Resilient Hearts

THE UNDEVELOPED BRAIN VS. TRAUMA

Have you ever wondered why babies babble or why toddlers seem compelled to jump off things? As adults, it can be challenging to understand these behaviors.

Understanding these actions can be more effortless when you see them as expeditions of discovery. How else would they learn about gravity or the taste of playdough? As their tour guide on this beautiful planet, you play a crucial role in their development. What an incredible job!

Take their willingness to explore this place as an homage to your parenting skills. They feel safe enough to mimic your language, body, and verbal. Discover colors and what happens when they mix, smells, good and bad, along with the textures and sounds of everyday items. Remember, a healthy child has a rambunctious and adventurous spirit in their expedition of childhood. Having an inquisitive child is a sign you’re doing a good job.

Things become challenging when this sponge of malleable wonder is put into survival mode. When they’re subjected to chronic levels of stress from circumstances out of their control, children are more likely to have outbursts of anger, irritation, and even paranoia. They’re just like the rest of us when put into challenging situations. Unlike adults, they lack the coping tools and rely on defense mechanisms to survive. They need help to regulate their emotions and behaviors before irreversible damage is done.

When a child’s support system becomes the source of their emotional turmoil, intervention is crucial. Without it, there is a downward spiral to a short temper, short attention span, difficulty forming and keeping relationships, and trouble performing as a member of society in the future. This is an unfortunate reality for about 10% of the children in the foster care system, highlighting the urgent need for therapeutic fostering.

THRIVING OR JUST SURVIVING?

We know not only foster children are affected by this phenomenon, but every child in foster care must bear the burden of traumatic experiences. Foster kids are the voiceless members of society who have been taxed with hyperactive emotions. No kid wants to think they aren’t safe in their home, but these kids do. So, that’s who we’re here to shine a light on. Hopefully, this will ignite a new sense of awareness in you and spur action to make a difference in these kids’ lives. The “hard” kids are classified because they’ve experienced tough situations and responded to them in a volatile way.

Understanding these changes is crucial in providing effective care and support. There are plenty of books and papers of research that professionals in child psychiatry and brain development have written about the effects of trauma on the adolescent mind. Literal changes in the chemical makeup of their brains happen when children are exposed to continuous trauma. Changing how their brains regulate emotions because of the damage their neurotransmitters have undergone.

If that’s not scary enough, damaged neurotransmitters result in deficient levels of serotonin and dopamine, which play crucial roles in mood regulation, pleasure, and reward processing. This means their drive to be your little explorer no longer exists in their brains. They are focused on one thing: survival.

The brain’s physical structure, particularly in areas related to emotional regulation and stress response, becomes enlarged. The amygdala, a gland responsible for processing emotions like fear and aggression, may become hyperactive, leading to heightened emotional responses and difficulty regulating emotions. This can look like outbursts of rage, violence, and sadness. Trauma disrupts the formation and functioning of neural pathways essential for learning, memory, and cognitive processes. This can impair cognitive functions such as attention, memory consolidation, and decision-making.

Another physical change in the brain that has been noted is reduced cortical thickness. Reduced cortical thickness occurs in situations of prolonged stress. This can lead to problems with higher-order thinking, reasoning, and self-control. Impacting their futures with difficulties in planning, problem-solving, and regulating behavior. When you think about it, these traits are needed to become a self-sufficient adult. That means they are already at a disposition before these kids even get the chance to become adults.

Connectivity disruptions between different regions of the brain from chronic exposure to trauma affect emotional regulation, executive function, and social cognition. These may manifest as difficulties in forming and maintaining relationships, problems with impulse control, and challenges in understanding social cues. These physiological changes become entrenched and impact their long-term development and well-being.

Early intervention, supportive relationships, and trauma-informed care are crucial in mitigating these effects and promoting resilience in children exposed to trauma. By recognizing the importance of early intervention, we can take proactive steps to support these children and help them thrive.

TRADITIONAL FOSTER CARE

Traditional foster care in the United States places children who cannot live with their biological families due to abuse, neglect, or other difficult circumstances with licensed foster parents. These parents provide a temporary, safe, and nurturing home. At the same time, efforts are made to reunify the children with their biological families or find permanent adoptive homes if reunification is not possible. Other options, such as adoption or guardianship, may be explored if reunification is not possible.

