From Stephanie: "I have four-ish kids. I raised my sister, adopted her children when she couldn't care for them and am now raising my small great nephew. Being a parent is amazing and has taken a lot of work to change the dysfunctional cycle my biological family has has for generations. I went through foster care in the 80's and 90's during a time in which services didn't exist as much as they do now. I spent much of my childhood and early adult years feeling like I was at fault for how things went. I was embarrassed to talk about my feelings and trauma because I thought people would think I was selfish for wanting better. I have and still do struggle with severe PTSD from severe abuse and horrible neglect I graduate with my masters degree in 2016 and life has shown me some incredible things in this world. I get to work with children much like I was as a mental health therapist. I find the most joy in my job. I love my work and the kids and families I meet through it. My hobbies include lots of kid snuggle time with my youngest. I love reading books by Deborah Gray, Kent Hoffman, Dr. Siegel and books about how the mind heals. I also like to bake and cook for my family. In my spare time I run Bearable Bears and send bears to kids in crisis all over the world and I am working on writing a book"