Category: Trauma

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fertility Loss Mental Health Trauma Trauma Uncategorised vulnerabiliity

Light in the Darkness: Interview with Layla Micheals, an Infant Loss Parent

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Light in the Darkness: Interview with Layla Micheals, an Infant Loss Parent 

At Doula School, one of our leading continuing education courses is our Infant and Pregnancy Loss Support certification program, which is such an important skill in our birth worker toolkit. Our gradates go on to support families who have experienced infant and pregnancy loss. It’s important to destigmatize speaking about infant and pregnancy loss because 25% of people experience loss at some point in their fertility journeys. We never want anyone suffering in silence.

Jessica Palmquist, our very own senior instructor and program coordinator for the infant and pregnancy loss programs experienced a unique journey to parenthood made possible through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), which ultimately ignited her burning passion for fertility awareness and birthwork. Through her IVF journey after losing multiple embryos, she understands the importance of talking about loss and fertility struggles. With October being Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month, Jessica Palmquist interviewed her best friend Layla Michaels, founder of Big Hearts Little Stars and she shares about the loss of her son Ryker and how she found light during her darkest time. 

Jessica and Layla’s friendship began in the early 2000’s when they worked together at a Lululemon pop up store in Moncton, New Brunswick. Nearly decades later, after both women went through Assisted Reproductive Technologies they joyfully were pregnant together, both expecting baby boys who would one day grow up together and be best of friends. Jessica delivered in October 2019 and Layla’s estimated due date was Easter 2020. Layla’s water broke unexpectedly at 25 weeks gestation and she was hospitalized. Layla was in constant contact updating Jessica daily. Two weeks later, Layla delivered her son Ryker who lived a life too short and he died in her loving arms. When Jessica received the news of Ryker’s passing she held her newborn son Hudson tighter than she ever had and sobbed uncontrollably. Her heart had broken that day along with her best friend’s. Layla and her partner Adam had big plans for their son and had already built a life for him. Jessica and Layla had dreams of what their boys’ future would look like. This is another side of loss that often goes unspoken – the loss of the future and the loss of a family’s hopes and dreams. Loss is more than the loss of a life, it is the loss of a life and so much more. Jessica regularly asks about Ryker and Layla gingerly shares pictures from Ryker’s short stay in the hospital and the mementos in their home. Whenever Jessica and her family have the opportunity they honour Ryker on his birthday, holidays, and whenever she writes a letter to the family he is included. Jessica has been Layla’s biggest cheerleader as she has been trying to conceive after her loss. After four long years, Layla is pregnant and Jessica is excited to meet Ryker’s baby sister. 

Get to know Layla, as she shares her loss story:

Would you like to share your story of infant loss?

We became pregnant with our son, Ryker, after two years of infertility and seeking out the help of a fertility doctor. The pregnancy was perfect, I wasn’t sick, and had that pregnancy glow and blissful ignorance thinking nothing would go wrong.  Until it did.

At 25 weeks my water suddenly broke and I was hospitalized. Then at 27 weeks our son Ryker was born via emergency C-section. He was 2lbs 7oz and a fighter! It was touch and go in those first few days, but then he turned a corner and we thought everything would be ok. Then overnight, he developed a brain bleed that wasn’t something that could be treated or survived. We spent the remainder of that day with him, surrounded by our families, as we said goodbye so soon after we had just said hello. It was heartbreaking. But also during that time we created beautiful memories with him and said everything we needed to say. He died in my arms after about an hour and half from being taken off life support.

What was your experience with our healthcare system? 

There is a big gap in experience across the country when your baby dies. But one universal area that I found is that there is not much direction or support for what to expect when you leave the hospital without your child. Your milk still comes in, you are still in active postpartum recovery, but it all feels very foreign and different when the baby you grew is no longer with you. The only check-up is the standard 6 week check-up, which felt years away.  You are trying to heal and trying to process immense grief at the same time and it is truly too much to handle.

What did you find the most helpful in your journey? 

