Ep. 51 The Mental Health Toll of Navigating the Foster Care System (Eva Green)
Eva Green, an experienced foster mom and advocate, will join us on a special TUESDAY edition of “Shining Light on Shadows: A Candid Conversation About Mental Health.” She will discuss the challenges, realities, and opportunities to better support those impacted by foster care while working toward more stable and healing outcomes for youth, families and caregivers.
Watch Ep. 51, “The Mental Health Toll of Navigating the Foster Care System” on Tuesday, June 23 at 7pm ET / 6pm CT. Dawn Neuburg is my co-host.
If you miss the live show, you can watch the recording right on this link.
More details are on my website:
https://www.neilparekh.org/post/ep-51-the-mental-health-toll-of-navigating-the-foster-care-system-eva-green
The Hidden Mental Health Crisis in Foster Care
As she wrote in a blog post published for this episode, “Over the past 30 years, I have witnessed and experienced the mental health toll it takes for foster parents to navigate and care for children falling through the cracks of a fragmented system.”
“For so long, I felt alone in this space until I started talking to other foster parents and caregivers and realized we were all going through it together. Whether a foster parent or relative caregiver, every day families are expected to do an impossible job, caring for our most vulnerable youth with little training, scarce resources, and what often feels like no support.”
Dawn first met Eva several years ago when she was invited to Chicago through the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) to share her story with a group of students. They ended up creating a play based on Dawn’s experience.
If you’re not familiar with her story, Dawn was brutally attacked, raped and shot, left for dead in a dark alley. Learn more about her story by ordering her memoir, “The Blue Flower Curtain” https://amzn.to/3Y4zfxo
Programming Notes
In our most recent episode on June 18, Lee Kaiser joined us to talk about the gaps in mental health services for K-12 students. Click here to watch the replay.
https://www.neilparekh.org/post/ep-50-gaps-in-mental-health-services-for-k-12-students-lee-kaiser
On July 9, Dr. Vasu Tolia will join us for Ep. 52, “Art, Hope, and Ending the
Shame Around Mental Health.” She will discuss how art and creativity can open conversations, reduce isolation, support reflection, and help people feel seen. She is also an ambassador for a mental health advocacy organization, No Shame on U. Their mission speaks to her as a physician, artist, and community member, and she believes that reducing the stigma helps people and families seek support earlier and live fuller lives. I am also proud to say she is one of my aunts.
Background
Dawn and I launched this twice a month show (usually the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month) in order to help reduce the stigma associated with mental health. Thank you for being part of our community.
We are proud to be in Year 3 of the show. If you are interested in being a guest on the show or know someone who might be interested, please let us know. We’re looking for people who would be willing to share their story, advocates and people who work in the field of mental health.
We hope you can watch the show and share your own thoughts in the comments.