The training has provided us not only with a deeper understanding of child development, trauma and parenting adopted children, it has provided us with some real life tools, techniques and methodologies for parenting children with complex trauma and for self-care, in order to parent children with complex trauma. It has empowered us to consider our networks and the help we can ask for from them.

It has encouraged us to take the lead in repairing relationships with the children and changing our mindset to be able to apply some ‘radical acceptance’ of some of the things we considered to be problems, whilst we focus on the relationship building and the reduction in violence.

In addition to this, the course has allowed us to form a peer support group, facilitated by Carolyn and Ingrid and this has been invaluable. To know there are others who are facing or have faced similar difficulties and to be able to offer and receive support is more than we could ever have hoped for from the course.

I know Ingrid and Carolyn provide online and in person support groups and we will be making the most of these as they will undoubtedly be a great way of sharing practical tips and ensuring we think about putting into practice the things we learnt together.

It is significant and crucial that this peer support comes from others who have been on the same course and facilitated by the trainers. This means that everyone is taking the same approach, using the same knowledge to understand and support each other.

We could not have imagined that the course would have had such a significant and positive impact upon our children and our lives and we would encourage you to recommend this course to all adopters at the earliest opportunity, particularly before things like violence actually become an issue for families.