In 1990 Karen adopted a three-month old baby from South America as a single mother. She learned of RAD in 1998 and became immediately immersed in therapeutic parenting through a two-week intensive course with Nancy Thomas. She continued to implement Nancy’s training program at home with her special needs son, who continues to heal his heart. For six years, Karen has been an active participant in support groups, mentored other parents and attended numerous educational seminars on the topic of attachment. Karen received her BA and teaching credentials from the University of Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont, California and her MA from the University of San Francisco. She is a high school teacher in San Jose.
After more than twenty years as a teacher, I felt completely prepared for the joys and demands of parenting my precious adopted baby. Little could I have imagined how dramatically my happiness would turn to stress and desperation when I was faced with the ever-worsening symptoms of my child’s Attachment Disorder. Despite years of searching for answers, it was the unique parenting tools I learned for helping children with wounded hearts which enabled me to regain control of my troubled child and help him heal. Now I want to do whatever I can to empower other parents to do the same. There is hope!