July/August 2013 In this Issue...

Suicide Awareness Month ... 1 Suicide Warning Signs ........ 2 Piece of My Mind ................ 3 Casey’s Story ....................... 4 Depression .......................... 7 Public Comment Needed…..9 Advocacy ........................... 10 Correctional Institutions….11 Book Review ...................... 12 In the Spotlight .................. 13 Professional Members ...... 14

The mission of the Attachment &

Trauma Network (ATN) is to:

Promote healing of families through

support, education and advocacy.

You’re Not Alone!

You’re Not Alone!

You’re Not Alone! You’re Not Alone!

You’re Not Alone!

The Networkerne!

You’re Not Alone!

You’r

Suicide Awareness Month By Kelly Killian

September is Suicide Awareness Month. As parents of mentally ill children, we are all too aware of the toll mental illness takes on a person, and the family as a whole.

Our hope is that this issue will shed some light on some of the things that our children deal with. Left untreated, or worse yet, when our children refuse to follow a medication and/or treatment regimen, it can lead to incarceration of various levels. The statistics of inmates who suffer from mental illness are staggering.

There are some reports on the internet saying that adopted children are more prone to suicide or suicide attempts. Is adoption a factor, or is it the mental illness that already exists in our children such as Fetal Alcohol Effects or Pre-Natal Drug Exposure? Or is it the impact of their early childhood trauma, attachment struggles and unhealed anxieties?

What all of us know is that services for our children are greatly lacking, and change is needed. If you want to help make changes, contact an ATN staff member to learn more about becoming an ATN Advocate.

Meanwhile, become active in these awareness days and help to educate others, or support someone walking a mile in your shoes.

September 1 – 30 National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month

September 1 – 7 National Suicide Prevention Week

October 6 – 12 Mental Illness Awareness Week

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Julie Beem, Executive Director

Kathleen Benckendorf

Denise Best, LMHC

Tanya Bowers-Dean

Stephanie Garde

Ken Huey, Ph.D.

Kelly Killian

Carol Lozier, LCSW

Anna Paravano, MS

Jane Samuel

Lorraine Schneider

Larry Smith, LCSW, LICSW

Nancy Spoolstra, Founder

ATN Board of Directors

October 10 National Bi Polar Awareness Week

October 10 National Depression Screening Day

October 10 Worldwide Mental Health Day

October 13 – 19 ADHD Awareness Week

October 14 – 20 OCD Awareness Week

November 16 International Survivors of Suicide Day

April 1 – 30 Alcohol Awareness Month

May 1 – 11 National Children Mental Health Week

May 1 – 31 Mental Health Month

May 20 – 27 Schizophrenia Awareness Week

June 27 National PTSD Awareness Day

(Continued from page 1) Suicide Warning Signs: Appearing depressed or sad most of the time.(Untreated depression is the number one cause for suicide.)

Talking or writing about death or suicide.

Withdrawing from family and friends.

Feeling hopeless.

Feeling helpless.

Feeling strong anger or rage.

Feeling trapped -- like there is no way out of a situation.

Experiencing dramatic mood changes.

Abusing drugs or alcohol.

Exhibiting a change in personality.

Acting impulsively.

Losing interest in most activities.

Experiencing a change in sleeping habits.

Experiencing a change in eating habits.

Losing interest in most activities.

Performing poorly at work or in school.

Giving away prized possessions.

Writing a will.

Feeling excessive guilt or shame.

Acting recklessly.

It should be noted that some people who die by suicide do not show any suicide warning signs.

But about 75 percent of those who die by suicide do exhibit some suicide warning signs, so we need to be aware of what the suicide warning signs are and try to spot them in people. If we do see someone exhibiting suicide warning signs, we need to do everything that we can to help them.

Facts from Suicide.org

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Piece of My Mind I’m writing this poolside, which is not as glamorous as it sounds. The Georgia humidity has me almost as drenched as if I were actually in the pool. But frequent trips to the neighborhood pool are definitely a way to stem summer boredom for my daughter and as she’s splashing around with a friend, I can get another minute or two of ATN work done.

