Information about adoption and foster care in Minnesota
Listen to episodes
60 recent
August 12, 202631 min
Back-To-School Support for Foster and Adoptive Children
The transition from summer break to school in the fall can be challenging for any child. It can be even more difficult for children who have a hard time with change given trauma and attachment issues and their placement in foster care or being adopted. In this episode, we are joined by Emily Johnson, who has years of experience supporting kids in going back to school. Emily is a foster caregiver, adoptive parent, and birth parent. Emily helps us understand what children are going through and offers practical guidance on ways to support them through the transition from their summer routines to the often more structured, demanding and earlier mornings of going back to school.
30 min
This episode is eligible for a Certificate of Completion.
The post Back-To-School Support for Foster and Adoptive Children appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.
July 29, 202654 min
Reunification is a Process, Not an Event: Part 2 with Aimee and Madilyne
Please listen to Part 1, You Don’t Always Have the Words, before listening to this episode. In Part 1, Madilyne and her birth mother Aimee describe from their unique perspectives their experiences of Madilyne and her siblings being removed from Aimee‘s care and living with their grandparents, then a foster family, and eventually an adoptive family. In this episode, Aimee and Madilyne share what it was like not seeing each other for several years. They also share about the process of rebuilding their relationship, including the joys, heartaches, setbacks, and growth they have experienced individually and in their relationship.
Content note: This episode includes mention of suicide. Please listen with care.
55 min
This episode is eligible for a Certificate of Completion.
The post Reunification is a Process, Not an Event: Part 2 with Aimee and Madilyne appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.
July 15, 202648 min
You Don’t Always Have the Words: Part 1 with Aimee and Madilyn
In this episode, we are joined by Madilyne and her birth mother Aimee. Because of Aimee‘s untreated mental health concerns that led to addiction, Madilyne and her brother and sister were removed from Aimee‘s care and placed with their grandparents. Later, they were placed into foster care with a non-relative and then adopted by members of their church. Madilyne and Aimee share their unique perspectives through these transitions. In Part 2, Reunification is a Process, Not an Event, Aimee and Madilyne share the joys and heartache of rebuilding their relationship over the last several years.
Content note: This episode includes mention of suicide and sexual abuse. Please listen with care.
48 min
This episode is eligible for a Certificate of Completion
The post You Don’t Always Have the Words: Part 1 with Aimee and Madilyn appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.
June 30, 202625 min
Stories Have the Power to Connect Us
The Immigrant Experiences Reading & Resource Guide was created by Kelly Hooker, an avid book reviewer @kellyhook.readsbooks, alongside Rawand Amedi, mental health therapist and refugee from Kurdistan. Hear how they created this guide to foster understanding, build empathy, and open meaningful conversations across ages. Kelly and Rawand carefully selected stories for both children and adults that invite readers to see the world through lived experiences of migration, identity, belonging, and resilience. They remind us that stories have the power to connect us, even across different backgrounds. Kelly and Rawand wanted to share some resources: what-to-say-to-kids-about-ice and the Immigrant Experiences Reading Guide.
25 min
This episode is eligible for a Certificate of Completion
The post Stories Have the Power to Connect Us appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.
June 16, 202626 min
Our 150th Episode: Looking Back, Looking Forward
In this episode, your co-hosts Bridget and Kris interview each other about what they love (and don’t love) about hosting the podcast, favorite episodes, what’s they’ve learned along the way, and what they are looking forward to for the future of the Let’s Talk podcast.
(27 mins)
June 17, 2026
The post Our 150th Episode: Looking Back, Looking Forward appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.
June 3, 202627 min
Understanding Violence in Indigenous Communities
Olivia Allery shares the historical and systemic factors contributing to violence in Indigenous communities. By exploring the impacts of colonial history, intergenerational trauma, and legal frameworks, we look at why certain cycles persist and what changes are necessary for progress.
This episode is eligible for a Certificate of Completion.
(27 mins)
June 2, 2026
Resources from Olivia Allery
The post Understanding Violence in Indigenous Communities appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.
May 20, 202648 min
Compassion, Support and Connecting Communities
Hear from child welfare professionals, Brianna and Stephanie Coleman, about their years of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults with marginalized identities. They share the various types of safe care supports available in our communities and you will leave feeling encouraged to open your heart and home to LGBTQ+ youth.
