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The Fostering Connection (TFC) serves the Child Welfare Community by offering long-term pro-bono psychotherapy to children, youth and families affected by foster care, and ongoing support to the full range of professionals who work to address their many needs.
All young people need strong, sustained connections with adults in order to thrive and to move successfully into adulthood. For children in foster care, few of these bedrock relationships exist. Instead, these young people’s lives are marked by trauma, separation, ruptured attachments and loss.
Research indicates that anywhere from 40 to 85% of young people in foster care suffer from a mental health disorder, yet fewer than one third receive treatment.
Few foster-affected youth have the opportunity to participate in high-quality, consistent and long-term psychotherapy through which they could address their mental health difficulties and learn how to cope with their life challenges.
At TFC, we provide that opportunity, offering foster-affected youth a chance to connect with a highly trained therapist, in a private office, at no cost, for as long as is needed or desired.
TFC therapists are licensed psychologists and social workers, many with advanced training and specialized skill in working with trauma and disorders of attachment. Each TFC therapist volunteers to see one foster-affected individual or family. All our therapists also participate in one of TFC’s weekly consultation groups, which offer therapists critical support and guidance, an opportunity to problem solve and share solutions with others, and a chance to reflect on and learn from the challenges of this work. The weekly consultation groups are a vital support to our therapists, and contribute to their ability to weather the difficulties of providing a lasting and beneficial psychotherapy experience to foster-affected youth.
The Fostering Connection provides an opportunity for children, youth and family members affected by foster care to develop secure, lasting relationships with caring adults, which can serve as a foundation for building the resilience they will need to achieve success in adulthood.
The Fostering Connection is a project of the Fund for the City of New York
Please assist in our efforts by volunteering or making a donation today! |
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