Encouragement & Hope Courses


Making Time For Your Marriage During Foster Care (15 Minutes)
When you are looking after a child from foster care 24 hours a day, every day, every week, every month, it can be a time consumer and leave little time for you, and your spouse or partner. Let’s talk about ways to stay connected.

Scared: The Beginning of a New Family Member (12 Minutes)
Being removed from family and arriving in foster care is a very frightening time; one filled with fear, uncertainty, and anxiety. It is a time where even the bravest of children become scared.

Not Taking It Personally (10 Minutes)
Foster parenting can be difficult. There are those times when the children we care for in our homes and living with our families may say things to hurt us. We'll discuss why it's important to not take these personally.

Why You Need to Say “No” as a Foster Parent (12 Minutes)
It's okay to say “No,” once in a while as a foster parent. It is okay for you to take time for yourself, your spouse, and your family. It is okay to re-charge those batteries.

Before You Throw In The Towel: Assessing Your Future in Fostering (10 Minutes)
No one said fostering would be easy, but we also know that there are days you question your future as a foster parent.

Expecting the Unexpected (20 Minutes)
This ‘rescue’ session covers topics of a sensitive nature such as medical procedures, violence, and sexual abuse and uses examples and language that some viewers may find triggering.

The Good News: What You Do Matters, A Discussion with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (.75 Hour)
This discussion was first published as part of the NFPA 2021 Education Conference, entitled ‘Forward: Hope. Care. Change’, and will center around Dr. van der Kolk’s book, ‘The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma‘.

The Good News: What You Do Matters (Bethell) (.5 Hour)
This discussion was first published as part of the NFPA 2021 Education Conference, entitled ‘Forward: Hope. Care. Change’.

Building Relationships Filled w/ Hope with Amanda Cruce, Tecoria Jones, Jennifer Rhodes, & Kara Georgi (50 Minutes)
It is always better for children and youth to remain with their birth families if it is safe to do so. When foster care is necessary, the goal is to provide a temporary safe, stable, and nurturing environment for children and adolescents while actively seeking and supporting reunification with their families.