So much is happening behind the scenes at ATN. I can’t officially report on much of it. But we’re busy finding ways to collaborate with other groups and trying to get the funding that will make many of our projects a reality. The bottom line is that there are more traumatized children and families who are dealing with trauma and attachment disorder than we can help with our current size and services. We must find a way to do more! This means that my summer has includes six grant proposals, countless phone calls, and a summer intern updating our resources database. The summer is going by at break-neck speed.

There are two things happening that I must brag about – in the areas of Advocacy & Education. First, if you’re not a part of ATN Advocates group then you’re missing out on connecting with some smart, passionate folks. These advocates are speaking up and shaking up their state and federal legislators!! Parents from Connecticut to Texas and beyond are speaking up and reaching out to their legislators to tell their stories about the lack of post-adoptive services, forced relinquishments and no funding for therapies. Under the leadership of Toni Hoy, our Legislative Chair, our collective voice is growing in this area! The ATN Advocates is a Facebook page and you can ask to join, or contact either me or Toni

(tonihoy@comcast.net) and we’ll get you connected. (Even if you don’t have Facebook, the group will keep you in the loop.)

I am beyond excited about what’s going on over in our Education area!!!!!! Our Essential Conversations webinars are being recorded this month. The Essentials Series is a 5-part webinar series that covers the essentials of what every ATN member, every therapeutic parent, should know. The topics include sessions like, It All Started With Trauma and Is Therapy Necessary? Having sat in on rehearsals and tapings of these

webinars, I am so proud of what our Learning Center Faculty is doing. These webinars are the only online, on-demand educational tool that I know of specifically for parents of traumatized children and those with attachment disorders. This work is the compilation of years of experience by the presenters and addresses the things that parents need to know when starting on the journey to becoming the therapeutic parents our children need to help in their healing.

Anna Paravano, ATN’s Education Director, has assembled a faculty, a curriculum and a format that make the concepts easy to understand and keep the tone conversational. In many ways it’s like meeting some experienced friends for coffee and just “picking their brains” for a while.

Stay tuned…the grand unveiling of the Essential Conversations will happen in September!

Meanwhile, ATN is gearing up to have speakers and booths at fall conferences in San Antonio, Kansas City and Louisville. We hope to see several of you along the way!

Julie Beem ATN Executive Director

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Tuesday, January 29th, 2008 was the start of a new school week after a three-day weekend. My wife Erika and I had been fighting with our seventeen-year-old daughter, Casey, the weekend before and grounded her. It was the usual stuff – defiance, rudely mouthing off with I hate you’s!, screaming and crying fits, gouging her new furniture – a teenager acting like a bratty two-year-old.

At six thirty, I dragged myself out of bed and stopped at Casey’s bedroom door on my way to the kitchen to make coffee. For a moment I was tempted to let her oversleep and suffer the consequences of being late for school. It’d teach her a lesson. But I gave her door a courtesy knock and cracked it open only to find her room empty and her bed made. There was a note on her desk.

The car is parked at the Golden Gate Bridge. I’m sorry.

The blood drained out of my face and my heart plunged to the floor. After immediately alerting the local police, the California Highway Patrol and the Golden Gate Bridge Patrol, we learned that a video surveillance camera had caught a young woman matching Casey’s description jumping from the bridge at about six forty-five that morning.

Our precious Casey, our only child, was dead. Her body was never recovered. Our lives disintegrated into a dark, empty abyss.

Erika and I turned to adoption in 1991. We’d been married for a couple of years, couldn’t get pregnant, weren’t getting any younger and wanted to be parents. Surely there were millions of babies that needed loving parents. But we learned that adoption was complex and filled with land mines. The wait for a domestic adoption was as long as a decade, private adoptions were risky and foreign adoptions were limited to a few countries in South America, South Korea and Romania.

Then by a stroke of luck we heard about Renata, an attorney in Warsaw, Poland who’d worked with a few

Casey’s Story: A Tragic End From A Promising Beginning other American couples near our home at the time near Hartford, Connecticut. Her adoptions were generally limited to older, “special needs” Polish children. This didn’t exactly mesh with our vision of a healthy little baby, but we were ecstatic. Erika’s family was Polish. This might work.

