Trauma, reactive attachment disorder, and supporting families (with Sharon Fuller)

I was honored to have Sharon Fuller, founder of The Attachment Place, LLC as a guest for episode 106 of the “De Facto Leaders” podcast.

 

Sharon began her journey with developmental trauma disorder (DTD), also known as reactive attachment disorder (RAD), when she and her husband first adopted in 2005. She is a mom to nine children, six biological and three who were added to their family through adoption. When confronting the effects of the trauma their adopted children had endured she realized they were ill-prepared to parent them and for the impact their trauma would have on their entire family. Sharon is a trained transformational coach and respite provider. 

 

During that time, she developed an approach that is effective in breaking down walls and reaching the hearts of children with trauma histories and attachment challenges.

 

From 2012-2019, the Attachment Place helped close to one hundred children transition successfully to their homes and form attachments to their parents. That’s why I knew Sharon would be an amazing guest. 

 

In this interview we discuss:

✅Why kids with reactive attachment disorder need clear boundaries to feel safe and form relationships. 

✅Why kids who have experienced trauma appear independent, and why they must shift to being dependent on parents before they can reach healthy independence. 

✅Why permissive parenting approaches can cause anxiety for the whole family.

✅Why parent coaching is a non-negotiable when working with trauma, and how she supports parents through her “environment matrix” framework. 

 

You can connect with Sharon on her website for The Attachment Place or on Facebook here. She runs a Facebook group called Quieting the Storm of Adoption Parents’ Group. You can learn more about her framework for supporting families on her free training here, and can email her at sfuller@theattachmentplace.com.

 

In this episode, Sharon mentioned this study that showed that putting a fence around a playground can increase creative exploration in preschoolers. 

 

In this episode, I mentioned my Executive Functions Implementation guide that shares how school therapists can lead their IEP teams in providing mental health, behavioral, and social skills support for K-12 kids. You can download this free resource here. 

 

In this episode, I also mentioned the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps pediatric clinicians be better leaders, make a bigger impact with their services, and lead their teams in providing executive functioning support for kids at the K-12 level. You can learn more about how to become a member here.

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