Parenting Kids from Hard Places with Unique Needs

Are you parenting a child through adoption or foster care? Are you struggling with bonding to your child or their attachment to you? Your feelings of isolation and discouragement can be very real and overwhelming.

As an adoptive parent, maybe you’ve experienced a heightened sense of grief as you search for answers in unfamiliar parenting territory. If you are looking for practical hope, you will find both solidarity and strategies here for your parenting journey.

NOTE: Even if you are not parenting a child through adoption or foster care, we encourage you to take the time to listen. You will undoubtedly begin to understand the complexities your friends who have adopted experience daily. You may even pick up a few tips that can be applied in your own family!

On today’s podcast:

Today on the Connected Families Podcast, co-founders Jim and Lynne Jackson interview special guest, Lisa Qualls. Lisa and her husband are the parents of twelve children by birth and adoption. Lisa is the co-author, together with the late Dr. Karyn Purvis, of The Connected Parent: Real-Life Strategi e s for Building Trust and Attachment.

As a seasoned biological parent, Lisa did not anticipate the extent of the trauma and intense behavior in her children who joined their family through adoption. While witnessing these extreme behaviors, she watched the foundation of her family begin to crumble. After finding new hope and new resources in Dr. Purvis’ book, The Connected Child, the idea for The Connected Parent was born. This book combines real-life strategies taken from Dr. Karyn Purvis’ knowledge, with experiences from Lisa’s everyday life.

Listen as Jim and Lynne discuss the foundations of the Connected Families Framework with Lisa. Together they also explore the mission of the Karyn Purvis Institute, and the importance of the foundation of safety and attachment.