Book Review: The Connected Parent by Dr Karyn Purvis and Lisa Qualls

I'm excited to share with you about a new book that was just released... The Connected Parent by Karyn Purvis, Phd and Lisa Qualls.

This book continues the amazing work of the late Dr Karyn Purvis (renowned child-development expert and founder of the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University) and her passion of teaching others how to better understand and reach children from "hard places" to guide them along the road to healing.  At the same time, the book weaves the personal parenting experiences of Lisa Qualls, her family's adoption journey and working to implement many of the topics of the book into her home, making the wealth of Dr. Karyn Purvis's clinical and real world expertise even more accessible.  This book is an amazing resource for adoptive families, whether they are new to the work of Dr Karyn Purvis and TBRI or not.

TBRI training was part of our adoption training years ago and this book was an amazing review for me personally, reminding me of scripts and parenting techniques that had fallen away over the years.  It helped me examine some current parenting challenges in a new light with new tools to approach some of the tough stuff of our current seasons of parenting (especially with the uncertainty of COVID-19 and disruption of the "normal" which can be so difficult and unsettling for children from "hard places").  Connected parenting can feel frustrating or illogical at times so taking the time to read through the "why" again with encouraging real life stories was such a blessing.

While adoptive and foster parents are likely the primary target of this amazing new resource, it would be a great read for teachers and others that routinely interact with children who have lived through trauma of any kind. The more you understand the impacts of trauma on child development, the more you can make a positive impact on these kids regardless of your field/role. Absolutely worth the read!!

Find out more about the book and authors here: https://www.onethankfulmom.com/book/