Nexus Family Matters

A couple talking to their foster licensing worker via zoom

The Journey to Foster Parenting

The journey to foster parenting is so special and worth it. I see struggling families daily through my work at a nonprofit agency. I see the generational cycle of poverty and trauma. I see how this affects children and often ask why we can’t do something about this.

Parents helping child with distance learning

Parents Feeling the Pressure

Distance learning has evoked anxiety not only in students, but in their parents and caregivers. Many parents are expressing feelings of failing their student when seeing grades drop, as well as feeling responsible for their child’s increased anxiety around school. Just know that you are not alone. Here are some quick tips to try the next time you are feeling overwhelmed, worried, or stressed.

How Can You Be Trauma-Informed?

We can all practice being trauma-informed in our daily life by walking into any interaction with an open and curious mind. If we approach every human interaction with the understanding that we don't know what this person has been through or what they're currently dealing with, it opens the door for a better conversation and relationship.

Image of a family holding hands in a park

The Place between Foster Care and Forever

Our call to adoption started with when my mother fostered children while I was growing up. I never understand why she did it until 10 years later after I attended a foster parent training. It is not always easy, but we can no longer imagine our world any other way.

Photo of an adult putting a face mask on a little girl in a school gym

Your Child and School Anxiety

This school year has been unlike any other with all of the unexpected challenges and unknowns. It is normal for your child to feel unexpected increased anxiety about school. Here are five steps to help your child feel more confident and in control when heading back to school.

Why Is Trauma-Informed Care Important?

Why is trauma-informed care important to you? Trauma has been shown to impact an individual’s brain development, subsequently altering emotional and cognitive development. In order to effectively engage with and treat clients who have experienced trauma of some kind, it’s important for us as providers to understand how trauma can change the way a person thinks, reacts, and operates.

Transitioning to Adulthood

It can be challenging for youth and caregivers when the time comes to transition into adulthood and independence. The Child Welfare Information Gateway outlines key areas families can focus on during this transition.

What is Trauma-Informed Care?

Trauma-informed care is a growingly common buzzword in the health, education, and social services industries as we learn more about how past experiences can impact a person’s brain development and life functioning throughout their lives. The goal of trauma-informed care is to help an individual move past their trauma with interventions that work for their brain, allowing for lifelong success managing their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Four Steps to Letting Go

2020 was a year like no other that challenged our mental health, our mindset, and overall well-being. As we move into the next year, it’s important to reset our minds and take the time to look back at 2020 and think about the happy times, joys, struggles, and challenges, and how we reacted and overcame them. Take a look at how the Four Steps to Letting Go can help you find a new mindset.