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Grade:

Transfiguring Adoption awarded this book 4 Hoots out of 5 based on how useful it will be for a foster/adoptive family. [Learn more about our Hoot grading system here]

Show Info:

• • Rating: TV-14
  • Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action-Adventure
  • Runtime: 51m
  • Studio: Marvel Studios

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From the Cover of Loki

In Marvel Studios’ “Loki,” the mercurial villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) resumes his role as the God of Mischief in a new series that takes places after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” Kate Herron directs and Michael Waldron is head writer.

S1:E1: After stealing the Tesseract in “Avengers: Endgame,” Loki lands before the Time Variance Authority.

Transfiguring Adoption’s Overview:

“Sometimes, people like us are compelled off the path the Time-Keepers created. They call us Variants. Maybe we questioned authority, or were just trying to nap. Whatever it was, being compelled off our path created a nexus event, which, left unchecked, could branch off into empowerment, leading to another demand for foster care reform. The TVA has stepped in to elude accountability and set time back on its predetermined path. Now that our actions have left us without a place on the timeline, we must experience more trauma for our offenses.”

It would appear that Miss Minutes’ server has been hacked again…

The trauma-behavior-redemption Variant, Loki is highly influential in the eyes of foster and adoptive youth.

Kids and technology these days…you just never know what they are up to in this digital age or what type of material they are being exposed to. While I won’t condone their mischievous methods, I sure am glad they corrected that double-dealing informational video from the Loki series premiere!

Though this assessment will remain openly fluid throughout the duration of the season, Loki appears best suited for viewing by those 13 and older. The content is immensely intellectual and cleverly layered. Caregivers should be wary of the manipulative undertones and other trauma triggers of this episode as characters come into the company of one another.

? Bye.

** Spoilers Could Be Ahead **

How Is This Relevant To Adoption & Foster Care?

Loki is magical. And not just in the sense that he practices seidr (Norse magic) but also in the parallels that can be drawn between his character and foster/adoptive youth. There are many similarities in Loki’s personality, behaviors, and shared experiences that can be unpacked and discussed with our children for the promotion of healing.

Intended by writers or not, Loki is a fully fledged member of the foster care and adoption communities (though he was kidnapped, but that’s a topic for later). Ever since Loki’s induction into the MCU, he has held a special place of relatability for our youth, particularly our teens. He serves as a role model who sends the message that regardless of how you have behaved, you are inherently worthy of redemption that is not contingent upon reaching a level of atonement equivalent to the depth of your mistakes. All that is required to effect change is making the choice to take the proper path. If Loki can do it, so can each and every child who has ever had to live with the shame of their own trauma behavior.

Discussion Points:

• Purpose
  Obtaining and fulfilling one’s life purpose is the most predominant, and likely intended, theme of this episode. The message being conveyed here is multifaceted though essentially illuminates philosophies of the determination that life is not preordained but rather a result of the choices that a person makes, acceptance that your life purpose is not the same thing as your life’s desire, and that one’s life purpose may change over time and is more of a driving force than a be-all-end-all. When Loki shares the concept that “…there is a fork in every road, yet the wrong path is always taken,” I feel like he’s inadvertently pointing to the root of his “failure” to obtain his perceived Glorious Purpose. This statement is reflective of a pattern of behavior for traumatized youth. Though they want to choose the healthier path, it’s a struggle to do so when they are burdened with a miserable purpose. When foster/adoptive youth habitually hear their statistically daunting future likelihoods or the false expectations of the adults in their lives, they tend to get trapped in a self fulfilling prophecy by acting in ways that confirm those negative expectations.
• Trauma Behavior
  Can we say increased need for power and control, verbal and physical aggression, distrust, manipulation, emotional avoidance, and seek/refuse pattern? All of these behaviors, and more, are a result of trauma and influence Loki’s actions, quite often causing devastating outcomes, clearly leaving him feeling an immense amount of negative emotions. We are given a glimpse into this when he projects the notion that “For nearly every living thing, choice breeds shame, and uncertainty, and regret.” For a god, Loki sure is the most genuine human on this show. He’s packed with paralyzing feelings that frequently inhibit him in numerous ways. Though, thanks to the same mischievous nature that influences his misbehavior, he’s always able to forge on under the guise of chaos which is the only space that anyone holds for him. We are then left with the illusion of a snake biting its own tail. This is reminiscent of the children that we serve. What was adaptive for children living in chaotic, violent, trauma-permeated environments becomes maladaptive in other environments. Maybe the behavior shouldn’t be the concern so much as it’s application. Perhaps the focus should be on looking for what the behavior is saying rather than eradicating it all together. Sometimes underneath the thing that we adults see as problematic is the very thing that a child protects or needs. Like Loki, children are shape-shifters, that mischievousness could be restraining playfulness that was forbidden by an authoritative care provider. That chaos may be a never ending source of ideas in need of a creative outlet. That aggression could be concealing the most empathetic soul you’ll ever meet.
• Social Emotional Intelligence
  While Loki is able to verbalize some self-insights he still does not seem to fully possess an appropriate capacity of self-knowledge (to the audience’s awareness). Sometimes as caregivers we fail to keep in mind that the former is a piece of the puzzle while the ladder is the entire picture. This can lead to placing unrealistic expectations upon our children, setting them and ourselves up for failure. This episode concluded shortly after implying that both Loki and Mobius jointly embrace the insight that Loki believes himself to inspire fear out of weakness as “a desperate play for control.” While this may align with the overall perception that Mobius either currently holds of Loki or is the insight that Mobius needs for Loki to believe about himself in order to manipulate his cooperation is yet to be seen. What is clear is that a single insight is not the totality of a child’s intrinsic motivations, understanding, or skill set and the failure to nurture growth beyond a particular insight, or the desire to exploit it for compliance, is damaging.

