US: Mental Health After Foster Care (Opinion)
Imprint – October 16, 2023
My memories are a mosaic, a blend of both the bitter and the sweet. The searing pain of a hot iron pressed against my arm was punishment for attempting to protect my foster mother from abuse. Then there are the brighter moments: the moon rocks in the Smithsonian, riding my first horse, my first climb. These fragments coexist, a testament to the depths of my past. Buried beneath the pain lies a stolen childhood, nearly erased by a repressed mind. It wasn’t until I turned 27 that I decided to confront this past and seek therapy. Therapy isn’t as easy to come across these days as mental health support is in short supply and direly needed for individuals who have experienced any kind of child welfare involvement. Congress has an opportunity to expand this support with the upcoming reauthorization of Title IV-B of the Social Security Act, and should act swiftly to ensure kids who have been in foster care have the opportunity to thrive after such trauma.
https://imprintnews.org/opinion/mental-health-after-foster-care/245361