I found the pro-activeness of friends and family to be what was needed. You often hear people say “if you need anything, let me know” or “call me” but when you are in the depths of grief, there is an inability to understand what you need, or have the courage or mental capacity to ask for the help. People would show up at our door with food, or to check on us, or the messages that came in reading “you don’t have to respond, but we are thinking of you and how you’re doing”.  Those messages made me feel open to talking and I would respond every time. Asking me about Ryker and using his name helped as well. My advice to people: “do not ignore what has happened, it may be uncomfortable for you, but it is far worse for the family who has lost their child and are surrounded by people who do not acknowledge the space they are living in”.

You’ve been supporting the pregnancy and infant loss community for many years now. What was your motivation to start Big Hearts Little Stars, an organization that supports families who have experienced the loss of a child?

My motivation for Big Hearts Little Stars was to fill the gap that exists when parents experienced the loss of a pregnancy or child. It initially began with donating books on Ryker’s first birthday, 10 books of stories written by Mothers to Mothers, and 10 of Fathers to Fathers.

It organically grew from there into what we now refer to as our Comfort Boxes. We supply both our local hospitals with large and small comfort boxes that include items to assist families through the grief process after their child dies. Items include a teddy bear, baby blanket, memorial candle, books for parents and young siblings, a booklet of resources (local and other) and some other meaningful items.

We also offer a private support group on Facebook so that grieving parents have a safe space to speak and ask questions with others who have been on a similar path.

What services does Big Hearts Little Stars offer? 

Directly we only have our support group, but we do have connections to a lot of community resources and access to contacts across the province. We will do whatever we can to assist families who reach out.

I have also gone to coffee with a few people, as sometimes it is helpful to have an in-person heart to heart when dealing with such an emotional and difficult time.

How did you find light in your dark time? 

When you lose a child, there is no hope for their future. You can’t hope they’ll get better or magically return home. The reality is, they are no longer here and nothing changes that. The hope or light I found was in sharing our story and the story of Ryker’s life. In sharing our story, I have been told that it allowed other people to find the courage and strength to speak about a loss they had suffered and had never talked about. In being open and honest about the experience it has allowed other people to feel less alone in theirs. That is the hope that I hold onto, the hope that if we are able to help one person feel less alone in their loss, that we can all carry the memories of our children who walk ahead.

What advice can you offer parents who have experienced infant and pregnancy loss?

Take your time, and give your grief the time it needs. This can mean many things. There is no rush to feel better, and no linear way that you will move through your grief. There is no moving on, but you will learn to put one foot in front of the other, and as you do you will always bring their memory with you. The grief will stay with you forever, but it will not always feel as raw as it does in the beginning. You will grow around it, and it will grow around you. I would encourage you to share your thoughts and feelings if it feels right to you, but if not, that is also ok as well. No two people navigate this the same way (including you and your partner).

Are there any resources or recommendations that you would share with parents who have experienced an infant or pregnancy loss?

There are a number or very good organizations within Canada, the US, and abroad that offer support.  Here are just a few:

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Centre (Calgary) www.pilsc.org

PAIL Network Sunnybrook (Toronto) www.pailnetwork.sunnybrook.ca

Return to Zero (RTZ) Hope – US based www.rtzhope.org

Saying Goodbye – UK Based www.sayinggoodbye.org

There are also many groups that are geared towards specific issues that may have effected the loss of a pregnancy or child.  Stillbirth, Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes, Termination for Medical Reasons, and each of these (and more) have their own support sites as well.

What about the parents who want to try again after the death of their baby. What challenges might they face when trying again? Do you have any suggestions that might support them on their journey? 

I don’t think there is ever a right time to try again, if that is something that you wish to do. I strongly believe in therapy as it will help you navigate the decision and also the emotions that will come up during the trying process, whether that includes fertility treatments or you are able to conceive naturally. Once pregnant again, there will be obvious and not so obvious things that may trigger you along the way, based on your history with a previous loss.  

There is a really good app and website for Pregnancy after loss (pregnancyafterlosssupport.org) that I have personally found helpful while navigating this pregnancy. In addition, there is a great book called Pregnancy After Loss by Zoe Clarke Cotes that has day by day reading and journaling which helps families navigate their pregnancy after loss.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Take care of yourself during this difficult time. Set boundaries where needed, and know that your feelings are valid and you are not alone. When you are ready there is a whole community out there that will help you navigate the days, months and years ahead, and honour you and your baby.

