Articles And News
AHW Volunteer Spotlight: Sarah Campbell, Alameda County, CA Chapter
by Emma Mears “My work with A Home Within is one of the most important parts of my private practice.” Sarah Campbell didn’t always know she wanted to work with adolescents. Following the birth of her second child, Sarah began exploring a career change, preferring not to return to her previous job in marketing. While…
Read MoreWhat former foster children went through when the COVID-19 pandemic closed college campuses
by Saralyn Ruff (Associate Professor of Psychology, University of San Francisco) and Deanna Linville (Associate Professor & Research Scientist of Mental Health, University of Oregon) The big idea In the first two months of the pandemic, more than half of former foster children lost their jobs and nearly 40% experienced precarious living situations or homelessless,…
Read MoreA Home Within
by Emily Finch Emily Finch (she/her/hers) is a former member of Oregon Foster Youth Connection (OFYC), and participates in a Portland support group facilitated by A Home Within. She has been writing poetry since she was 9 years old, the age she entered foster care. We are excited to share a beautiful poem by her,…
Read MoreUnder the Influence: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and the Biology of Trauma
By John Stirling, MD & Karen Zilberstein, MSW, LICSW The past two decades have seen revolutionary advances in understanding the neurodevelopmental consequences of childhood trauma (Nemeroff, 2016; Teicher & Samson, 2016). As awareness has spread, trauma-informed practices have been urged on medical practitioners (Oral et al., 2016) and child welfare agencies (Hanson & Lang, 2016). Evidence-based,…
Read MoreInequities in Mental Health Services: It’s Time for a Reckoning and Rectification
By Karen ZilbersteinAugust 25, 2020Originally posted in Mad in America As the country confronts the coronavirus crisis and the ways it has exposed racism and inequality, it is time for the mental health field to look inwards and reckon with its own shortcomings. Similar to other American institutions and disciplines, racial and socioeconomic inequalities tend to…
Read MoreProviding Therapy for Foster Youth While Supporting Therapist Communities
Join Kristin, from Mental Health News Radio, as she speaks with Reed Connell, Executive Director, and Deanna Linville, Director of Clinical Programs, at A Home Within, which helps provide free therapy for current and previous foster youth. As Reed Connell states, A Home Within’s therapists are all part of a ‘community of hundreds of therapists nationwide who volunteer…
Read MoreFoster Youth At The Nexus of Two American Crises
BY DEANNA LINVILLE, FELICIA GUTIERREZ, SARALYN RUFF, REED CONNELL AND ELIZA BLACKORBY The Imprint has recently published dozens of articles exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on foster youth, and how they perceive and participate in this country’s current reckoning with systemic and institutional racism. It is clear that young people are at the nexus of a…
Read MoreThe World Is Watching: Can We Finally Address Our Nation’s Youth Mental Health Crisis?
BY REED CONNELL “Although the COVID-19 crisis is, in the first instance, a physical health crisis, it has the seeds of a major mental health crisis as well, if action is not taken.” So begins the United Nations’ Policy Brief: COVID-19 and the Need for Action on Mental Health, released May 13, 2020. A similar U.N. brief, released the…
Read MoreDonna Hitchens M.A., J.D. ’77 never dreamed of law, yet changed the system.
We are so proud to have her as a long-standing member of our board! It may be surprising that Donna Hitchens M.A., J.D. ’77—who became the first openly lesbian judge elected to the bench in the United States and spent 20 years of her career on the California Superior Court bench—never dreamed of becoming a…
Read MorePerspectives of Current and Former Foster Youth During COVID-19: Preliminary Report
Saralyn Ruff, our Clinical Consultant, collected responses from young adults in foster care to learn about their experiences and needs during COVID-19. Please review her Preliminary Report here, and contact her with any questions. This national survey assessed the needs, concerns, and strengths of young adults (ages 18-26) with a history of foster care in…
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