Premium
Very young foster children and foster families: Clinical challenges and interventions
Author(s) -
Heller Sherryl Scott,
Smyke Anna T.,
Boris Neil W.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/imhj.10033
Subject(s) - foster care , psychological intervention , mental health , intervention (counseling) , work (physics) , psychology , foster parents , medicine , nursing , medical education , gerontology , psychiatry , mechanical engineering , engineering
Recent federal reviews of the foster care system in the United States have concluded that the system is “in crisis.” Clinicians familiar with the foster care system are undoubtedly aware of significant stress points directly impacting foster families. In July of 1997, an innovative program was developed to assess and treat young foster children (under 48 months of age). A significant focus of this program's clinical work is supporting foster parents. This article begins with a brief review of the status of foster parenting in the United States. A description of challenges and obstacles faced by foster parents participating in this program and the service providers who work with them follows. Finally, a review of the various intervention strategies used by our program to address clinical challenges inherent in work with foster families is provided. ©2002 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.