Check Out Your Free Resources Below

I am committed to bringing you a variety of free resources to support you and your entire family. I cover all styles of learning through videos, podcasts, and print articles. I've chosen a variety of introductory topics to jump-start your learning on how to best support your resident children and yourself. Check back often as I add new content all the time. Have a topic you'd like more information on? Let me know!  

The Role that Sensory Input Has on Our Child's Meltdowns

The million dollar question for parents raising kids from trauma backgrounds is 'what is willful disobedience and what is either a trauma response, or innate brain wiring differences that can lead to meltdowns. 

Come explore this introduction to sensory processing disorders.

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Reducing Shame by Teaching About the Brain (a faith-based model)

Children who experience meltdowns often feel really bad about themselves once the hard time is over. What can we do about those big behaviors after the fact? 

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Felt Safety 

Children who have experienced chronic stress or who have sensory issues will often experience unsafe feelings even when no threat is present. What can you do to create a more safe environment for them? 

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Adapting Nurture Groups for Family Nights

What a great way to connect with your kids and also teach them important skills for better communication and relationships in the family. Here’s how you can get started:

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How Does Your Engine Run? 

Help your child learn about themselves, an easy way to monitor their body's signals which indicate an internal level of readiness to attend to (states of arousal, or readiness to learn) whatever it is they need to focus on. 

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6 Things Resident Kids Wish Their Parents Knew

This short video is a peek into the mind of resident siblings, uncovering six things they believe but may not tell you about their sibling experiences.

 

5 Things Resident Kids Should Know About Their New Sibling’s Early Life

Take the overwhelm out of knowing what to share with your resident kids about their siblings’ struggles. Learn these five basic topics to include in any discussion with them.

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Suddenly Siblings Parent Facebook Group

This space is for you if you’re a parent or caregiver with a blend of biological and foster or adopted children looking for a safe community to…
  • Support, motivate, and uplift you
  • Dive into your parenting strengths and learn about secondary trauma, communication barriers, overcoming your parenting challenges, getting your parenting joy back & more!
  • Celebrate your parenting wins
  • Ask your burning questions about siblings relationships
  • Give you feedback and tips on the work you’re doing
  • Create friendships
  • Access resources from Suddenly Siblings
  • Make action plans that get things DONE!
 
Join Now

What To Do If Your Resident Child Isn't On Board With Fostering Or Adopting?

This short podcast tackles this issue head-on, providing reassurance that you can support your resident child's deep underlying fears about how fostering or adopting might affect them personally. Find out what you can do to calm those fears and help get everyone on board again.

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Managing Relationship Expectations Between Siblings

All resident kids will have expectations about how well they'll get along with the new sibling. Understand that many times these expectations are not very realistic. Learn what to do to help them navigate this. 

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The Creation of Suddenly Siblings and the Great Need for Resources for Resident Siblings

A 60 Minute Podcast with Gail Heaton and daughter Molly Heaton, an adult resident sibling, discussing the creation of Suddenly Siblings and what siblings experience when they aren’t prepared for brothers and sisters from trauma backgrounds. 

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Does Birth Order Matter in Adoption and Fostering?

The birth order question never goes away. Find out how to support your child who gets displaced in birth order sifts in this 14-minute podcast. 

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