Program News 2002
Meet a New Staff Member with a Special Role
Stephanie, a new Parent Mentor in our foster boarding home program, comes to her position with a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm "It's the best job I have ever had," she says. "I feel that I can really identify with the parent sitting on the other side of the table because I have felt what she or he is going through." Like many of the birth parents in our program, Stephanie's three children were placed in foster care because of her substance abuse. She undertook a long, hard journey to regain them and feels that her experience can be of enormous help to our program participants. " I have dealt with what they are dealing with and I have gotten through it. Because I have come through to the other side, I can offer them hope."
Stephanie's substance abuse resulted in behavior that was destructive to herself and her family and led to her children's placement in kinship care with her mother. Reflecting on this period in her life, Stephanie says, "I felt lost, hurt and angry for a long time." Nonetheless, the loss of her children gave her the motivation she needed to seek treatment for her addiction and two years later she was finally reunited with them.
Here at Good Shepherd, Stephanie reaches out to parents immediately after a child has been placed in our care and shares her perspective as a parent who has been through the same experience but has successfully reunited with her children. Because of this shared experience, she is able to engage parents, build trust and help them recognize and address the issues that have led to their children's removal from the home. Working with our foster care staff as a member of the program team, Stephanie serves a unique and special function as a role model and mentor who helps birth parents build the skills and confidence necessary for successful family reunification
March 3, 2002
