Long before I was ever on the Board of ATN I was served by it as a parent of a child who suffered from attachment and trauma issues. Adopted at 12 months from overseas we were lost as to help our child heal from her dark past. Even at the tender age of 4 the early months of her life and the lost time she had with a caring parent/caregiver had left their mark on her and if it was not for ATN we would probably still be floundering around out there trying to figure out what was wrong and how to help her. ATN's wealth of support and knowledge was the network we needed on this long journey to heal our daughter. I am happy to say she is a very compassionate and caring child now and it is in large part to what we learned through ATN.

I have been a Board Member of the Attachment & Trauma Network for several years. I am a mental health therapist who specializes in working with traumatized children. I have been extremely impressed with all of the volunteer parents and other therapists who have devoted their lives to supporting families as they help their children heal. ATN is a wonderful organization of caring parents across the United States who are always willing to lend a hand to others in need.

When I found ATN more than a decade ago, they were a lifesaver! To meet and have support from other parents who were raising traumatized children was invaluable. They "got it" and helped me find resources and learn to be a better therapeutic parent. So I started volunteering. ATN has grown through the dedicated efforts of stressed out, overwhelmed parents who do not want other families to have to struggle as hard as they have struggled to find help and hope. There's still so much more to do. The medical community now recognizes early childhood trauma as a public health epidemic, something those of us who have been parenting abused and neglected children already know intimately. Keep up the good work ATN -- the world needs you!