I didn’t realize how lucky we are to have so many Psychiatrist and Psychologist in our area who specialize in traumatized children, until some of my friends moved away. They really had a hard time finding a Psychiatrist who understood the emotional damage that abuse and neglect can make on a child. Understand it well enough to prescribe medications in doses, or combinations, which will be effective in helping the anger, the anxiety, the OCD, PTSD, or the RAD that can control these children.

Not only do these disorders control and immobilize our children, they prevent them from bonding to anyone, or from becoming an integral part of our families. At times, this lack of bonding can result in disrupted adoptions or placements, which serves no one’s best interest. The next placement will find it even more difficult to build an attachment with the displaced child who has withdrawn into an even thicker shell. The family looses a child, a dream, self-esteem, and possibly the desire to parent another child who needs a forever family.

Call several Psychiatric offices, even in surrounding towns if necessary. Call the DHS offices, or other agencies to find out whom they work with. Call pediatric offices in the area to find out whom they recommend for Psychiatric medication evaluations and which therapist they recommend. Before you begin to call offices, make a list of questions, to ask about the Psychiatrist experience with children in the foster care system, or experience with older child adoption. Specifically ask about the disorders that your child has been diagnosed with.

If the psychiatrist doesn’t have experience with children from foster care, severely traumatized, or your specific disorder, you need to keep looking. If you can find someone who is actively working with children from DHS, or other foster and adoptive agencies, possibly even involved in their training seminars, you may have found the right person. However, if at the initial meeting or any other meeting, between the psychiatrist, your child, and yourself you realize you aren’t going to get the help and support you need, keep looking. Do not waste valuable bonding time hoping things will get better, and risk a disruption when they don’t.

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