Creating Secure Bonds: Practical Tips for Strengthening the Parent-Child Relationship

Maurice Granato: This book was recommended to me as my husband and I have just recently started fostering his great nephew. He comes from a lot of trauma and was experiencing a lot of anger and aggression when he came to us. Since reading the book, I have started to learn strategies that could help in our bonding and connection that would allow us to discipline him in a better way that works for him and for us. This book, I honestly would recommend highly. I am still reading it, and probably will read it again and again.

United States on Oct 12, 2023

Brandon Cole: This book has such a great balance of the science behind how the brain works and the real life application of parents who are living out parenthood. Easy read and extremely applicable.

United States on Aug 16, 2023

Mrs. M. matthews: Wow! What a fantastic book! I couldn't put it down! If you care for children that have suffered trauma and have attachment difficulties this is wonderful book to help you make loving connections with the child. What an amazing women Dr. Karyn Purvis was and Lisa Qualls explains so well how these "children from hard places" can be understood and healed with love, nurture, respect by making healing connections.

United Kingdom on Aug 03, 2020

PR: I wish this book had been written nine years ago when we first brought our child home! I have only recently heard of TBRI principles and this book has been invaluable in helping me develop a ‘toolbox’ of skills to help meet the challenges of parenting a child from a very difficult background. Written both from the perspective of a parent and a professional practitioner it provides empathetic, coherent and accessible strategies for addressing so many of the challenges we meet when parenting children with complex trauma. I have already, in a few short days, seen the benefit of using ‘scripts’ with my tweenie daughter. I fully believe this book should be required reading for every prospective adopter and social worker involved in family placement.

United Kingdom on Jul 24, 2020

Joy WeirJoy Weir: The insights, compassion, and advice given by Dr. Purvis and Lisa Qualls in The Connected Parent has brought renewed hope to our family. As a mother of 3 children by birth and 2 by adoption, I was losing my way in this parenting journey. I was blessed to receive a review copy of this book, and our family has already started on a path of healing, renewed compassion, and hope as we put into practice the wholesome advice given along with the real-life examples shared in the book. May all who read it be similarly renewed, encouraged, and strengthened!

Canada on Jul 15, 2020

Scott Van Den Elzen: In 2011, our family adopted a 7 year old boy who had spent his life in and out of foster care. We knew that bonding with him and meting his needs would take a lot of unconditional love and patience. We quickly learned that we also needed some different tools than parenting our older biological kids. One of the first books I picked up was The Connected Child by Dr. Karyn Purvis. She addressed the effects of trauma and attachment challenges and introduced us to the concepts of TBRI (Trust Based Relational Intervention). We learned to look past our child’s behavior and see how afraid he was. We learned to put connection with him first and began to build a relationship where he would feel safe. I was able to take some further trainings in a conference and class setting. I also began to follow the resources of experienced special needs parents, such as Lisa Qualls of One Thankful Mom. Lisa has been an example of perseverance and dedication to meeting the needs of her family and I have learned a lot from her. She and Dr. Purvis began this book many years ago and Lisa has been able to complete after Dr. Purvis passed away in 2016. There has been a lot of scientific research in the...

United States on Jul 13, 2020

The Bullers: When you’re drowning, someone throws you a lifesaver so you can stay afloat. But if you’re drowning and someone gives you a life jacket that you can wear and actually enjoy the water, you’re able to change your perspective about the water. A lot of books feel like a lifesaver but you have to hang on for dear life. But The Connected Parent felt more like a life jacket. It changed my perspective on parenting children from hard places. It gave me actual tools that I use to make the climate of my family feel hopeful and not like we’re drowning. I especially connected with Dr. Purvis’ expert advice that intertwined so applicably with Lisa’s parenting experience and tools. I felt like it was the application I’ve been missing in other books. As I read, I could see how to utilize Lisa’s experiences in my own home. Lisa invites us into her family’s world and shows us she’s one of us and is the relatable link between the research and caregivers.

For specifics, the “scripts” guidelines helped our family begin to build more connections during calm times. This book helped shed light on some sleep issues we experience and gave me practical ways to build safe and...

United States on Jul 07, 2020