 

About the Author

Layla Michaels (she/her), is a passionate advocate for fertility and infant loss awareness. She is the founder of Big Hearts Little Stars, a nonprofit based in Moncton NB, serving families who have experienced the death of a child through pregnancy to infant loss. Her nonprofit was founded in 2021 after the death of her first son, Ryker in the NICU in 2020. The mission of Big Hearts Little Stars is to bridge the gap felt by parents in caring for their grief after loss, and knowing they are not alone. Families are provided a comfort box from their local hospital with items and resources to assist them in navigating their grief, as well as an online support group. Layla has also volunteered with Fertility Matters on their East Coast Miracles committee, who worked to raise awareness, conversation and political pressure surrounding fertility benefits and access in the Atlantic Provinces. Her personal fertility journey has taken her through multiple procedures in Canada, overseas, and then finally having to seek treatment out of province. It is Layla’s hope that access to fertility care becomes more accessible for all persons wishing to grow their families, alongside compassionate care for families experiencing loss as well. 

Connect with Layla:

IG @laylabun   IG @bigheartslittlestars   Tictok @mamagotguts

Interviewer- Jessica Palmquist (she/her), Doula School’s fertility & loss support program coordinator and senior instructor works with a diverse population and believes education, reproductive health, and wellness services should be accessible and customizable. In addition to Jessica’s training as a certified Fertility, Birth, & Postpartum Doula & Infant and Pregnancy Loss Support Specialist, she is a certified yoga teacher and has worked in the public and post secondary section sector for nearly 20 years. Her own unique journey to parenthood made possible through IVF paired with a passion for teaching, learning, and helping others led Jessica to birth work.

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Categories
Lifestyle Mentorship Trauma Trauma

Equanimity and Learning to Sit Amidst Discomfort

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]What is the secret to longitivtiy as a professional support person?

Is it business savvy, resiliency, or luck?  Perhaps it is a bit of each, and then some.

Lately our Director at Doula Canada has been meditating on what it means to be a doula with tenure; what it takes to not only make birth work a life-long career, but what is also means to be championed through the eyes of ones clients.

The secret?

Read on.[/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1572910346032{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Today I would like to explore the importance of equanimity and strengthening ourselves through the experience of learning to sit amidst discomfort.

As birth workers we are called by our clients to support them through their own needs, and sometimes that can create discomfort in our own bias, philosophies, and called upon memories.

We bear witness to some of the most miraculous experiences of life, but many a doula can speak to unexpected situations that have triggered their fears and lessened their professional resolve.  Sometimes the miraculous can turn into worrisome, and our exposure to emotions, pain, and anxiety can rock our psychological stability.

Equanimity, the ability to remain psychologically composed through all types of experience, has become synonymous with the word “doula” in my career of supporting families.

Actual synonyms for the word “equanimity” are peace, calm, composure and poise, and at DTC our team often speaks to the importance of these practices not only in the support of our clients, but for our lives in general.  For we have long learned as doulas that in the face of adversity, equanimity can lead to leadership, positive outcome, and balance.

Mature equanimity brings a radiance and a confidence.  It allows our clients to see the warmth of our being, even in the most unexpected of experiences.  It is the ability to see without being caught up in what we see, and to observe from a place of holistic support unmarred by our own prejudice or bias.

Learning to embrace equanimity and to sit within discomfort also allows us to see the entire picture.  It ensures that as doulas we can use our understanding and emulate patience in an environment full of high running emotions.  It removes our impulse to be reactionary and always have “the answer,” when sometimes it is the pause between the words that holds the power of what we can suggest.

Equanimity can often be promised through the wisdom of time, and the power of experiencing uncomfortable situations.  However, as a new doula it is important to remember that equanimity is not harnessed solely by years of experience. It can also be called upon through the understanding that people are responsible for making their own decisions and that as a birth worker we are not solely responsible for their well-being.

Take a moment to think about how you practice equanimity in your daily life.