   

• LGBTQIA+
  I was thrilled when my never ending quest for details led me to zoom in on Loki’s file! Though there are many other specifics that I find interesting, the most impactful is the fact that his coversheet states: “Sex: Fluid,” officially canonizing him as an LGBTQIA+ character in the MCU! This caliber of popular entertainment representation is long overdue and absolutely delightful to see. So many of our LGBTQIA+ youth struggle with their identities beyond that of their cisgender, heterosexual peers due to lack of acceptance and understanding in society. Normalizing diversity and representing it in media is one of many stepping stones needed as our society aspires to attain inclusivity.
• Navigating Power Struggles
  For our kids with Reactive Attachment Disorder, and/or Borderline Tendencies, or even Oppositional Defiant Disorder control is among the top of their needs list. The tricky piece in honoring that need while maintaining safety and boundaries is providing consistent support/redirection in a way that is neutral and validating. Otherwise, you run the risk as a caregiver of either issuing an unintended challenge (i.e. “Oh, you think I’m doing well with this excessive amount of positive reinforcement that you are giving me? Let me just test out this behavior to rock the boat or escape the pressure of doing well so that you may perceive me the negative way that I perceive myself.”) or partaking in a power struggle that could escalate an already tense situation into a crisis. As Mobius leads Loki through the TVA, in annoyance/frustration he states, “I’m going to burn this place to the ground.” How does Mobius react? He doesn’t, he RESPONDS with, “I’ll show you where my desk is, you can start there.” It is not that Mobius is condoning the verbal aggression but rather choosing not to engage in that battle while passively acknowledging and validating Loki’s feelings of his surroundings, all while taking those initial steps to build rapport. As this scene continues to play out, Mobius remains supportive though vigilant as he notices Loki’s awe and wonder of the wider TVA world outside of the window. The arguably trauma informed Mobius relinquishes control over their transition through the building as he neutrally encourages Loki to act autonomously by veering off their path to approach the window and feed his curiosity of the sight, momentarily lowering his guard. Once Loki’s defensiveness returns with, “That’s not real,” Mobius is able to smoothly move forward with their transition as he places a supportive hand on the base Loki’s neck, takes a step, and pats him on the back when he follows suit while responding, “It is and unfortunately, so is all of the paperwork. Good tinder for your fire, though.” Utilizing their previous moment of connection, Mobius regains control of the dynamic and through further banter plants the seed of cooperation, a quality that Mobius aims to draw out at their destination, when Loki declares “This place is a nightmare,” and Mobius responds, “That’s another department. Now, that department I’ll help you burn down.” If I ever again have the need to provide an example of how to effectively navigate a power struggle, it will be with this scene!

