Animals are an intrinsic part of the human experience, providing joy and comfort to their owners, capable of lending support during hard times. But some animals are trained to perform specific tasks or services for different people, depending on their needs – some simply provide comfort and affection at home, while some boost morale in a therapy session, or help their owner safely cross the road and maneuver public areas.

Dr. Michelle Murray, CEO of Nexus Family Healing, announced that the agency will open its first psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) later this year in East Bethel, located approximately 35 miles north of Minneapolis. It will be the fifth PRTF in Minnesota.

When I became a foster parent, I had some grandiose mission statements about what I would do, how I would help, and the way in which I would serve vulnerable youth… but I look back now, seven years later, and see I had it all wrong. Well-intentioned, but wrong.

Families do not set out to put their child in foster care but simply are in a situation that makes it untenable to maintain parenting safely and confidently. People often look at a foster youth and think “those poor kids.” That thought, although maybe well-intentioned, breeds contempt for loved ones. When we reframe the way we look at why a child has entered care, we can be better equipped to care for the youth, and in turn, learn to walk alongside birth families.

It was Christmas Eve, 2016. The snow was coming down outside the Social Services office where my foster kiddo and I sat. A big storm was on its way, and I was nervously sitting in a dim meeting room, waiting for this sweet angel’s birth mother to join us for the first time. My foster youth was snuggled in a warm blanket with me, snoozing away. Mom was already 25 minutes late. The air hung nervously as my mind raced with negative thoughts and emotions, asking myself how was I going to get home in this snow?

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Here at Nexus Family Healing, our employees, therapists, and foster parents continuously work with youth who have experienced different types of trauma, which often include abuse or neglect. We’ve compiled a list of books that speak about child abuse and trauma that may be fitting for children of different ages. 

A list of books to help caregivers/parents and their child learn more about child abuse, trauma, and trauma-informed practices together.

Roxanne and Stanley never considered being foster parents, but were inspired when Roxanne's brother and wife needed some extra support. When Nexus-Woodbourne’s Foster Treatment Program reached out to Roxanne and Stanley to be full-time foster parents in 2016, they agreed.

You may have heard phrases such as “childhood trauma” or “traumatic experience”. But what really is trauma? And how does it affect us? Unfortunately, childhood trauma is incredibly common as one in four children in our community will experience a traumatic event before the age of 16.

Nexus-Gerard provides outpatient and community mental health treatment services in southern Minnesota, including in Austin Public Schools. Read how Melissa's sons have been able to receive accessible mental health services right inside their school.