The Art of Trauma-Informed Care

Sorry I’ve been silent. I’ve been brooding, angry over the system, policies and government. I find it is best that I don’t write when I’m...

Shenandoah Chefalo is back, continuing on for those who can’t find their voice. Welcome to the 62nd episode of Giving Back Insights, my...

Last year at this time, I received a private Facebook message from an individual who was struggling. She was a professional who was...

Most people are familiar with the horror stories associated with our foster care system. Our guest for this program, Ms. Shenandoah...

Shenandoah Chefalo, author of "Garbage Bag Suitcase: A Memoir," calls attention to a failing American foster care system. You can listen...

I was working on this month's blog and then realized that I had to set it aside. Someone shared a Time Magazine article with me that...

Since the release of Garbage Bag Suitcase, I have had some interesting human encounters. I have traveled around the country and even into...

I was recently asked to be on the Incarcerate US podcast that is hosted by Dante Nottingham, an inmate who has been locked up since the...

When I speak to audiences, I often end my keynote with an exercise: I ask you to begin to notice the strangers seated around you. The...

Today we welcomed Shenandoah Chefalo, author of the memoir “Garbage Bag Suitcase,” talking about some of the failings of the foster care...

First Step: The SPCA In the early part of the 1800s, Henry Bergh created The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) which p

Most people are only one or two personal connections from a foster child but don't know it. Statistically, there is one foster child for

I was speaking to an elementary teacher the other day and she provided some insights into how her job relates to the child welfare...

MAY IS FOSTER CARE AWARENESS MONTH Here is How YOU can help In 1988 with the help of Senator Strom Thurmond, President Ronald Regan...

I have written before about how I was a self-help book addict. I read every book I could find, re-reading several of them and even going...

For more than 20 years, well into her adulthood, Shenandoah Chefalo wouldn’t breathe a word about growing up as a foster child, concerned...

Writing for this blog is sometimes problematic for me. I try to be as transparent as possible and talk about the things that are truly...

HILLSDALE – With the goal of making life better for citizens in their community, Doug and Susan French of Hillsdale have delved into...

No one comes into foster care because of a pleasant situation. Shenandoah Chefalo is the author of Garbage Bag Suitcase, a memoir of...

I have never really been good at relationships. Intimacy scares me, and trust is something that is earned. When I travel now, speaking...