With some prodding over crackly international phone calls at awkward hours, we’d learned about a fourteen-month-old girl in an orphanage in a small town in Poland’s northeastern lake district. She seemed to have defied the odds from birth - an unwanted pregnancy

never claimed by her birth parents, a preemie and surviving twin. Once we saw her picture in the arms of a young orphanage staffer, we were smitten. We wanted to board the next LOT flight to Warsaw.

We first met Casey in the orphanage on a blistering hot day in July, 1991. She was quiet and listless, couldn’t stand, sit, feed herself or do much of anything else, more like a six-month-old than a fourteen-month-old. But once we were together in our cramped room in the Hotel Forum in Warsaw, her progress was astonishing. She was sitting up within days and walking the furniture within weeks. A big personality was beginning to burst.

She was going to be just fine.

In kindergarten and grade school, Casey was a happy, affectionate, adorable little girl who charmed everyone. Her teachers loved her. She made friends easily. But there was another side of her – defiant, bossy, easily provoked and prone to uncontrollable screaming and crying fits over seemingly trivial things. We talked to Casey’s pediatrician and school counselor, then took her to a therapist. But the diagnoses were always the same: she’s a lovely girl who’s just a bit high strung; she’ll grow out of it. Our family and friends said we spoiled her and needed to be tougher. But “being tougher” never worked. It just meant never-ending time-outs, fighting and more I hate you’s. It broke our hearts to hear Casey

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sobbing alone in her room, refusing help and lashing out at us. We weren’t the enemy.

In high school, Casey blossomed into a blond haired beauty, whip smart, outspoken and highly opinionated. Unfortunately, her academic record didn’t always mirror her intellect, especially her gift for writing. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand the material. She just had trouble finishing assignments on time.

After struggling to find her social niche in middle school, she fell in with the high school artistes. Her girl friends were talented painters, dancers and dramatists. The boys had their bluegrass band called the Itchy Mountain Men. They were good kids who reminded me of my high school buddies.

Then Erika and I started to find vodka bottles stashed in her room, cigarettes and pot in her purse. We suspected her of cutting and purging. We grounded her, withheld allowance and threatened worse. I slapped her for insulting me and felt awful about it later. She seemed immune to any kind of discipline. We sent her back to therapy, but heard the same thing – you have to be tough with her, zero tolerance for drugs! We thought about sending her to a school for troubled kids in Colorado to get her to shape up. Our home was no longer a sanctuary; it felt like a war zone.

Erika and I stepped back for a breather and took stock of things. Other than her lousy attitude, Casey was doing much better in school, hadn’t had any serious disciplinary actions and didn’t seem a desperate candidate for substance intervention. We needed to bring peace to the house, and decided to back away, ease up on the constant grounding and keep a close eye on her. Though this violated all rational parenting principles, it seemed to work. Casey was a joy around the house, she took on three Advanced Placement

(Continued from page 4)

How on earth could the first fourteen months have any impact on later life? Those days were long

since forgotten, weren’t they?

courses in senior year to boost her GPA and, best of all, she was accepted at prestigious Bennington College for the fall, 2008 semester. She was going to be fine after all, or so we thought.

It wasn’t until after Casey’s suicide that we stumbled upon the root cause of her downfall – attachment disorder. I’d first heard these words from Casey’s last therapist, but it was a very tentative diagnosis. I dismissed it out of hand, and she never mentioned it again. How on Earth could Casey’s first fourteen months have any impact on her later life? Those days were long since forgotten, weren’t they? I could barely remember the first years of my life. But of course, my infancy was nothing like Casey’s.

A Google search of attachment disorder explained everything – dramatic mood swings, uncontrollable rages, primal screaming, emotional immaturity, defiance, bossiness, low self-esteem, and self-destructive behavior, to name just a few. Further searches of teen suicide revealed that Casey had exhibited many signs of someone potentially suicidal – moodiness, sleep problems, withdrawal from family, self-harm, feelings of hopeless, among others. We, and a parade of medical professionals, missed everything even though the clues were right in front of us. How do you distinguish between normal annoying teenage behavior, attachment problems and suicidal tendencies? They all look so much alike.

