Support Groups at DePaul

Our post-adoption program offers monthly support groups for both parents and youth. Our current offerings include:

Safe Haven: This monthly peer support group is geared specifically toward adoptive parents who have a child diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder or Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder, although all adoptive parents who receive post-adoption support services are welcome. This group offers a safe space, free of judgement and shame, where parents can openly share about their family’s challenges and success, as well as ask for support and guidance from their peers.

Open Caregivers: This monthly group is open to all adoptive parents, within our post-adoption program, and parents are free to bring up any topic related to parenting and adoption. This includes navigating birth family relationships, self-care, burnout, behavior management, resource needs, etc.

Minecraft: This is a weekly peer support group for adopted youth, which gives children an opportunity to practice social skills, teamwork, and communication skills, in a fun and supported environment.

Navigating Education Needs: This quarterly group aims to equip parents with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively advocate for the educational needs of their adopted child(ren).

Community Wide Support Group: This monthly group is open to all pre and post adoptive families, as well as kinship and guardianship caregivers. Caregivers do NOT need to be enrolled in post-adoption services to access this online group. For more information, please contact mblau@depaulcr.org.

How 2 BU is an LGBTQ+ therapy group focused on connection and support. The group is a safe space to ask questions and talk about many different aspects of life.

• Meets every other Thursday evening from 6-7pm beginning 12/2
• New members accepted at any time.
• Open to current foster youth, former foster youth, and youth from outside the foster system.
• All sessions will be virtual and hosted through Zoom.

Creative Coping is a therapy group for kids and early teens to explore creative coping skills through movement and art.

• Meets every other Thursday from 6-7pm beginning 1/13
• New members accepted at any time.
• Open to current foster youth, former foster youth, and youth from outside the foster system.
• All sessions will be virtual and hosted through Zoom.

HERd is a leadership group for girls ages 15-21. The group focuses on positive communication skills, healthy friendships, coping skills for stress, and problem-solving.

• Meets every other Tuesday evening from 6-7pm beginning 12/7
• New members accepted at any time.
• Open to current foster youth, former foster youth, and youth from outside the foster system.
• All sessions will be virtual and hosted through Zoom.

Click here to fill out the Counseling Services referral form.

The DePaul foster care program provides support to families in a variety of ways, including one-on-one case management and training.  In addition, since March 2020, our program offers a Facebook support group and weekly virtual support group for all DePaul-approved families.  If you are interested in joining these support groups, please contact your assigned worker or the local supervisor for information.