   

  Supportive and Trusted Adults
  These relationships are tricky depending upon the role you play in a child’s life and the appropriate set of corresponding boundaries and limitations of it. As adults, we begin in a place of support and through the building of rapport are able to earn trust, but only if/when we consistently follow through and maintain our support unconditionally. Mobius does seem to hold admiration and intrigue for Loki that comes from a place of compassion and understanding. Despite all that Loki has done, and is allegedly doing as another Variant self, Mobius sees and is able to treat him as his own individual, which is an uncommon privilege bestowed upon foster youth. It is because Mobius can hold this space for Loki that he can delight in his wit and sarcasm while remaining objective and understanding of where that “behavior” stems from. This ultimately gives Mobius the platform to quickly build rapport and allows him to push Loki harder for the introspection that he requires of him. This is a very condensed example of the rapport building process, though a good one as Mobius even identifies Loki’s strengths (intelligence) and challenges (cooperation) with him as they begin their meeting and tests the waters, much the same way we do upon intake. My criticism comes with the fact that twice Mobius makes an empty promise as he indirectly offers Loki an incentive for his challenged ability to cooperate. The first being at the start of their meeting when Mobius says, “…maybe I can give you something you want. You wanna get out of here, right?” As the episode evolves and Mobius begins to gain the slightest bit of trust, that incentive is downgraded to, “Listen, I can’t offer you salvation, but maybe I can offer you something better.” Unfortunately, being in the position of a supportive or trusted adult does not mean that you are a healthy adult in a child’s life. As cathartic as the dialogue between these two characters appeared to be it was in no way healthy given the manipulative undertones. It may have also held little to no sincerity given the subtle hints that Loki is aware of what Mobius is doing to some extent and is simultaneously conducting an assessment of his own. We then see Loki feed gathered information back to Mobius that satisfies what he seems to want to hear much the same as children with a fawning stress resp
  onse do.

• Crisis Prevention and Intervention Skills
  Mobius’ skills are on point! He demonstrates this in the field gathering information from a child witness, interacting with co-workers to encourage cooperation/subordination, or even to obtain Loki as an asset from his superior, Judge Renslayer. Even once prevention fails when Loki escapes, Mobius is able to intervene by responding in a fairly calm manner, setting the expectation for the Hunters to do the same, initiating safety and recovery protocols, and reconnecting with Loki once he’s located. This, as well as the previous few points, aren’t so much topics for discussion with youth but provide some great insight and examples of the skills we use as caregivers.

Cautionary Points:

