Heart to Heart

 

History

The Parent Child Connection support group started in 1999 under the direction of Dr. Donald Williams, a Bay Area psychologist interested in helping children have healthy relationships, especially children who have experienced foster care or adoption.  Most participants have adopted or are adopting children from the foster care system or from foreign orphanages.  Parents receive training and help from therapists who specialize in treating children with Complex Trauma Disorder, and have an opportunity to build friendships with other parents who have similar challenges and objectives.  In February of 2008, Help One Child launched Heart to Heart, its Sacramento area Parent Child Connection under the guidance of therapist and adoptive parent, Carla DeRose MFT.

Purpose

The goal of parents who participate in Heart to Heart is to help their children be “respectful, responsible and fun to be around” so that they can have a bright future.  Our goal is to provide these adoptive families (domestic and international)  with support, resources and training, and with opportunities to build relationships with other adoptive parents facing similar parenting issues, thus preventing adoption disruption.  Structured child care at the meetings is provided by trained caregivers free of charge. By providing families with support  and training, Heart to Heart hopes to prevent adoptions from failing, eliminate moves to residential care that some children might have to make, and most importantly, help children heal.

Heart to Heart, an outreach ministry of Help One Child, is located in

Roseville, California on the campus of Valley Springs Presbyterian Church.  Heart to Heart’s Parent Child Connection (PCC) is dedicated to the support of adoptive families in the greater Sacramento Area.