“Our children were harmed in relationships and they will experience healing through nurturing relationships.” - Dr Karyn Purvis
Children who have a difficult start in life often experience the world of relationship and attachment with a filter. This filter served to protect them when they didn’t have someone else to protect them. This filter was their anchor to get them through the challenges and loss of caregivers who didn’t have tools to care for them in the way they needed to thrive. When they arrive into the care of a foster family or an adoptive family there is a learning curve to trust. It feels foreign and unsafe to experience this world of connection. They feel vulnerable and the filter that worked for them no longer seems to be enough. Children and Teens learn that it takes vulnerability to trust if a relationship is truly safe. For these children and families, the work is in learning how to listen, be curious, and be a secure base for them. This takes parents addressing their own story of attachment and learning ways to listen and attune to their child. The Family Therapy Place is a safe space to grow in connection and engage to in experiences together that allow the members of the family to thrive.
