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Every adopted or foster child carries a hidden loss into even the safest home, and that loss is often what's driving the meltdown you're seeing today. Press play for a trauma-informed look at the nervous system science behind adoption and foster care behaviors, and subscribe so you don't miss a single chapter.

In this opening episode, Maxine Golden introduces The Adoption Parenting Playbook and reads through its foundation. She walks through how the book is organized, who it is written for, and what it is and is not meant to do. She closes the episode with the first chapter's core theme: the loss that every adopted or fostered child carries into their new home, even when that home is safe and loving.

IN THIS EPISODE

00:00 Welcome and introduction to the playbook and podcast

00:16 Educational disclaimer: this playbook is not a substitute for individualized therapy

00:50 The frameworks behind the book: Brainspotting, polyvagal theory, TBRI, attachment science, and somatic approaches

01:16 How the book is organized: three parts across 19 chapters

02:30 What this playbook is, and what it is not

03:22 Part One begins: Preparing for Placement

04:08 Chapter 1: The Loss Your Child Carries Into a Loving Home

04:52 In utero trauma, and why “we give them everything” doesn't explain the behaviors

06:50 Holding two truths at once: the placement is good, and the grief is real

07:22 Myths Worth Retiring Before Placement

08:38 Book recommendation: Stephen Porgie's The Body Keeps Score