Next up is Mariah Rooney. Mariah will share how to bring more compassion and connection into our relationships through understanding complex inner worlds of young people and ourselves. We will also learn more about Mariah’s inner world and revisit her earlier webinar, “Parts of You, Parts of Me…”
Brianna Coleman, MSW, LICSW (she/her) received her MSW from the University of Minnesota in 2018 and currently holds a LICSW. Brianna works as a licensed psychotherapist and provides educational trainings to a variety of different agencies and organizations. Brianna is the founder of Curiosity Counseling & Consultation and provides therapy through Lyn Lake Psychotherapy & Wellness. Throughout her career and personal life, she has expanded on her knowledge and experience providing a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ clients, particularly those who hold gender expansive identities, to explore themselves and navigate the unique challenges they face due to their identity. Brianna has grown passionate about working with children, adolescents, and adults who hold marginalized identities. Brianna operates through a trauma-informed lens with a particular focus on attachment, development and identity.
Stephanie Coleman, MSW, LICSW, works as the Director of Social Work for Children’s Home Society and Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota where she oversees Foster Care Adoption, Domestic Infant Adoption, Pregnancy Services, and Education programs. She came to this role with experience directly working with youth in foster care seeking permanency, supporting adoptive families by providing attachment-focused and trauma-informed strategies, and providing education to adults considering adoption. Stephanie earned her Masters of Social Work from the University of Minnesota in 2018 and is currently licensed as an Independent Clinical Social Worker. Stephanie completed the Permanency and Adoption Competency Certificate through the University of Minnesota’s Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare in 2019.
Mariah Rooney, MSW, LICSW is a psychotherapist who has practiced in outpatient, community, hospital and specialty care settings; an adjunct faculty member in the graduate School of Social Work at Winona State University; a past consultant for the NCTSN’s Center for the Treatment of Developmental Trauma Disorders; and was previously a fellow at the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute. She has extensive experience in clinical work with children and adults treating the complex challenges that arise as a result of traumatic stress, attachment trauma, intergenerational trauma, and dissociation. Additionally, her research, consultation, and writing has focused on areas such as gender-related violence, military trauma, trauma-informed embodiment practices, developmental trauma, and systems-level interventions to prevent and address the impacts of trauma. Additionally, Mariah is a consultant with the American Institutes for Research. Her primary responsibilities include supporting capacity-building to prevent and address the effects of violence and trauma within individual agencies and schools, national and state agencies, state-wide coalitions, and multi-agency collaboratives. Additionally, she is the Co-Founder of Trauma Informed Weight Lifting, a program of the Center for Trauma and Embodiment.
(49 mins)
March 1, 2023
The post Compassion, Support and Connecting Communities appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.
May 6, 202628 min
Where Culture Meets Care
Whether you’re a parent, foster or adoptive caregiver, or a professional supporting families, this conversation invites you to pause, reflect, and walk away with a deeper understanding of how culture, connection, and care come together in everyday parenting. Dr. Siek and Rawand Amedi bring their expertise in child development and mental health, while sharing insights rooted in cultural awareness, advocacy, and community experience. We’ll also hear how they created a 3-part series on Cultural Considerations When Parenting, The Importance of Parenting from a Culturally Competent Lens, and The Mind-Body Connection and Interventions from a Culturally Competent Lens, coming soon to the web library, www.fosteradoptmn.org/education/webinar-library/
(29 mins)
May 6, 2026
This podcast is eligible for a Certificate of Completion if you complete a Post Podcast Test
Test
The post Where Culture Meets Care appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.
April 22, 202639 min
The Call to Action for Intercountry Adoptee Justice
Since the end of World War II, over 500,000 children have been adopted from abroad by U.S. citizen parents with the promise of a secure life. Yet, for many, that promise was broken by a legal oversight that denied them automatic citizenship. Amanda Cho and Rachel Koelzer will share how this loophole started, the impacts and why it persists today. We will take an inside look at the Protect Adoptees and American Families (PAAF) Act and learn how you can take action at Adoptees For Justice.
Amanda Cho is the Policy Manager for Adoptees for Justice (A4J) & the Alliance for Adoptees and Families (AAF).
Rachel Koelzer is the Communications Director for the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and its project, Adoptees For Justice (A4J).
(40 mins)
April 22, 2026
This podcast is eligible for a Certificate of Completion if you complete a Post Podcast Test
Test
The post The Call to Action for Intercountry Adoptee Justice appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.
April 8, 202640 min
Responding to Self-Harm
Youth self–harm is an increasing mental health challenge. Foster youth are especially susceptible to engaging in self–harm. Charley Joyce, MSW, joins us to discuss the different forms of self–harm, why foster youth self–harm and some considerations in how foster parents might respond to a youth that is self–harming.
(40 mins)
April 8, 2026
This podcast is eligible for a Certificate of Completion if you complete a Post Podcast Test
Test
The post Responding to Self-Harm appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.
Is this your show?
Claim this listing to keep it up to date, reach guests who want to pitch you, and manage bookings with Guestify.
