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Trauma Training and Summer Update

 

SFFC-MKE has had a busy summer! It has been the summer of babies for many host families. At one point, we had six babies under 12 months old in host family care. All of those babies are back in the care of their parents again, and we are so grateful to our dedicated volunteers who open their hearts to children and parents time and time again. Many of our volunteer families are now turning their attention to getting their own children back to school, yet our intake line has been busier than ever. We’ve found that many parents are seeking short-term or friendship family level support.

In recent weeks, we have had a list of kids waiting for host families and parents waiting to be paired with a family friend.  So, now, more than ever, we are in need of more host families and family friends!

If you’ve been impacted by the Safe Families movement, then you have a story to share. Open your home to friends and family to share your experience and encourage them to become involved. So often, we hear from volunteers that their friends and family are interested in Safe Families. This is an awesome way to help connect them to the next steps to become an active volunteer themselves! 


In other news, SFFC-MKE is blessed to have Ross Phillips, Clinical Therapist, as a host parent, an advocate, and a resource to train our amazing volunteers. On August 15, volunteers old and new gathered at Imago Dei Church to learn from Ross about trauma and how to work with families who are in survival mode. 

A few takeaways:
1) Trauma often resurfaces at developmental stages
2) Trauma actually changes brain composition and function and can change body chemistry
3) As much as possible, do what you say you’re going to do when dealing with a child/ parent who’s been through trauma
4) Be aware of a traumatized child’s impact on your own family dynamics and attend to these relationships
5) Remember parents of the children–probably 100% of them have also been traumatized, so a lot of the kid stuff also applies to them.

Ross’s Suggested Reading List
1) When Helping Hurts by Fikkert and Corbett
2) The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke-Harris
3) The Connected Child by Purvis, Cross and Sunshine

Click here to view our August Newsletter!