Any ATN member reading this already knows that awareness of attachment issues in children who’ve suffered early trauma hadn’t made its way into the mainstream until the late 1990’s/early 2000’s after years

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of observing Romanian and Russian orphans adapting to their adoptive homes. Therapists have been trained to work specifically on attachment with adoptees and their parents using techniques that would seem counter-intuitive to Dr. Phil.

The contrast between mainstream child psychology and attachment therapy was never more stark for me than when Erika and I had a de-briefing,

after Casey’s suicide, with her last therapist, the one who mentioned attachment disorder but never followed through. A self-proclaimed “teen expert,” she said that her style was to attach to the patient as a pre-condition to treatment – a perfectly reasonable approach, we thought. But rather than building trust, she obsessed over Casey’s pot smoking, ignored the elephant in the room (her traumatic infancy) and drove Casey away, virtually blaming her for the breakdown in their therapy and blaming pot for her suicide.

(Continued from page 5)

Nice job, Doc.

I’ve spent many hours reading stories and corresponding with other parents about the difficulties they’ve had with their precious children. Many of their stories made mine seem tame by comparison, except for the outcome. What made treatment for Casey so difficult was that her behaviors were often subtle and infrequent; she was good at hiding her “ugly” side from everyone except us.

To other ATN parents, I would just say that as difficult as your lives may be, you are so lucky to have the knowledge and support system to get your kids (and yourselves) much needed help. I’m worried about the multitude of adoptive families – like ours – who had no idea any of this information existed, and never even thought to look. It’s too late for us, but I hope that in some small way I can play a part in saving another Casey out there.

About the Author

John Brooks is a former senior media financial executive who has turned to writing, suicide and adoption advocacy since Casey’s death in 2008. He recently completed a memoir about his experience as an adoptive father and his journey to understand his daughter’s suicide, titled The Girl Behind The Door: My Journey Into The Mysteries Of Attachment. He also writes a blog, www.parentingandattachment.com.

The Attachment & Trauma Network (ATN) recognizes that each child's history and biology is unique to that child.

Because of this we believe there is no one therapy or parenting method that will benefit every child.

What works for one child may not work for another child.

Many children may benefit from a combination of different therapeutic parenting methods and trauma-sensitive, attachment-focused treatments.

We encourage parents to research different treatments and parenting methods in order to determine what will work best for their unique children.

www.attachtrauma.org

What made treatment so difficult was that behaviors were often subtle and infrequent; she was

good at hiding her “ugly” side from everyone except us.

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About 11 percent of adolescents have a depressive disorder by age 18 according to the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Girls are more likely than boys to experience depression. The risk for depression increases as a child gets older. According to the World Health Organization, major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability among Americans age 15 to 44.

Because normal behaviors vary from one childhood stage to another, it can be difficult to tell whether a child who shows changes in behavior is just going through a temporary “phase” or is suffering from depression.

Yesterday

People believed that children could not get depression. Teens with depression were often dismissed as being moody or difficult.

It wasn’t known that having depression can increase a person’s risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases.

Today’s most commonly used type of antidepressant medications did not exist. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) resulted from the work of the late Nobel Laureate and NIH researcher Julius Axelrod, who defined the action of brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) in mood disorders.

Today

We now know that youth who have depression may show signs that are slightly different from the typical adult symptoms of depression. Children who are depressed may complain of feeling sick, refuse to go to school, cling to a parent or caregiver, or worry excessively that a parent may die. Older children and teens may sulk, get into trouble at school, be negative or grouchy, or feel misunderstood.

Findings from NIMH-funded, large-scale effectiveness trials are helping doctors and their patients make better individual treatment decisions. For example, the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS) found that combination treatment of medication and psychotherapy works best for most teens with depression.

The Treatment of SSRI-resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA) study found that teens who did not respond to a first antidepressant medication are more likely to get better if they switch to a treatment that includes both medication and psychotherapy.

The Treatment of Adolescent Suicide Attempters (TASA) study found that a new treatment approach that includes medication plus a specialized psychotherapy designed specifically to reduce suicidal thinking and behavior may reduce suicide attempts in severely depressed teens.

Depressed teens with coexisting disorders such as substance abuse problems are less likely to respond to treatment for depression. Studies focusing on conditions that frequently co-occur and how they affect one another may lead to more targeted screening tools and interventions.

