Gladney Blog

"Why Do Teens Consider Suicide? More than '13 Reasons Why'"

After an education Gladney University training by Dr. Connie Avila and Ms. Ashley Scott on teen suicide, the reFRAMED Podcast team continued the conversation with our special guests on the reFRAMED Podcast in Episode 7. 

reFRAMED Host, Emily Morehead, talked with Connie and Ashley about how to navigate the in's and out's of the teenage brain in today's world.  Even though it's  daunting to understand red flags your teenager's behavior raise, it is necessary  to tackle these issues to open up communication between parent and teen. Whether your child is struggling with a mental health disorder or perhaps just feeling overwhelmed, Emily and guests discuss the tools needed to assist your teen as they deal with heavy expectations, social media angst, changes in their body, and growing independence. 

With the majority of children entering the Foster Care System before the age of 2 years old there is a great need for foster parents, adoptive parents, teachers, clinicians and medical providers to have tools and resources. Recently I read a harrowing statistic that in the state of Texas there were 4,310 children removed from their parents before or at the age of one years old. Helping the tiniest of our people understand their story, hurt and incorporate emotional and physical wellness should be all of our priority. Recently Sesame Street announced that they were releasing a new resource connection for children who are or have been in foster care and the adults in their lives.

Episode 5 of reFRAMED Podcast is now available for download! There's something about our children's brain development that catches Bill Porter's attention. He and Emily Morehead have a great conversation about the hope that adoptive parents have in writing ourselves into our child's brain.

Episode 4 of reFRAMED Podcast is now available for download! Pediatrician, occasional children's librarian, educator, public health professional and child health advocate Dr. Dipesh Navsaria, was a wonderful guest that we could have talked to for hours. 

"Embracing the Heart, Mind, and Spirit of Transracial Adoption"

The reFRAMED Podcast team was thrilled to have Author & International Speaker On Transracial Adoption, Rhonda Roorda, as our special guest for Episode 3.

reFRAMED Host, Emily Morehead, along with coworker, Lindsay Garrett, talk with Rhonda about how children of color who are adopted by white families can honor their culture and embrace their culture.

"Lean In"

On Episode 2 of the reFRAMED Podcast, our guest, Marshall Lyles, LPC-S, LMFT-S, RPT-S, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, had a wonderful conversation about mindful parenting and attachment. It's about taking a breath and being in the moment in order to have mindful awareness of what's needed for your child.

We are thrilled to introduce you to reFRAMED, a podcast presented by the Gladney Center for Adoption. Our podcast is for adoptive parents, therapists, clinicians, educators, and other professionals who have a love for children and a desire to meet their needs.

“Mommy, why doesn’t my hair look like yours?!”

I turned on Sesame Street and found a beautiful episode that gave dialogue to this dreaded age-old question.  NPR reported that Joey Mazzarino a head writer for Sesame Street, who is an Italian Father of an adopted Ethiopian daughter, wrote this episode to help teach his daughter to embrace her beauty after watching her play with her doll.

While watching this episode with my son I quickly fell in love with the catchy song  “don’t need a trip to the beauty shop, ’cause I love what I got on top….”. As well as the message that promotes self-love, acceptance and awareness that we are all different.

I'm grateful for this father starting a dialogue that our society needs. His creativity ignited conversations in homes, schools and playgrounds around the globe. Continue the conversation by catching Gladney University's video on demand training led by author and speaker, Rhonda Roorda entitled "Embracing the Heart, Mind, and Spirit of Transracial Adoption". 

Want to learn more about Mazzarino? Check out his interview on NPR.

I’m a natural born hypochondriac. I know the CDC’s flu recommendations, knew all the signs and symptoms of Ebola and was obsessed with tracking the cities that Zika had impacted. Even if you aren’t a hypochondriac like me you know that public health crises like these flood the news, our social media feed and plague our minds. But why aren’t we talking about the public health crisis that is trauma?! 

Last month, Gladney University hosted "Emotional Development in a Child's First Five Years" with Dr. Margaret Dempsey and Dr. Margaret Harrington of the Child Study Center.