Back in the saddle again

Candace in summer of 2010

I realized last week after about the umpteenth screaming, crying fit over something trivial that we were missing a very important person in our lives... Cathy, also known as The Wonder Therapist. We started seeing her about two years ago, and she has been crucial to our family's growth and well-being as we worked through attachment and trauma difficulties. Our last visit was several months ago... we waited too long. The lesson learned here, by me, is that maybe our need for professional help is permanent. And that's okay. We don't have nearly the drama that we used to have on a daily basis, but there are still insecurities that pop up and old issues that come back to the forefront. It's just another example about how parenting my adopted children can be so different than parenting my birth children.

If you live in Nebraska, I highly recommend the therapists at the Attachment and Trauma Center of Nebraska in Omaha. If you live elsewhere, I recommend finding an experienced attachment/trauma therapist or counselor for adopted children who have experienced trauma, grief or loss (which really, is most of them, right?) Tom and I have learned so much from Cathy and we have been so much better enabled to help our children heal. We're planning on having ongoing monthly visits for the foreseeable future... saddle up.



p.s. This is also a good time to remind readers about my favorite book on adoption and attachment, The Connected Child by Dr. Karyn Purvis. You can find it on my bookshelf in the left hand column, just click on the picture of the book to learn more!