed publicly or privately. They are a Christ-centered home, with a loving married couple as the “parents” in the home. The home just re-opened, and the new parents have 2 young boys of their own. They have a great staff that enjoys working with the children.
We have had the opportunity to work with all three of these, and to work with children from all three. In our area, the health and welfare office provides a list of respite families, but only for those that are already working with H&W. We provide respite, but we are the only ones in our area that do so.
Mark Gregston has an excellent radio program focusing on parenting skills. His residential program is year-round to help troubled teens. He offers retreats, seminars & family coaching. He seems to be right on target with everything I've heard. Check out www.heartlightministries.org (He's in Hallsville, Texas)
Once again, via a friend's situation it has come home to me how dangerous it can be to seek counseling from a counselor who is not educated and aware of the specific issues and treatments for children with early trauma or attachment disorder. ALL COUNSELORS ARE NOT ALIKE! Often the programs these counselors offer and the strategies they recommend are totally wrong for our adopted children (and for obvious reasons - lack of training in this area - they aren't aware the are doing more harm than good.) My friend was reported to CPS last week for child abuse because a) her son's counselor did not even recognize that these children should ONLY receive counseling services WITH their parents in the room, because of their tendency to try and control situations by controlling the information given to different people, and b) the counselor didn't recognize false reporting as one of the symptoms of attachment disorder. Since the counselor saw the boy alone, she couldn't "breach confidentiality" by talking to the mother about the son's report, and not recognizing this as a symptom of his true problem (not the problem, itself) she made the report despite the fact that (fortunately) the child's story made no sense.
That said, I can heartily recommend HOUSE CALLS COUNSELING in the Chicago area. All of the counselors specialize and are trained specifically in adoption and foster care issues. They are WONDERFUL! And, they come to their clients' homes.
The Methodist Home in Versailles, Kentucky may be helpful for teens at risk. Sorry, I don't have their URL handy, but they do have a website with contact info. Children live in cottages here and schooling takes place on the premises. Many young lives have been turned around successfully at/by The Methodist Home...
Susan in Ky
Cousin to 2 from U.
Hey Christine,
I was wondering if you could do a post on how the families you have helped with disruption are doing now. Is their marriage getting back on track, are the other children still at home doing better? Are the family members doing better spiritually and emotionally? If you could give us a peek into life after a disruption it would be so helpful. Do most second placements seem to work better because the parents know what they are getting into? Would you recommend disruption over a school/treatment type of facility?
Thank you for all of your work!Kelly
Post a Comment