New Book Equips Adoptive and Foster Families and their Communities with Practical Applications and Resources
WHEATON, Ill., March 12, 2019 – Seeing the challenges that many adoptive and foster families experience, foster care therapist and ministry leader Jenn Hook, along with husband and psychologist Joshua Hook and foster and adoptive parent Mike Berry, wrote “Replanted: Faith-Based Support for Adoptive and Foster Families” to help foster parents and their potential support communities move from surviving to thriving.
The book, which releases March 25, 2019 from Templeton Press, shares real-life examples along with sound research and clinical experience to encourage families and give them the resources they desperately need.
“Although parents often say that adopting or fostering is one of the things that provides their lives with the greatest sense of meaning or purpose, it is also one of the most difficult and challenging journeys they have ever taken,” said Jenn Hook, founder of the Replanted ministry for foster and adoptive parents. “We want parents to know that you are loved, you are not alone, and there are people that can help.”
With their combined years of foster care therapy, clinical expertise and parenting experience, Jenn Hook, Joshua Hook and Mike Berry have seen first-hand adoptive and foster parents struggle because of specific challenges that are often present in foster and adoptive families. One of the most common struggles amongst foster and adoptive families is that their friends and family and other support organizations, like the church, often do not how to best provide emotional, informational and tangible support.
“The challenges of being an adoptive or foster parent can feel overwhelming and might leave you feeling alone, rejected and isolated. You might even question whether you should have become an adoptive or foster parent in the first place. These struggles are a reality for many of our adoptive and foster families, but there is also hope,” said Mike Berry, founder of the “Confessions of an Adoptive Parent” blog and podcast. “Our goal is that you will understand that it is possible to experience a full, vibrant, healthy life as an adoptive and foster family.”
Through numerous anecdotes of adoptive and foster parents, the authors encourage readers with stories of transparent struggles and hard-earned successes in parenting to highlight the myriad of ways different families can flourish. “Replanted” was written for anyone involved in caring for vulnerable children, including adoptive parents, foster parents, kinship caregivers, Safe Families parents, as well as anyone who desires to be a support system for these families. “Replanted” not only educates current parents, but it guides prospective adoptive and foster parents on how to identify if it’s the right choice for their family.
The book is divided into three sections. The first part takes an in-depth look at what life is like in the trenches for adoptive and foster families. It discusses some of the unique challenges faced by these families, such as parenting a child with a history of trauma experiences and attachment difficulties, as well as the spiritual calling to care for vulnerable children.
The middle of the book details the Replanted model of support established by Jenn Hook’s ministry, which is a three-pronged approach including emotional, informational and tangible support. The authors share practical tips that adoptive and foster parents can take to initiate and seek out relationships to get the support they need.
“It is critical to be in relationship with others who understand the journey—people who can say ‘me too’ when you are experiencing pain, difficulty struggle, and even small victories,” writes Joshua Hook. “Developing relationships and communities characterized by grace, safety and vulnerably is key to thriving adoptive and foster families.”
In the last section of the book, the authors look at what support looks like in context. Not only exploring how we can help care for adoptive and foster families on an individual and relational level, but also at the organizational level or church level. “Replanted” offers churches some key ways to provide a sustainable ministry that provides crucial support to adoptive and foster families.
“Replanted” is available March 25, 2019. For additional information, visit https://www.templetonpress.org/books/replanted.
About Jenn Ratner Hook
Jenn Ranter Hook, M.A., is the founder of Replanted, a ministry that empowers the church to support adoptive and foster families. She speaks frequently on topics related to adoption and foster care support. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband Joshua. For more information, visit https://www.templetonpress.org/books/contributors/jenn-ranter-hook.
About Joshua N. Hook
Joshua N. Hook, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of North Texas. He resides in Dallas, Texas, with his wife Jenn. For more information, visit https://www.joshuanhook.com/about/.
About Mike Berry
Mike Berry has been married to his wife Kristin for 19 years, and they have been parents for 16. All eight of their children are adopted, and they have fostered 23 children altogether. Mike hosts the popular blog “Confessions of an Adoptive Parent.” For more information, visit https://confessionsofanadoptiveparent.com/ourstory/.
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