In 2013 my family completed the paperwork that would allow us to open our hearts and home to a child in the state foster care system who needed a loving and caring family. With eyes and arms wide open, we eagerly did all the things … the trainings, the reading, the home study, and book making. We were already rocking parenthood with our two little girls, so this was sure to be a cake walk, right?! Um, no.
Our six-year-old cherub arrived hand in hand with an extensive history of trauma, and our world was seriously rocked. We immediately reached out to our Gladney caseworker to help us pick up the pieces of our sanity and optimism that were now in disarray and strewn about everywhere. It was plain ugly at our house for a while honestly.
After about a year of seeing the only psychiatrist at the time that would accept our child’s Medicaid, the doctor literally turned to me at the end of an appointment and said, “Well, we have prescribed everything and done all that we can. I’m sorry to tell you that it’s going to be hell at your house in the evenings I suppose.” Wait, what? SERIOUSLY?!
In the years since, we’ve changed doctors, seen therapists, etc. all in the quest of fighting our child’s history together while keeping our family safe and healthy.
FINALLY, in December 2020, I received a message from Robyn Gobbel, a therapist who had done wonderful educational events for Gladney University. She invited me to join “The Club.” She was creating a new tool/support group/platform to help parents just like me feel supported, seen, heard, and included. This type of parenting has been isolating up until now, so I jumped in with two feet.
This group is a literal lifesaver. It is an amazing resource that shares strategies and empathy. It goes back to all the vital basics that we learned about in PAT & Pathways trainings at Gladney before we had placement but couldn’t truly understand until we were in the trenches. It has been a great complement to the support we have received from Gladney’s Post Adoption Team.
In my opinion, it’s a priceless tool that I wish I had from the beginning of our journey. Bravo to Robyn Gobbel and her team! It’s never too late to learn.
Gladney believes in The Club so much, we asked Robyn if we could have a special discount for Gladney families, and she graciously agreed! The Club will be only $35 a month for Gladney families.
📩Email📨 to receive your coupon code. To learn more about The Club and sign up for the waitlist to be notified of registration, visit The Club. Registration opens again on June 28th!