With medication, psychotherapy, or combined treatment, most youth with depression can be effectively treated. Youth are more likely to respond to treatment if they receive it early in the course of their illness.

Although antidepressants are generally safe, the U.S.

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Depression in Children and Adolescents By Kelly Killian

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Food and Drug Administration has placed a “black box” warning label—the most serious type of warning—on all antidepressant medications. The warning says there is an increased risk of suicidal thinking or attempts in youth taking antidepressants. Youth and young adults should be closely monitored especially during initial weeks of treatment.

Studies focusing on depression in teens and children are pinpointing factors that appear to influence risk, treatment response, and recovery. Given the chronic nature of depression, effective intervention early in life may help reduce future burden and disability.

Multi-generational studies have revealed a link between depression that runs in families and changes in brain structure and function, some of which may precede the onset of depression. This research is helping to identify biomarkers and other early indicators that may lead to better treatment or prevention.

Advanced brain imaging techniques are helping scientists identify specific brain circuits that are involved in depression and yielding new ways to study the effectiveness of treatments.

Tomorrow

Years of basic research are now showing promise for the first new generation of antidepressant medications in 2 decades, with a goal of relieving depression in hours,

(Continued from page 7)

rather than weeks. Such a potential breakthrough could reduce the rate of suicide, which is consistently one of the leading causes of death for young people. In 2007—the most recent year for which we have statistics—it was the third leading cause of death for youth ages 15 to 24.

Research on novel treatment delivery approaches, such as telemedicine (providing services over satellite, Internet, phone, or other remote connections) and collaborative or team-based care in medical care settings will improve the quality of mental health care for youth.

Sophisticated gene studies have suggested common roots between depression and possibly other mental disorders. In addition to identifying how and where in the brain illnesses start before symptoms develop, these findings have also encouraged a new way of thinking about and categorizing mental illnesses. In this light, NIMH has embarked on a long-term project—called the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project—aimed at ultimately improving the treatment and prevention of depression by studying the classification of mental illnesses, based on genetics and neuroscience in addition to clinical observation.

Fact sheet from National Institute of Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-in-children-and-adolescents/index.shtml

Places ATN will be: Sept 18-21 – ATTACh Conference, San Antonio, TX www.attach.org

Sat, Sept 21 – Screening of My Name is Faith in San Antonio, TX. Time & location to be announced.

Oct 8-9—Foster Strategies for Change Conference, Kansas City, MO https://sites.google.com/site/fs4c2012/

Sat, Nov 9 - Help, Hope and Heal Conference, Louisville, KY

Screenings of The Boarder Check out times and locations here: http://www.tugg.com/titles/the-boarder

Sept 5 – Aurora, CO

Sept 11 & 12 – Grand Island, NE

Sept 23 – Franklin, TN

Sept 27-29 – Lincoln, NE

Oct 12 – Bel Air Film Festival, CA – see www.belairfilmfestival.com for more info

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Promoting Adoption and Permanency from Foster Care Act RESPOND BEFORE AUGUST 30

Calling all Advocates! The Human Resources Subcommittee of the Federal House Ways and Means is looking for public comment on this act, which reauthorizes funding from the federal government to the states for adoptions. The new proposed legislation contains the requirement that states report on the money they’ve saved due to what is called the “de-link”, which has helped many children move through the foster care system faster and into adoptive homes. This proposed act would require 20% of the savings that the state child welfare programs have received be spent on post-adoption services.

Here’s a summary of the proposed act: http://waysandmeans. house.gov/ uploadedfiles/adoption_ incentives_reauthorization_ summary.pdf

Here’s the link to more about this legislation: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/adoptionincentives/default.aspx

The Attachment & Trauma Network supports this act and the use of 20% of each state’s savings on post-adoption services for adoption preservation. We would like the legislation to go even further. One of the most tragic problems for many of our traumatized children is the inability to get the mental health services they need, especially out-of-home placements when needed. In many states, families are forced to relinquish custody of their children in order for the state to provide funding for out-of-home treatment. Turning the child back over to the state as a “second-time foster child” is so devastating to children who are having trouble building healthy attachments to begin with. Thousands of families have been in this bind, and each story is heart-wrenching.