Foster families receive support from social workers and agencies to help navigate the challenges of fostering. This includes financial help to cover the child’s expenses, access to training and counseling, and regular visits from caseworkers to check the child’s well-being.

THERAPEUTIC FOSTER CARE WITH BAIR

Therapeutic foster care, also known as treatment foster care, is a specialized form of foster care designed to meet the needs of children who have experienced significant trauma or have emotional, behavioral, or medical challenges that require extra support and intervention.

Therapeutic foster parenting recognizes children who have more complex emotional and behavioral needs compared to children in traditional foster care. These children may have experienced abuse, neglect, or other forms of trauma that have changed their development and ability to form healthy relationships. Bair therapeutic foster parents undergo extensive training and preparation to effectively care for children with specialized needs. Our training covers trauma-informed care, behavior management techniques, therapeutic interventions, and understanding the impact of trauma on child development.

You gain a dedicated partner when you become a therapeutic foster parent with The Bair Foundation. We have 24/7 on-call services, respite care, and added training to help you feel more confident with their care for a child in their home. For example, if you have a foster child who has ADHD and need more information, we provide in-depth training on ADHD, what to expect, and how to be a support for their child. Our hands-on case management services are weekly. Foster parents work as a team with The Bair Foundation staff to provide the best possible care for each child.

WHAT MAKES YOU A THERAPEUTIC FOSTER PARENT

How do you know if this fits you and your family well? Determining if therapeutic foster parenting is proper for you requires some soul-searching. Consider whether you can handle this dedication and be honest with yourself. These kids need someone who is all in through it all as the kind of support they have been lacking their whole life. The job of a therapeutic foster parent is only for some.

An excellent guide to see if you’re a fit are these traits are if you have:

• GRIT AND GRACE – steadfastly navigating challenges with resilience and compassion, providing stable support and unconditional love to a child in need
• CULTURAL COMPETENCY – understanding and respecting cultural diversity in foster parenting.
• ADVOCACY – Supporting the children in medical, therapeutic, and educational needs.
• BUILDING TRUST – Celebrating milestones and achievements to form secure attachments and trust.
• SELF-CARE – you are their whole support system; to show up for them, you must show up for yourself.

FACE THE CHALLENGES

Are you afraid of adversity? Isabella Flores, Bair San Antonio’s Recruitment Coordinator, says, “Challenges that therapeutic parents often face are unrealistic expectations that they may have for a child, qualms with behaviors, and power struggles. The Bair Foundation helps families resolve these issues by having ROCK (Reaffirming Our Commitment to Kids) meetings to see what the issue is, how long this behavior has been a concern, and what Bair has done to try to help already. We offer family, group, and individual therapy to ensure each family member can voice their feelings. Bair can help develop different interventions to implement in the home.”

She continued, “When a family feels stressed or frustrated with behaviors, caseworkers and the clinical team quickly think of solutions to help the current situation. It could be offering respite to allow the parent a break, fostering parent support groups to allow the parent to network with other parents in the Bair community, offering community resources that may help, and being a listening ear for the family before offering solutions. Sometimes, parents feel alone as they are fostering and need someone to validate their feelings.”

Being a therapeutic foster parent is challenging, but you are never alone with The Bair Foundation. We believe you can do it! With 24/7 access to offices and often direct lines to your recruiter, the case worker, therapists, and the office, our goal is to provide safe homes for these kids and will give you the training needed to be just that. All that’s left to decide is if you can do it. Mandy Anderson, National Clinical Director at The Bair Foundation gives the following charge, “Our commitment is training you on how to connect with these children. You are the primary agent of change. You are the one who will make the biggest difference in these children’s lives by helping them to rewire their brain, build relationships, and challenge their negative beliefs about themselves.”

CAN YOU ANSWER THE CALL?

It takes more than stability. Often, you are helping these children because no one else could. Children in the therapeutic program are typically aged 5-17 and are in Moderate and Specialized levels of care. They may have been in multiple placements, have mental health or emotional disorders, aggressive behaviors, or have a history of residential treatment facilities or psychiatric hospitals. Say yes to becoming a Therapeutic Foster Child today with The Bair Foundation.