Walking with Families for the Long Haul (feat. Jenni Lord)
“Who is with them long term?”
This is the question that Jenni Lord started asking after her organization helped fund hundreds of adoptions. What she realized is that the breakdown of these adoptive families often stemmed from the parents not being equipped to handle the behaviors and challenges that came along with trauma.
Today, Jenni Lord is a resolute advocate for fostering family healing through the power of genuine connection. Her journey blends personal experiences with a visionary commitment to transforming the child welfare landscape. In 2008, she established Chosen, a trailblazing nonprofit dedicated to nurturing children’s recovery from trauma by empowering their families.
In this episode, Jenni shares her firsthand experience with trauma through her adoptive brother, why many parents and caregivers are ill-equipped to handle trauma behaviors on their own, and new initiatives to meet practical needs in the system. Listen in!
You can also find this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Key Takeaways
- Love is not enough. The impact of trauma requires more than love to overcome and heal. Parents and caregivers need to learn how to be agents of healing in their child’s lives. This involves evidence-based tools, techniques, and more to help heal their child’s brain.
- Pursue your child’s heart. At the time a child was placed into foster care or put up for adoption, damage occurred to the child’s sacred attachment to their parents. At the time this occurs, the child’s brain gets rewired toward a trauma and fear response that prevents healthy attachment. As parents, we need to pursue our child’s heart to bring about healing. It may require outside resources and support.
- There is help and hope. With the proper resources, families can succeed and children can be healed. It is still a long road, but we are in it for the long haul. What children need to know most is that someone cares and will keep showing up for them.
Resources
Meet the Guest
Jenni Lord is a resolute advocate for fostering family healing through the power of genuine connection. Her journey blends personal experiences with a visionary commitment to transforming the child welfare landscape. In 2008, she established Chosen, a trailblazing nonprofit dedicated to nurturing children’s recovery from trauma by empowering their families.