There’s a beautiful poem about deepening our resilience to discomfort and challenge, it reads:

“Where would I find enough leather to cover the entire surface of the earth?

But with leather soles beneath my feet, it’s as if the whole world has been covered.

Likewise, it’s not possible for me to restrain the external course of things,

but should I restrain this mind of mine, what would be the need to restrain all else?”

We don’t have control over all else but do have control over our self.

We don’t need to cover the world with leather, instead, we toughen the leather on our own feet so that we are more resistant to it.

-Shantideva, 8th Century Indian Buddhist Monk

 

The message of this poem is that we often don’t have control over what happens in life, but we do have control over our response.  We can become more resistant to discomfort but embracing peace, calm, and composure.  And we can become a championed doula in the eyes of others by remaining equanimous.  We can learn to sit in discomfort and observe the space between uncertainty and knowing.  We can do(ula) our best in those moments.

 

How do you practice equanimity in your daily life?

What moments of discomfort stand out to you as times when you practice composure and calm?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Categories
birth fear gratitude Labour Doula shame Trauma vulnerabiliity

Working Through Shame – an important doula lesson

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”73471″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1551307504674{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Guest Blogger Jillian Hand from Hand to Heart Doula Services in St.John’s NL shares with us the importance of working through shame in doula work. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1551308858438{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]When I first read Daring Greatly by Brene Brown it rocked my world. What a HUGE game changer. So, imagine my excitement when it was added to the Doula Canada required reading list. If you haven’t already had the pleasure of reading Brene Brown’s work, here’s a quick bio – Brene Brown is a researcher with a Masters and PhD in Social Work. She lives in Houston and teaches as a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College in Social Work. She has spent over a decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame.

Pretty heavy topics, right? How do these pertain to doula work, you ask? Well, think about it. What is more vulnerable than being in the position of giving birth? How often do we hear our clients express sentiments like “I feel like a failure”; “I’m just not strong enough”; “I felt invisible and worthless” – these are all statements involving shame.

So, let’s dig a bit deeper into shame. Brown defines shame as “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging” (pg 69). She goes on to explain that shame is the fear of disconnection – “it’s the fear that something we’ve done or failed to do, an ideal that we’ve not lived up to, or a goal that we’ve not accomplished makes us unworthy of connection” (pg 68). We all experience shame. It is a universal emotion and unless you lack the capacity for empathy (sociopath anyone?), you have experienced it. Brown also distinguishes between guilt and shame. The difference is best understood with the following example – Guilt = I did something bad; shame = I AM bad. See the difference?

Let’s use an example we can relate to. As a doula, I’m sure we have all experienced moments of shame. If you haven’t yet, you will. Trust me. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t. My first bout of shame as a doula was with my third client. We had discussed her wishes prior to the birth and I knew she wanted to avoid an episiotomy if at all possible. I supported her to the best of my abilities throughout her labor and when it came time to push. Then, this happened – As she was lying supine, pushing with all her might, I watched the OB pull out a pair of scissors. In my head, I knew I should say something because it was obvious at this point that he didn’t plan to. But I froze – maybe out of fear of confrontation or perhaps I was just too intimidated at that point to question the decisions of a doctor. I’m still not sure why I didn’t speak up for her. But I didn’t; and he cut her without a word.

I had so much guilt for such a long time. I did something bad. I didn’t speak up for her. I didn’t protect her in the way I was meant to. I didn’t give her the chance to say no. I watched him violate her informed consent and did nothing. The guilt was overwhelming… But the shame.. well, the shame was excruciating.  Because you see, I didn’t only think I DID something bad, I also thought I WAS bad. What a horrible doula I was! I felt unfit and unworthy of supporting women during this precious, vulnerable time. Not only did I harbor guilt about my lack of action, but I internalized it and made it about who I was as a person, as a doula. Now THAT is shame.

I didn’t talk about that experience for a long time. I never admitted that I saw those scissors. I found it hard to look my client in the eye while she explained after the fact how painful her recovery was. I avoided the second postpartum visit because I couldn’t face the shame I was experiencing… and of course, that just reinforced my shame, deepening it until I felt like I was drowning.  That’s what shame does – it spirals and makes us pull away, disconnect, avoid. The more it silences us, the larger it looms. I almost gave up being a doula after that.

