I Am On A Mission To Help Foster And Adoptive Parents Build A Stronger Blended Family.
Foster And Adoptive Parents Have What It Takes To Build A Stronger Blended Family.
- I know that wishful thinking doesn’t build a blended family: doing does. That’s why I offer you the tools, strategies, and support you need to take step after step toward your goal every day.
- I deliver through easy-to-implement online courses, books for parents, workbooks for kids, and my nurturing membership community.
- I take the guesswork out of strengthening a strong, resilient, and cohesive family so parents like you can be the best parent for all of your children, and you can experience the joy of parenthood again.
Why Do I Do It?
I am on a mission to equip and empower foster and adoptive parents to end the chaos and start thriving again. Why? Because every parent can rise to the challenge of parenting kids from diverse backgrounds and needs… they just need the right guide to show them how.
I understand the unique challenges parents face when parenting biological children alongside foster and adopted kids from traumatic backgrounds.
Why? Because the children already in the home when a family fosters or adopts have some specific challenges they face being the siblings to special needs brothers and sisters. And no one is supporting this population of “resident kids” until now. These kids deserve the best preparation they can get.
That’s why I am taking the mystery out of sibling relationships…the overwhelm out of parenting children from diverse backgrounds and needs. So you can build a successful family from the strengths you already have inside you.
Gail Heaton
Hi friend, I’m Gail Heaton, the founder of Suddenly Siblings in Missoula, Montana. Perhaps you’ve heard me speak locally, or maybe you’ve read my books, or maybe you’ve heard about me through your placing agency. You might have heard my podcast interviews, or maybe you found me because you just Googled “Sibling help in adoption and fostering!” No matter how you found me, I’m glad you’re here.
I founded Suddenly Siblings in 2018 after completing my Master’s degree in Family Life Science. At that point I knew I wanted to offer resources for the children already in the family – the “resident siblings”. It was due to the experiences of my five biological children that I found my passion as I realized that they were not well prepared for the changes that took place when our family adopted twins in 2005. I spent my Master’s program researching the subject of resident siblings in adoption and concluded that there were just not any resources specifically for them. I started writing resources immediately.
Before graduating in 2018, I studied as a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner and Circle of Security Parenting facilitator. This led to me working with foster and adoptive families supporting parents in both the pre-and post-placement phase.
Before graduating in 2018, I studied as a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner and Circle of Security Parenting facilitator. This led to me working with foster and adoptive families supporting parents in both the pre-and post-placement phase. Since founding Suddenly Siblings, I’ve been able to help numerous families navigate the tricky waters of sibling relationships. I’ve written several articles for both print and online publications on topics related to fostering, adoption, homeschooling, and supporting the resident children. I am the co-author of Suddenly Siblings: Adventure in Fostering & Adoption and author of My Flight Training Manual: Flying Above the Clouds in Sibling Relationships and In Their Best Interest: Preventing Secondary Trauma in Siblings of Foster and Adopted Children. As a passionate teacher and researcher, my hands-down proudest accomplishment is creating the three books, one for parents and two for the children.
My favorite part of being involved with Suddenly Siblings is the families I serve; I am blessed to be part of the solution for what I term a crisis in lack of support for brothers and sisters of children coming from trauma backgrounds. Whether you’re local to Missoula or live elsewhere, I am happy to come alongside you to support you and your family. I can be reached at [email protected]