ATN has drafted a letter/template that you can

download, tailor about yourself and submit to the Human Resources Subcommittee. All public comment has to be received by Friday, August 30. You can find the example l e t t e r h e r e : h t t p : / /www.attachmenttraumanetwork.com/pdf/Public%20Comment%20Foster%2 0 C a r e % 2 0 A c t - % 2 0 A T N %20letterhead.docx

Email it to: AdoptionIncentives@mail.house.gov by August 30.

If you live in the district of any of the following representatives, you’re a constituent of theirs and your voice may carry even more weight. We encourage you to reach out to your representative personally (phone or visiting their local office, for example).

Make sure you tell them you’re a constituent and what is important to you.

Human Resources Subcommittee:

Rep. Dave Reichert, WA, Chairman Rep. Todd Young, IN Rep. Mike Kelly, PA Rep. Tim Griffin, AR Rep. Jim Renacci, OH Rep. Tom Reed, NY Rep. Charles Boustany, LA Rep. Lloyd Doggett, TX, Ranking Member Rep. John Lewis, GA Rep. Joseph Crowley, NY Rep. Danny K. Davis, IL

Not sure what district you’re in or who your legislators are?

Find out here: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Questions? Contact Toni Hoy (tonihoy@comcast.net), ATN’s Legislative Chair.

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Mentally ill persons increasingly receive care provided by corrections agencies. In 1959, nearly 559,000 mentally ill patients were housed in state mental hospitals (Lamb, 1998). A shift to "deinstitutionalize" mentally ill persons had, by the late 1990s, dropped the number of persons housed in public psychiatr ic hospitals to approximately 70,000 (CorrectCare, 1999). As a result, mentally ill persons are more likely to live in local communities. Some come into contact with the criminal justice system.

In a 2006 Special Report, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) estimated that 705,600 mentally ill adults were incarcerated in State prisons, 78,800 in Federal prisons and 479,900 in local jails. In addition, research suggests that "people with mental illnesses are overrepresented in probation and parole populations at estimated rates ranging from two to four time the general population" (Prins and Draper, 2009). Growing numbers of mentally ill offenders have strained correctional systems.

Adults with Behavioral Health Needs under Correctional Supervision: A Shared Framework for Reducing Recidivism and Promoting Recovery is a White Paper prepared by the Council of State Governments Justice Center with support from, and in partnership with, the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

The framework is designed for state and local correctional administrators (institutional, probation, and parole) and community-based mental health and substance abuse agency leaders to plan and develop service responses that make efficient use of resources. Although by itself, it is not suitable for practitioners to use for clinical decision-making, or for decision making regarding youth in the juvenile justice system, it is meant to facilitate clear and consistent communication among system administrators. It can help professionals in each system target the right individuals, ensure

Mentally Ill Persons in Correctional Institutions responsible and effective practices, and better match responses to needs.

The framework can help professionals in the criminal justice and behavioral health systems in the following ways: Ensure that scarce resources are spent effectively; advance c o l l a b o r a t i o n a n d communication; and encourage

responsible and effective practices.

Background

Prison and jail inmates with physical health, mental health, and substance use problems experience more reintegration difficulties upon release, and typically have poorer outcomes with respect to employment, re-offending, and re-incarceration. Maintaining treatment for these health problems may help to improve post-release outcomes. Many inmates presently receive health care while incarcerated, but a lack of health insurance and other barriers contribute to declines in health treatment and functioning once released. Access to care through insurance coverage helps not only the individual, but may also lower societal health care and criminal justice system expenditures by reducing costly emergency room visits, enabling individuals to work, and decreasing repeat criminal activity.

Project Purpose

This study, supported by the National Institute of Corrections and conducted by the Urban Institute, will assess whether currently available Medicaid coverage—for example, in states that cover childless adults under age 65—helps newly released inmates access health care and, thereby, contributes to improved employment and recidivism outcomes. Data collection activities are planned for 2012–2013, and study findings on Medicaid impacts will be available in 2014.

Information from National Institute of Corrections (NIC) Additional resources and information available. http://nicic.gov/MentalIllness

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Help Wanted: Book Reviewers.