I didn’t quit though. I came to learn that I was actually a very good doula. I just wasn’t perfect. I learned to cut myself some slack when it comes to mistakes. I found empathy in my heart for that newbie doula who still hadn’t found her voice to speak up against obstetric violence, and who lacked the confidence to take a stand. She did the best she could in that moment. I truly believe that now.

As doulas, we will experience shame. We will also witness the shame of others – our clients, their partners, family members, our doula colleagues. Unfortunately, Brown’s research confirms that there really is no way of avoiding shame. Shame resistance is impossible. “As long as we care about connection, the fear of disconnection will always be a powerful force in our lives, and the pain caused by shame will always be real” (pg 74). What Brown did discover however is that we have the ability to build shame resilience. “Shame resilience is a strategy for protecting connection – out connection with ourselves and out connections with the people we care about” (pg 76). It’s about moving from shame to empathy, which is the real antidote for shame. It’s the “(pg 74).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column border_color=”#441f93″ blend_mode=”soft-light” css=”.vc_custom_1551308244095{background-color: #300032 !important;}”][mk_blockquote font_family=”none”]It’s the “ability to practice authenticity when we experience shame, to move through the experience without sacrificing out values, and to come out on the other side of the shame experience with more courage, compassion, and connection than we had going into it” (pg 74).[/mk_blockquote][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1551308385042{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]So, how do we build our shame resilience? Brown identifies four elements, and the steps don’t always have to happen in order. They are:

Recognizing Shame and Understanding Its Triggers.

I love the description “Shame is biology and biography”. To build shame resistance, we must first be able to detect shame in our bodies. That’s the biology. Do we flush? Feel nauseous? Get headaches? What is our physical reaction? I know mine inside and out. First, I feel queasy and I get clammy. Then, my mind starts to race, and my breath quickens and a headache starts, right behind my eyes. I flush and can feel the grip of anxiety.

The biography piece refers to our ability to figure out what messages and expectations triggered it. What’s the story we are telling ourselves? Let’s take my shame story for example. The expectations I set for myself were that, as a doula, it was my sole responsibility to protect my client against unwanted interventions in any situation.

 Practicing Critical Awareness.

This is where reality checking comes into play. How realistic or attainable are the messages and expectations driving your shame? Was it realistic for me to set the expectation that I alone was responsible for the actions of my client’s healthcare team? Was it attainable for me to assume that I had the power to stop unwanted intervention? I know now that I am only one person.

Reaching out.

Are you sharing your story? Empathy requires connection and if we aren’t reaching out, we aren’t connecting. WHO we choose to share our story with is vital. Are we choosing someone who has earned the right to witness our vulnerability? Are they going to hold space for us in a non-judgmental way? If not, we might want to choose someone else because those that judge us and do not have the ability to provide us with compassion and empathy will only feed our shame.

When I first shared my story, it was with another doula who I trusted wholeheartedly. She listened and validated me, and was able to tell me about her own experience with shame. I didn’t feel alone anymore, and it made me realize that we all have moments of humanness where we make mistakes.

Speaking Shame.

Finally, are you identifying shame as SHAME? Are you saying the word, out loud? It’s important that we talk about shame and ask for what we need when we feel shame. By naming it, it loses its power.

Now, when I feel shame coming on, I look it in the face. I say to myself “This is shame”. I know exactly what I need to do to work through it. I call that same friend you gets me and I say “I need help, I’m in a shame spiral”. She knows exactly what that means. We talk it out. I usually cry. I tell her I need to hear that I’m still a good doula. I need her to believe that I did the best I could. She always believes me. Always.

Working through shame takes work, and self-compassion, and most of all, empathy. Remember, you need to go I.N.T.O it.

Identify it.

Name it.

Talk about it.

Own it.

I promise you, you will make it to the other side.