• Violence
  I won’t dwell on the obvious, but youth in care have already been exposed to a significant amount of violence by either witnessing it as an element of their environment or by being on the receiving end of it themselves. This series is no different than the majority of television shows of this viewer rating as it depicts physical violence, weapon violence, and violent acts against others up to and inclusive of murder. Though there is no gore and deaths are largely presented in a passive manner caution is advised. It is also worthy to note specifically that the final scene of the episode does end in a fire that vanquishes a handful of TVA hunters.
• Death of Parents
  As Loki is given a glimpse into his future, it is revealed to him that both Frigga and Odin (his adoptive parents) have died in the Sacred Timeline. What makes this situation worse is that Loki is also gaslighted into the notion that his mother’s death is his fault. Separation and loss are unavoidable themes of suffering for foster youth as they are separated from their homes and families, oftentimes with the belief that these circumstances are through fault of their own.
• Sibling Separation
  Loki frequently finds himself separated from his brother, Thor, leaving them both doubting one’s love for the other. While viewing his future we see Loki become tearful as he gets an opportunity to hear affirmations of love from his brother. This is a powerfully moving moment in general but can cut to the quick for our children living in placements without their siblings. Oftentimes when coming into care sibling sets are separated due to lack of available placement options. This is devastating for some of our youth. The sibling sets who have bonded through crisis, found strength through each other, and/or provide each other with their only experienced source of healthy and secure attachment are horrifically ripped apart and can sometimes be placed hours away from each other. This is yet another trauma event that foster youth must endure and can be crippling to observe. As a caregiver I encourage you to facilitate, support, and nurture sibling relationships in any way possible.
• Legal Intake Process
  This cautionary point still resonates so strongly with me as a fairly well adjusted, middle-aged adult that it took a fellow reviewer pointing it out to me twice before I processed the topic because my brain was trying to avoid the pain and fear that comes with even the thought of it after all of this time. Coming into care is a crash course of a trauma experience. This process is disorienting, leaves you feeling fearful of the ramifications that could come from the world you are being pulled from, and forces vulnerability of you to the world you are entering. You are stripped of choice and consent and at the complete mercy of unknown adults in positions of power, things you’ve experienced in life to be dangerous. These adults appear cold and hardhearted as they operate through the lens of policy, procedure, and deadlines. Your identity is reduced to an initial cover sheet of a case file; so little is known about who you truly are that the admissions personnel reaching out to a potential placement can’t even so much as identify something as basic about you as your favorite color (mine’s green by the way, thanks for wondering). We see Loki go through this process as well on a less intense scale as he gains his bearings through the wardrobe change, fears going through the robot detector, questions the ticket process, and shouts out, “This is a mistake! I shouldn’t be here!” Once he’s standing before Judge Renslayer, his testimony is discounted as irrelevant and tossed aside as he is sentenced with indifference. Your child(ren) could make a correlation between any one of these details and their own experience.
• Congregate Care Setting
  Though we have yet to see Loki’s living accommodations, there is already a strongly apparent correlation between the operation and supervision procedures imposed upon an individual being housed at both the TVA and a congregate care placement. Once you have transitioned into this type of setting, more trauma stressors are introduced. You are stripped of your privacy, individuality, free will, and connection to society as well as all of the attachments you had in it. Seeing Loki in a setting that mirrors aspects of congregate care may be triggering to those youth who have experienced it.
• Uncaring Adults in Positions of Authority
  Loki is met with a negative reaction from every character he encounters aside from Mobius, particularly Hunter B-15. When translating this theme to the lives of foster youth, it’s notable that this issue is a large factor in the existence of the previous two caution points (legal intake and congregate care). While Loki is not a child, our foster and adoptive youth are likely to relate very strongly to him and his experiences. These scenes may be harmful in reinforcing the idea that adults do not have their best interests in mind and can’t be trusted.
