APTC 1.5: Additional Reading (Optional)

Resources are given at the end of each module should you be interested
in additional reading on a particular subject. This reading is optional,
so it is not included in the requirements to complete the course.

• “The Foster Care Survival Guide: The Essential Guide for Today’s Foster Parents”
  By John DeGarmo 
• “Keep the Doors Open: Lessons Learned From a Year of Foster Parenting”
  By Kristin Berry

“The Foster Care Survival Guide: The Essential Guide for Today’s Foster Parents”
By John DeGarmo 

Foster parenting is often seen as a calling and a mission of love. At the same time, foster parenting can be very difficult and exhausting. When caring for children who have suffered abuse, neglect, and traumas, foster parents face their own set of unique challenges each day. “The Foster Care Survival Guide” is filled with personal stories, practical tips and advice, and even humor, and is relevant for both novice and experienced foster parents. Foster care expert Dr. John DeGarmo conveys the expertise he gained from 15 years of being a foster parent as well as the insights of fellow foster parents. “The Foster Care Survival Guide” tackles issues such as helping children with disorders and anxieties, how to best manage the lifestyle of a foster parent, working with birth parents, getting the help you need, addressing your own marriage while caring for children in need, and balancing the needs of your biological children with your foster children. (adapted from the description at amazon.com)

“Keep the Doors Open: Lessons Learned From a Year of Foster Parenting”
By Kristin Berry

As a teenager, Kristin Berry had heard all the horror stories surrounding foster care and adoption—abuse, neglect, rejection, anger, and misunderstandings. But instead of closing her heart, God opened it wide. This is Kristin’s honest, unvarnished story of some of her experiences as a foster parent of 23 children over the course of nine years. What she learned is that living in a foster home is like living with a revolving door. You never know who will arrive or whom you will have to say goodbye to. Leaving the door open means there will be heartache and pain, but also adventure and unexpected joy. Kristin and her husband, Mike, have been through it all in their unique parenting journey. If you have ever wondered what it’s really like to be a foster parent, this book will help you gain a true understanding of the everyday trials and triumphs these moms and dads face. It will also inspire you to consider opening your door…and to leave it wide open. (adapted from the description at amazon.com)

For more information about the book “Key Core Beliefs: Unlocking the HEART of Happiness & Health,”
visit www.KeyCoreBeliefs.org.