Brown, brene. (2012). Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way we Live, Love, and Parent. New York: Avery Publishing.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1551307936785{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

Jillian is a certified birth and postpartum doula through both Doula Training Canada and DONA International . She is one of the original founders of the Doula Collective of Newfoundland and Labrador.She is also a Certified Birthing From Within® mentor and doula and  a Birthing From Within® Birth Story Listener. This training, along with a master’s degree in social work, has provided her with the necessary skills to facilitate the processing of difficult birth experiences in a way that leads to growth and wholeness. Finally, She is a birth doula trainer through Doula Training Canada, as well as the mother of two beautiful and creative children. 

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Categories
Trauma

Supporting Birth through a Trauma Lens

 

This week Theresa Fraser, Doula Canada Certifying Doula and Trauma and Loss Clinical Specialist lends us her voice to share the importance of working as a Trauma Focused Doula and the importance of understanding Trauma in this work.

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 ​So what is a trauma focused doula? Some might comment- why do we have to use a label? Is there such a thing? Do we need to have such a specialization?

I would counter that in the Doula role we all need to acknowledge that trauma is an important area for all Doula’s to be aware of. Trauma reactions can result from many experiences including emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and domestic violence.
For the purpose of just sharing some statistics, let’s look at just sexual assault.

Sexual Assault.ca states that

  •  “Of every 100 incidents of sexual assault, only 6 are reported to the police
  • 1 – 2% of “date rape” sexual assaults are reported to the police
  • 1 in 4 North American women will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime
  • 11% of women have physical injury resulting for sexual assault
  • Only 2 – 4% of all sexual assaults reported are false reports
  • 60% of sexual abuse/assault victims are under the age of 17
  • over 80% of sex crime victims are women
  • 80% of sexual assault incidents occur in the home
  • 17% of girls under 16 have experienced some form of incest
  • 83% of disabled women will be sexual assaulted during their lifetime
  • 15% of sexual assault victims are boys under 16
  • half of all sexual offenders are married or in long term relationships
  • 57% of aboriginal women have been sexually abused
  • 1/5th of all sexual assaults involve a weapon of some sort
  • 80% of assailants are friends and family of the victim?

So this means that even if this topic doesn’t come up in an intake session, all Doula’s need to remember that many victims of sexual assault do not report being violated for many reasons. I have met woman and men who have kept their secret (even from their partner) thinking that it can be buried /forgotten and they can move on because they want to move on.  They want to forget.

Trauma however, is a sensorial experience and is stored in the part of the brain that stores sensory experiences. This means that it can be triggered by sensory experiences and you can get anymore sensory – than birthing your baby or watching your loved one birthing a baby.

Birth can make any birthing parent and their partner feel all of those things.  So if a potential birthing parent shares that they are afraid of feeling helpless, vulnerable, unsafe  or not feeling in control- it makes good sense that a Doula’s can share their knowledge and expertise.

This is intentional sharing so the birthing parent doesn’t feel helpless. We want birthing parents to feel empowered because they have a sense of a birth plan and they trust that their Doula will share this information if they cannot. We want birthing parents to be reminded that as their Doula we will stay at their side (if that is what is wanted) where we will share information, comfort measures,  ideas and tools . We want our birthing parents to feel that there is some predictability in the birthing process. Ultimately, this will help the birthing parent feel like they have some control over the experience. However, when the experience doesn’t go as planned (as births sometimes can)- the relationship that a Doula establishes with the birthing family will provide the foundation of safety.

So whether we know if a trauma history is present or not, as a Doula we want our birthing parents to feel that the birth experience we share with them is not traumatic. The analogy I share is that I want birthing parent to drive the car but I will be the gas. I will share what I can so they have a voice, have a map and go in the direction they planned to go in all along.

Theresa Fraser holds a CYW diploma, Diploma in General Social Work, Life Skills Coach certificate, is a certified Child Psychotherapist Play Therapist Supervisor, Trauma and Loss Clinical Specialist, and Treatment foster parent of 20 yrs. Theresa is sought after to  present in Canada, the US, Wales, Ireland and England on topics related to Trauma, Child Development, Play Therapy, Sand Tray Therapy, the Brain, Attachment as well as LGBTQ issues. She is also trained in Theraplay and EMDR. You can find more info about her here http://www.changingsteps.ca/home.html​