The holidays can present unique challenges for individuals considering recovery: they can be a hurdle. Filled with stress, long travel, awkward family events, and many more struggles, the holidays could easily set you back from your goals. While we can think of these festivities as an obstacle, perhaps we instead look at this season as a time to give the gift of recovery. The holidays are perhaps the best time to address addiction head-on. What better gift than to walk into the new year sober?

"It takes a village to raise a child" is an old African proverb that suggests that raising, teaching, and supporting a child is the whole community's responsibility. At Bellewood & Brooklawn, we find that this proverb is especially true when raising a child in therapeutic foster care. 

In the wake of the pandemic, there is an ever-growing amount of Kentuckians experiencing mental health symptoms. With so many hours in the day filled with work and other responsibilities, it may seem impossible to find the time for a mental health recharge. Thankfully, there are a few small steps that you can incorporate into your day that can make a difference bit by bit. Here are a few ways to head in the right direction.

Kentucky has taken the lead in embracing a new, family-centered approach to foster care. Rather than deferring to child removal in difficult family situations, Kentucky has switched course to provide services, outreach, and support that helps families stay together. By embracing the Family First Prevention and Services Act (FFPSA), Kentucky has unlocked federal funds that will reshape foster care for the better and provide more options for families and children outside of residential placement.