Books
The Promise: Truth from the Trenches of Adoption
When Christen Shepherd adopted four children from foster care she jumped into the treacherous waters of raising traumatized children. Because of mammoth tantrums, explosive rages, destroyed rooms, and unending grief, Shepherd enlisted the help of a Child and Youth Counsellor, Lisa Highfield.
The Promise is a raw and compelling read. It offers insight into the behaviours of adopted and foster children, gives hope to struggling families, and is a must-read for adoptive parents who are at a loss after bringing wounded children into the family.
Visit the official site of The Promise here.
"Last month at the NACAC conference, I had the pleasure of meeting Christen Shepherd and Lisa Highfield who are co-authors of The Promise. I stopped by their table and after talking to them about adoption of older children from the foster care system, I was immediately intrigued. I purchased the book and I was half way finished by the time my plane landed in DC. I knew after just the first few pages that EVERY person considering adopting a child or sibling group from the foster care system should read this."
The Barker Adoption Foundation, Bathesda, Maryland
"The book relates the real journey of adoption for many families. Christen shares very personal details of her family’s struggles in bringing four children who have experienced trauma and loss into their life. Lisa adds her perspective both as a helper in the family and a professional in theory and practice of parenting traumatized children. The result is a powerful read that will provide anyone who is involved in adoption with a great deal of important information and insight into the journey of adoption. As Christen and Lisa say in their introduction – “ Together, our aim is to assure struggling parents that they are not alone, to provide support, practical information, and the strength to carry on – no matter how hard- to uplift parents as they provide a bright future for a child who has already been denied too much.” This book accomplishes this goal and more."
Adoption Council of Ontario, newsletter August 2013.
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Self-Portrait of a Master Art Forger
For over 20 years, an unassuming man who lives in public housing poses as a wealthy philanthropist, and donates one masterpiece after another to respected museums throughout the United States. He has painted them himself, near perfect forgeries of the master painters. In his own words, Mark Landis discusses his childhood abroad, his mental health challenges and stays in hospitals and institutions, and the deep need for connection that led him to become one of the greatest art forgers of the twentieth century.
Published by Sartoris Literary Group (2024) available at select bookstores and Amazon websites.
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Broken Promises:
The Battle to Find Help for Kids with Aggression
Although often hidden, countless families experience the unrelenting stress of living with a child who displays extreme aggression. Faced with limited mental health resources and innumerable barriers, caregivers are left alone, and families are fractured. Tragically, children may face poor educational outcomes, hospital, police and judicial system involvement, child welfare intervention, and youth homelessness, all due to lack of appropriate and timely supports.
Part memoir and part critical reflection, Broken Promise sheds light on AFCCA (Aggression Towards Family/Caregivers in Childhood and Adolescence), a unique form of domestic violence. Christen Shepherd shares her daunting fight for services in a broken and siloed system. Along with counsellor Lisa Highfield, insightful interviews and research are shared, and brave parents lend their voices.
Not without hope, this book highlights strategies for support, from Non-Violent Resistance training to community involvement. Broken Promises is a reminder to parents they are not alone, and is a call to arms, encouraging policy makers and service providers to create meaningful and effective programs that support families and their vulnerable children.
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Christen
Shepherd