If you or your child have read a good book related to adoption, attachment or trauma,

write a review (250-400 words), include a link to where you found the book,

and email to kelly@attachtrauma.org

Book Review This issue’s book reviews are both fiction books and very different, but I think you will enjoy them. The first one, The Whitest Wall, is a heavy read. The second, All That Ails You, is a light and fun read, especially if you like dogs. If you’re looking for something outside the adoption/attachment genre, these should fit the bill.

All That Ails You by Mark. J. Asher

This is a much lighter read than the book listed above. This is a story written from a dog’s point of view. The dog is a “house dog” at an independent living center.

As I read the book, the emotions and observances from the dog’s point of view made me think of our kids. Are Wrigley’s observations of the comings and goings and personalities how our kids view foster homes? Wrigley attaches better to some residents than others, and he was bounced through adoptive homes and dog foster homes as well. He has an appreciation for the family who took him in and made him the house dog. He talks about his emotions when a resident whom he has become attached to passes away.

It is a light and fun read, but there will be times that will make you think.

http://www.amazon.com/All-That-Ails-You-Adventures/dp/1484834518/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1374287826&sr=8-1&keywords=all+that+ails+you

The Whitest Wall by Jodee Kulp

I confess, I almost put this book down. The beginning is a little hard to follow. It jumps from time and character very rapidly; sort of like an ADHD child. I read this on my Kindle, so it might be different in print.

There are several characters in the book who have fetal alcohol issues. The author writes the characters well. For those of us who parent children with fetal alcohol issues, you will recognize the behaviors and characteristics very easily.

As the title implies, a primary story line is about race and poverty. This also plays into the FAS portions of the story line, although the FAS is not racially divided in the story line. It is a murder mystery that encompasses may issues that we deal with. I don’t want to give away the story line, but if you like mysteries, it is an intriguing story with characters that we can identify with in ways the average reader can’t.

There are also other titles in this storyline.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Whitest-Wall-Bootleg-Brothers/dp/1456328492/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1374287781&sr=8-2&keywords=the+whitest+wall

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Don’t forget to renew your membership! Individual (parent) memberships are $35 annually;

Professional memberships are $75 annually.

You have four ways to join:

1. Join online at www.attachtrauma.org. Click the Join button and use your credit card to re-new your membership.

2. Print the membership form available on the website and mail it to:

ATN P.O. Box 164 Jefferson, MD 21755

along with your check or credit card information.

3. Fax the completed membership form with credit card information to 1-888-656-9806 .

4. Call Lorraine at 1-888-656-9806 and give her your card information over the phone.

Memberships make great gifts. We have a scholarship program, so memberships can also be donated.

Scholarships are available for individual memberships.

Stephanie Reh Garde, ATN’s Membership Director

My husband, Brandon, and I have two children and live in New England. Our oldest son, Zachary, came to live with us in 1999 and was adopted (domestic adoption) in 2000. I gave birth to my second son, Cameron, in 2001. They are now 18 and 11. We also have a 35 year-old horse- Sudi, a chicken- General Tso, two pigeons- Buckbeak and Hermione, one mourning dove- Harry, one 7-pound mixed-breed dog- Bella and one Doberman- Tuukka.

I am the Membership Director and interim Support Group Moderator at ATN. I work closely with our fearless Executive Director, Julie Beem.

I had heard of ATN many times but it took our family attachment/trauma therapist to give Julie Beem a call and recommend me to her. At that time, around 2009, the former Membership Director was leaving and I was able to jump right into that spot.

In my previous life, I was an attorney specializing in Social Security administrative law. My traumatized son’s needs made it necessary for one parent to stay home full-time. Even though my son is older now, his needs still remain quite high. I wanted to do something to help others in the same situation but did not know how. My home has the technology (internet, phone) that allows me to give my time to ATN when it is available. I am also surrounded by fantastic parents and professionals who “get it”. I see ATN growing and the plight of families raising traumatized children becoming a mainstream topic. This is exciting, and I look forward to being with ATN as it grows.

In my spare time I am working around our farm, watching sports (hockey and football), reading, sailing, running in/training for 5ks.

