Ryan and Matt are trying to adopt a child. This site will be used to post updates, provide information for fundraising events, and an opportunity to assist in building their family.
Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy Degruy I first heard about this book at one of my many “Trauma Informed Care” conferences. When the speaker mentioned the book, most of the audience seemed to be aware of its existence and responded favorably to it. I pulled out my cell phone and ordered it on... Continue Reading →
As many of you know, I am a mental health therapist. I have worked with the homeless, those struggling with substance abuse, severe mental illness such as schizophrenia, trauma, and many other populations and diagnoses. But one of my favorite groups of people to work with my teenagers. I live for their blunt honesty. I... Continue Reading →
No-Drama Discipline Workbook by Siegel and Bryson I love the accessibility of this book. It is easy to ready and fosters parental insight without any shaming, but rather coaching and encouragement. Unlike The Whole-Brained Child Workbook, these skills seem to apply not only with elementary school children, but children across all age groups (no... Continue Reading →
The Whole-Brain Child Workbook by Siegel and Bryson This book a wonderful workbook for parents who have read The Whole-Brained child, has some base understanding of the concepts, but maybe lacking in confidence regarding application. One of my larger critiques of that book was a lack of parent support and focus on what the... Continue Reading →
No-Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph. D I have to say, I really enjoyed this book A lot of the information is similar to that of their previous book (The Whole-Brain Child- see other review on this site), but in this one, the information seems to be organized in... Continue Reading →
I have spoken with some frequency about my grandmother in these blog posts, but I don’t want to take away from my grandfather. He too instilled many values in me. Among them were being kind and friendly to strangers (I am often the guy at CVS who has a stranger walk up to him in... Continue Reading →
June is Pride month. Throughout the month, I reflected on what Pride means to me. As you may have read in previous blog posts, I was a born-again, evangelical Christian attending a Puritan Christian school between two cornfields when I realized that I wasn’t straight. When I would reach out to others for support, I... Continue Reading →
We would like to thank Brooke's mother, Nancy, for answering our rather extensive interview questions. We would also like to thank Brooke for utilizing her interviewer skills. The video was too long to easily upload onto this site, so it was broken down into four separate parts. Additionally, a list of interview questions can be... Continue Reading →
My grandmother was the most influential person in my life. She made it abundantly clear in words and actions,that family always came first. As a child, I remember her weekly visits. She and my grandfather would come to our house once each weekend to have lunch. They would also call our home at least... Continue Reading →
The Journey of the Adopted Self: A Quest for Wholeness By Betty Jean Lifton This book is a must read for adoptive parents and adoptees, especially if they have chosen to go the route of a closed or international adoption. The book starts out with a description of a closed adoption and the feelings associated... Continue Reading →
It Takes a Village 