Parenting the Hurt Child : Helping Adoptive Families Heal and Grow

Read an Excerpt

The Changing Face of Adoption
The face of adoption continues to change. Gone are the days when the policies of social-service agencies forbade foster parents to get close to their foster children, and when nurturing was to be reserved for the yet unidentified adoptive family.

Helping Your Hurt Child Heal, Grow, and Develop
In the six years since Adopting the Hurt Child was published, we have been asked repeatedly about writing another book. Of course, we were flattered, but the mere thought of the undertaking was daunting. Now we feel the time has come.

Chapter 1: Who Is the Hurt Child?
Many adoptive children did not experience early childhood trauma, neglect, or abuse. In these cases, the issues they face are common to all children and are supplemented by issues related directly to adoption.

When a child is adopted, he can arrive with hurts from the past-pain that stunts his emotional growth and your family's life, too. At some point your parenting dreams can fall apart, and raising a hurt child becomes more like a burden than a blessing.

But don't give up. With time, patience, informed parenting, and appropriate therapy, your adopted child can get over what seems insurmountable now. From insights gathered through years of working with adopted kids who have experienced early trauma, Gregory C. Keck and Regina M. Kupecky explain how to manage a hurting child with loving wisdom and resolve, and how to preserve your stability while untangling their thorny hearts.

"We hope that what we share will give you strength, courage, and commitment," write the authors. "We hope you will tap into your own resources and creativity to become the parent you've always wanted to be."

If you've adopted a child, whatever the circumstances, you'll find hope and healing on these pages-for you, your family, and especially your adopted child.

Gregory C. Keck, Ph.D., founded the Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio, which specializes in the treatment of children and adolescents who have experienced developmental interruptions. In addition, he and his staff treat individuals and families who are faced with a variety of problems in the areas of adoption, attachment, substance abuse, sexual abuse, and adolescent difficulties.

Regina M. Kupecky, LSW, has worked in the adoption arena for over twenty-five years as an adoption placement worker. She is currently a co-therapist with Dr. Gregory C. Keck, Ph.D., at the Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio. Mrs. Kupecky authored a resource guide, Siblings Are Family, Too, which is available through the Three Rivers Adoption Council in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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