News

ATN Members share an open letter to about parenting children with attachment disorder or trauma:  My Life as A Parent...

April 2010.  ATN sends letter to the APA expressing concern over the proposed changes to the definition of Reactive Attachment Disorder in the DSM-5, and requesting the inclusion of Developmental Trauma Disorder.  See letter here.

April 2010.  ATN sends letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about the Hansen family tragedy and the need for more post-adoption resources.

ATN Staffer on NBC Nightly News.  Check out ATN's own Kristie Gottlieb and her family on this NBC Nightly News feature story narrated by Brian Williams.  http://www.msnbc. msn.com/id/ 3032619/vp/ 27475217# 27479413.  Kristie and her husband and seven children live in the Hope Meadows, an intergenerational community that promotes permanency, community, and caring relationships for adoptive families of foster children.  Kristie is ATN's Support Director, overseeing our listserve support groups and crisis phone line.  You can contact Kristie directly at kristie@radzebra.org.  To learn more about Hope Meadows and the plans to replicate this program, visit their website:  www.generationsofhope.org or call 217-893-4673.

Communications Director to Speak at Upcoming North Georgia Foster and Adoptive Parent Conference.  Julie Beem, ATN's Communications Director will be presenting Trauma-Sensitive Environments  on Saturday, December 6 at the North Georgia Foster and Adoptive Parent Association's annual conference at Red Top Mountain Lodge.  To find out more about this conference, visit www.nwgfapa.org.

New Board Members.  ATN has two new board members. Ken Huey, Ph.D., director of CALO (Change Academy of Lake Ozark) and Jennifer Smith, manager at Sprint/Nextel headquarters in Overland Park , KS .  Dr. Huey is a therapist and founder of CALO, a residential treatment center that focuses on attachment, trauma and emotional dysregulation.  He has a wealth of experience in working with troubled youth, especially those from adoptive or foster-care backgrounds.

Ms. Smith is a manager at Sprint’s headquarters, an active volunteer in many local philanthropic efforts, and the aunt of a traumatized child.  Her background in organizational structure and project management, in addition to her volunteer fundraising knowledge, will be much utilized.  Ken and Jennifer join our current Board of Directors, which includes Nancy Spoolstra, Ken Frohock , LMHC, LHC of Worcester, MA; Janice Turber, M.Ed. of Decatur, GA; Lawrence Smith, LCSW of Silver Spring, MD; and Teresa Witthuhn, LMSW of Hays, KS.

Adoption Today Publishes Nancy’s Article.  Congratulations to ATN’s Executive Director, Nancy Spoolstra, whose article “Adult Adoptees” is featured in the May issue of Adoption Today.

Boomerline Sponsors ATN.  Boomerline (www.boomerline.com) a new apparel company featuring Boomer the dog doing many things that baby boomers enjoy, has chosen ATN as one of two organizations to which they are donating a portion of their profits.

Boomerline’s t-shirts, polo shirts and hats show Boomer doing things like boating, golfing, hiking, biking and grilling.  Proceeds from the sale of these items will help hurting children and their adoptive and foster families through ATN and will provide kennels on the grounds of domestic violence shelters so that women and children can take their dogs with them when escaping abusive situations.  Check out the apparel on their website, and watch for Boomerline at ATN’s annual conference in June.

ATN Receives Newsletter Grant.  The Anderson-Rogers Foundation of New York has awarded a $3,000 scholarship to ATN for expansion and enhancements of the Hoofbeats newsletter.  The Foundation is active in supporting small hands-on organizations in areas such as child welfare.  A special thanks to Rebecca Ross, ATN’s Director of Fundraising for her tireless efforts in pursuing this and other funding opportunities.   

You can help ATN by searching the internet. Use GoodSearch.com as your search engine.  Tell them that Attachment & Trauma Network is the Charity you Good Search for!

Purchase your books from Amazon.com and let them know we referred you!

Read & watch the press about our own ATN staff volunteer, Nancy Bostock, who spoke at the Florida Senate Hearing on 10/23/07 about Adoption.  Florida wants to increase its adoption rates and Nancy stressed to the Senate that it then  needs to support its adoptive families. Read her story... the hope, the struggle, the anger, aggression and violence, the complete and total lack of support or services from the child welfare system.

http://www.sptimes. com/2007/ 10/24/Northpinel las/Adoptive_ mothers__ hea.shtml

http://www.wfla. com/  Click on Adoption Dilemma under the news tab