• Physical and Mechanical Restraints
  While I applaud their fairly accurate depiction of “therapeutic” restraint techniques having tackled that training many times over the years, the concept is triggering for many youth! Though it should only be utilized as a final resort, there are situations that arise in congregate care settings when adults may have to restrain a child to ensure their safety and/or the safety of those around them. When this occurs it is retraumatizing as youth in these settings have often been physically restrained when abused. This applies to the use of mechanical restraints as well which are also used to “manage and maintain” some youth by abusive care providers. Too many times we hear about the kid who was tied to the chair and kept in the basement, zip-tied to the water pipe in the bathroom, or handcuffed to the radiator. Any visual of restraint can be triggering, including the ones we see used on Loki throughout this episode. Even if it wasn’t as a result of abuse, those handcuffs they donned while transitioning at the detention facility don’t exactly dredge up happy memories, nor do the ones they saw a loved one placed into when the police were called to respond to a domestic disturbance call at their residence.
• Dehumanization
  On at least three occasions parallels are drawn that create the undertone of Loki being viewed as an animal. The initial example of this is the Time Twister collar that works much the same as the shock collar of a dog. Next, Loki himself states that “trust is for children and dogs,” as he is engaged in this trust building dialogue with Mobius. And lastly, I feel like it is safe to interpret that Mobius is essentially trying to break Loki like a wild horse as he alludes to this when pulled away from their conversation by Hunter B-15 and states, “It was just getting good. Spirited.” Though this could arguably be a nod to Loki’s Norse mythology it also perpetuates the fact that Loki is not being viewed as a person and the TVA’s idea that he is the one in need of subjugation in order to be of value. This is such a negative message on multiple levels that we don’t have time to unpack it all here. Just be mindful that most foster/adoptive youth already suffer from a lack of self-worth, that they should not be held to unreasonable standards by comparison of their societally typical peers of the same age. Regardless of where a person hails from in life, they are no more or less human than anyone else and are entitled to be treated as such.
• Grooming / Manipulation
  While there are many positive things to say about the relationship that Mobius is trying to build with Loki, it is also damaging and coming from a place of deceit. Intertwined in that deceit is an array of manipulation tactics littered throughout their dialogue and the exploitation of Loki’s two known emotional triggers. The first being the habitual insistence that Loki has no control over his own story, Loki’s desire to fulfill a Glorious Purpose is belittled, ridiculed, and distorted to imply that Loki is only meant to be used “so that others can achieve their best versions of themselves.” Second, the unfair placement of blame on Loki for Frigga’s death. She is the person that he has the securest attachment to and the vulnerability that comes with that openly known relationship is being targeted to trigger him for conditioning. In other words, Mobius heightens Loki’s emotions with the two deepest sources of meaning in his life (mother and purpose), just to tear those things away, then re-establish a supportive dynamic. This pattern is Mobius grooming Loki into codependency to, again, elicit his cooperation so that Mobius may achieve his own goals. Given Loki’s intelligence this will be a difficult feat to fully master however, given that Loki’s emotional intelligence is not as developed, Mobius is successful to some degree. Much like our children when in a heightened state of emotion, Loki is operating in the midbrain and there is a poor connection to the prefrontal cortex, rendering him unable to access his logic and problem solving skills in those moments then eventually “neurons that fire together, wire together.” By the end of the episode Loki is taken from desiring his freedom to curiously entertaining the “offer” to be of service to Mobius. As for Loki though, I’m sure his motivations have changed with his newly acquired knowledge of Frigga’s death as well as the Time Stone pilfered from Casey’s cart, and I have no doubts that he is simultaneously manipulating Mobius too. This is not a healthy relationship model.
• Witnessing of Own Death
  AKA, mortality salience. Loki watches a movie reel of scenes from his ‘future’ in the Sacred Timeline, including a scene that ultimately results in his death. This one also seems fairly universal, to dwell on this thought can be anxiety provoking and frightening for even most healthy adults let alone traumatized children who have literally faced their own death and narrowly avoided it in abusive situations.