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ATN Professional Member Directory These professionals believe in ATN’s mission and have joined us as Professional Members

Direct any updates/changes to this listing to membership@attachtrauma.org.

Barbara S. Fisher, M.S. Center for Attachment Resources & Enrichment (C.A.R.E.) Decatur, GA 404-371-4045 www.attachmentatlanta.org Kenneth Frohock LMHC, LRC Attachment Institute of New England 21 Cedar Street, Worcester, MA 01609 508-799-2663 508-753-9779 fax www.attachmentnewengland.com ken@attachmentnewengland.com Sharon Fuller The Attachment Place, LLC Maryland 410-707-5008 sfuller@theattachmentplace.com http://www.theattachmentplace.com/ Robyn Gobbel, LCSW 2525 Wallingwood, Bldg. 1, Suite 213 Austin, TX 78746 512-985-6698 http://www.gobbelcounseling.com/ robyn@gobbelcounseling.com Ken Huey, Ph.D. CALO (Change Academy Lake of the Ozarks) Lake Ozark, MO ken@caloteens.com 573-365-2221 Jennifer Jacobs Kurn Hattin Homes PO Box 127 Westminster, VT 05158 https://kurnhattin.org/ Thomas Jahl, Headmaster Cono Christian School Walker, IA thomasjahl@mac.com http://www.cono.org/ 319-327-1085

Laurel Abts Abts Family Counseling 11487 S 700 E Draper, UT 84020 801-930-0020 801-305-1395 fax http://abtsfamilycounseling.com/ Arthur Becker-Weidman, PhD Center for Family Development 5820 Main Street, Suite 406 Williamsville, NY 14221 716-810-0790 http://www.center4familydevelop.com/ Aweidman@Concentric.net Heather Blessing, M.A., MFTI Marriage and Family Therapist Registered Intern, IMF 67330 Sacramento Psychotherapy Services, Inc. 3550 Watt Avenue, Suite 140 Sacramento, CA 95821 (916) 979-7693 www.riversidesupport.org Supervised by D. Chadwick Thompson License No. MFC 48044 Beverly Cuevas LICSW, ACSW Attachment Center NW 8011 118th Avenue, NE Kirkland, WA 98033 425-889-8524 425-576-8274 fax bjcuevas@msn.com www.attachmentcenternw.net Ce Eshelman, LMFT Sacramento Attachment Specialists The Attach Place 3436 American River Drive, Suite D Sacramento, CA 95864 916-403-0588 ce@attachplace.com http://www.attachmentandtraumatreatmentcenter.com/ http://theattachplace.com/

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Mell La Valley, LMFT, CEGE In-Home Services, Adoption and Attachment Specialist Equine Therapy Post Office Box 2245 Loomis, CA 95650 916-719-2520 melllavalley@gmail.com http://www.melllavalleylmft.com http://www.warriorssoul.org Denise LeBow, LCSW, LSCSW 229 Ward Parkway, LL2 Kansas City, MO 64112 816-531-2144 lebowdh@aol.com Carol Linder-Lozier, LCSW Louisville, KY clozierlcsw@gmail.com http://www.forever-families.com/ Beth Lyons, LPCC Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor 111 S. Sherrin Ave. Louisville, KY 40207 502-558-3899 bethlyons990@gmail.com Carolee Malen, LCSW, ACSW Malen & Associates 8112 W. Bluemound Rd Suite 106 Wautatosa, WI 53213 414-302-1759 cmalen2000@yahoo.com http://malenandassociates.us/

ATN P.O. Box 164

Jefferson, MD 21755

1-888-656-9806

Pamela McCloskey McCloskey Counseling Center 814-357-2400 pgmccloskey@yahoo.com Jennie Murdock, LCSW, LMT Lehi, UT Jenniem1951@gmail.com 435-668-3560 Lawrence Smith, LCSW Silver Spring, MD 301-558-1933 lbsmith@md.net Janice Turber, M.Ed. Center for Attachment Resources & Enrichment (C.A.R.E.) Decatur, GA 404-371-4045 www.attachmentatlanta.org Don E. Wilhelm United Methodist Family Services 28 Bridgehampton Place Richmond, VA 23229 804-740-2600 dattchw@yahoo.com

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