Discussion Guide:

1. What do you think are some interests and passions that Loki may possess? What are some of your own?
   Caregiver Note: Although Loki is indeed destined for Glorious Purpose, he’s arguably burdened himself with the wrong choice. and should take a different path in life. Our interests and passions can be the road map that leads where we didn’t even know we needed to go. It seems to be a prevalent thought in society that our purpose is derived from where we started in life. This can be troublesome for foster/adoptive youth who don’t yet recognize that “it’s not where you have been, it’s where you are going.” Identifying what lights you up as a person and responding to those things will undoubtedly set children on the right path in life. Though keep in mind that many of our children may not know how to recognize that feeling. Most of the children that I have had the honor of caring for could not even identify a favorite cartoon character when we first got acquainted, and some were hesitant to select one. Others were so excited that we went rapid fire through too many options in a short period of time that it led nowhere. Encourage and guide your kids to explore the world and stick with their selections for a set amount of time before moving on to something else. Eventually the right thing will come along.
2. What is something that you always wanted to experience as a child but never got the opportunity?
   Caregiver Note: Like Loki, our children’s behaviors often stem from a place of unmet need(s). This question is your cue to take notes because your child(ren) may be about to hand you the key to unlocking a behavior. Whatever the thing is that was pillaged from their childhood, be enthusiastic about the idea of it the best way you can. Signs of disapproval will be hurtful but any initiative you take to meet the corresponding need will be magical.
3. What are some activities that you like to do when you feel bored?
   Caregiver Note:  Notes people, notes! This may seem out of place but as we enter the summer months children get bored. And when children get bored they find ways to amuse themselves. …ways that you may wish they hadn’t and can lead to escalating tensions. In a congregate care setting that could mean increased risk of physical restraints that are better left prevented. Loki’s mischievous ways and endless pranks are so redolent of this parenting struggle, bless Frigga… If Loki had to become D. B. Cooper, I wonder what Thor would have had to do if Loki was the one who won that bet?
4. When do you feel like it is ok to make a mistake or show that you don’t know something?
   Caregiver Note: Loki hides his vulnerabilities and is reluctant to accept his mistakes or wrongdoings. The answer to this question will be rather telling of your child’s current social emotional state. They may reveal insecurities, the setting they feel the most comfortable in, the thing that they fear the most, their level of self-esteem, something that gives them a confidence boost, goals they would like to achieve, how they respond to a particular emotion, hobbies that interests them, or how they relate to others, etc.
5. Do you think that Judge Renslayer treated Loki fairly? Do you think they would be a good judge to handle your case, why or why not?
   Caregiver Note: Judge Renslayer quickly dismisses Loki’s testimony as irrelevant and does not seem to really listen to what he has to say.  Talking about the experience Loki has in this scene may give you some insight into how your child(ren) feel about their own court experiences. Use this opportunity to check in on how your child is feeling about this aspect of care. Is their voice being uplifted? Would requesting an advocate be beneficial? Do they understand the court system and everyone’s role in it? If they are old enough, would they like to attend their court dates?  Is there anything happening that they are uncomfortable with?
6. How do you feel about Loki being identified as gender fluid?
   Caregiver Note: As previously discussed, Loki’s file indicates that he is gender fluid. This is an excellent opportunity to lift up your LGBTQIA+ child(ren) and/or educate your cis/hetero child(ren). Our LGBTQIA+ child absolutely lit up at this notion, despite not being a Loki (or even an MCU fan). When asked to describe what this meant to her, she had the same overall perspective that I shared with the adjunct idea that, particularly among her age group, “relevant” celebrities heavily dictate social approval and “just that there is a real person with a voice out there, who must approve of the character they play, gives us someone we could reach out to and say ‘you helped me through this.’ It’s cool to know that there are people out there that you can go to for help or to talk to because if there’s an actor who’s putting that out there then there are other adults too.” If your child is not a member of this community then this is the opportunity to educate them on diversity and social injustice. Help them get involved if they feel led to do such.
7. What is something helpful that an adult can do when you are feeling unheard?
   Caregiver Note: Mobius’ ability to intervene with Loki, who is the embodiment of a power struggle, is so well done in this episode. Power struggles arise as a result of an adult “inappropriately trying to control children, when children seek control beyond their age and ability,” or when children feel out of control of their lives due to trauma inducing adult actions/decisions. So often in life children must adjust to and live with circumstances outside of their control. Whether it be due to parental incarceration, divorce, loss of a job or home, foster care, adoption, or any number of adult problems it is ultimately the children who are along for the ride and often without any opportunity to have their voices heard or honored. That lack of control is always looming and can become overwhelming when left unaddressed. It is essential to take the opportunity to check in with your child(ren) regularly and be curious about how they are feeling. If they lack the expressive language skills or self awareness then they may need your help to provide suggestions and the grace to test those out over time. Some children could ask to be shown respect, to be given one to one time, be allowed space, provided reassurance, request assistance brainstorming helpful strategies to communicate, etc. Can we as caregivers utilize this preference as described in every situation? Realistically no, but we can be mindful of this knowledge and be creative with it’s implementation as much as possible.
8. Why do you think Loki confided his feelings to Mobius so quickly? 
   Caregiver Note: Given that this question is framed around the fictional characters it takes the pressure off of your child(ren) to feel as if they have to respond in any particular way about any particular adult in their life. Listen to the qualities that they identify to be significant for connection then share your observations. As I mentioned before this relationship is not exactly ideal however, there is a lot of great material to be pulled  from it.  How did it make your child feel when Mobius stood up for Loki in court? What were their thoughts about Mobius placing his hand on Loki’s back as they continued to walk past the windows in the hallway? Did they pick up on the playful banter and humor and were they OK with it?  Have they ever been told that they have a fan? Has anyone ever delighted in them?
9. How can you work with adults who are disrespectful?
   Caregiver Note: Sadly, Loki will have to quickly assimilate to the TVA’s ways if he is going to make it through this experience but foster youth are not under threat of being reset and can cogently demand to be treated with dignity and respect at all times. It is a reality of foster care that there will inevitably at some point be that person involved with your child(ren)’s case who clearly should not be, much like Hunter B-15. Take this opportunity to instill some conflict resolution skills. Support your child(ren) in sharing their feelings with that adult and if no change is made then guide them through the process of filing grievance or complaint with the supervisor. If all else fails, help them understand not to take it personally.
10. What is one detail about the foster care system that you would like to improve?
    Caregiver Note: The TVA is a replica of the child welfare system in numerous ways. Mainly in it that though they may mean well, they are a disastrously mishandled undertaking. Not only is it vital that foster/adoptive parents advocate for our youth against a system that exists to act in their best interests, but it is equally necessary to empower them to advocate for themselves and each other. If your child has an advocate’s spirit then research legislation on foster care reform, get them connected with Youth Advisory Councils, or attend your agency’s Advisory Board meeting to raise concerns, especially during a session when City Council is present. This can also give you some insight into aspects of their foster/adoptive journey that they may still be struggling with.

About the Author: Felecia Neil

Felecia Neil is a foster care alumni who has 12 years of experience working within residential settings and has served as a foster parent for over 6 years. She is currently a much needed asset to the Transfiguring Adoption team where she reviews books and helps to assure the organization considers the perspective of foster youth.

**Transfiguring Adoption is a nonprofit organization seeking to nurture growth in foster and adoptive families by giving a HOOT about their families. Transfiguring Adoption does not intend for its reviewers nor its review to be professional, medical or legal advice. These reviews and discussion guides are intended to help parents to better be able to connect and understand their children who come from traumatic backgrounds.