Author: cburton

A Family’s Path from Crisis to Hope

Get the inside story in The Fort Worth Report!

Through Intercept®, a program of Youth Villages, ACH helps reunite children in foster care with their families. Our staff is committed to making that happen.

Before he was even a teenager, life had already presented this young boy more challenges than most children face in a lifetime.

At just 11 years old, he and his siblings were removed from their mother’s care because of neglect and substance use concerns. With their father incarcerated at the time, the siblings were separated and placed with paternal relatives. For the young boy, that meant moving in with his grandparents.

The trauma of separation, instability, and loss weighed heavily on him. He struggled to control his temper, experienced severe anxiety, and had thoughts of suicide. His grandparents loved him deeply, but they were overwhelmed by the intensity of his emotional and behavioral needs.

Over the next several years, the family moved through crisis after crisis. He entered multiple residential treatment facilities, ran away more than once in an effort to escape the pain he carried, and was hospitalized twice after attempting to take his own life.

All of this occurred before he reached his teenage years.

A Family in Survival Mode

At the same time, his grandparents were carrying heavy burdens of their own. His grandfather became seriously ill and needed more care and support. His grandmother was trying to care for her husband, support her grandson through ongoing mental health crises, and cope with the incarceration of her own son, the boy’s father.

When his father was released from incarceration and began working to rebuild their relationship, healing remained difficult. Years of disappointment and uncertainty made it hard for the family to trust that lasting change was possible. Although services had been offered before, the family was hesitant to engage. Survival had become the priority.

Intercept® Steps In

Then Intercept entered the picture with a different kind of support—one centered not only on the youth, but on the entire family system surrounding him. When ACH Intercept Specialist Kyana Branch first met with the family, she made it clear that services would focus on the entire family system, with special attention on strengthening the relationship between the now 15-year-old youth and his father. The family committed to meeting three times each week for intensive, in-home services.

Together, they set goals to improve communication, reduce conflict in the home, build healthy coping skills for stress and anxiety, increase emotional regulation, reduce unsafe behaviors, strengthen emotional support among family members, and create long-term stability.

What happened next was something the family had not experienced in a very long time: someone took the time to genuinely ask how they were doing.

During the very first visit, Kyana sat with each family member and asked simple but powerful questions: “How are you doing today?” and “Are you okay?”

Keyana Branch Strengthens Relationships

For perhaps the first time in years, every member of the family felt heard. The youth openly shared his experiences with anxiety, trauma, emotional instability, and the fears he carried every day. His father demonstrated a willingness to learn and accept guidance on how to better respond to his son’s mental health and behavioral needs.

Kyana met with the family three times each week, helping them strengthen communication, reduce conflict, build coping skills, and create a safer, more stable home environment. Just as importantly, she took time to listen. In those early visits, each family member had space to share what they were carrying and what they needed.

Over time, relationships once strained by fear and mistrust began to strengthen. The youth’s father learned new ways to respond to his son’s mental health and behavioral needs, while the grandparents received support as they encouraged both their grandson and their son.

Hope Restored

Today, the family is preparing for a successful discharge from Intercept services. Challenges will still arise, but they are no longer facing them alone or without the tools to manage them. They have developed stronger relationships, healthier coping strategies, and a renewed belief that positive change is possible.

Their story is a reminder that healing does not happen overnight. It takes time, commitment, trust, and support. But with the right intervention and a family willing to keep trying, even after years of setbacks, hope can be restored and futures can be rewritten.

As this family prepares for the next chapter, they do so with something they once thought they had lost: confidence in their ability to move forward together.

Learn more about the benefits of the Intercept program

Through Intercept ®, a program of Youth Villages, ACH helps reunite children in foster care through Our Community Our Kids with their families. ACH guides families through reunification with intensive support, new parenting and communication skills, and evidence- and strengths-based mental health intervention services. Intercept has helped tens of thousands of youths and families in 20 states since 2006.

The Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse rates Intercept as
“Well-Supported.”

“I have been to a lot of placements and met a lot of staff in my life but Kyana from Intercept coming into my home changed the way I view some things in life. She helped me whenever I needed it, always answered my phone calls and text messages, and knew exactly what to say. Because of that, I now want to help people, and my plan is to go to college to be a counselor.”
– Son

“Kyana has given me hope that me and my son can be open with each other with any problems and feelings that we have. The Intercept program has opened up my mind to accept help and has given my family the opportunity to move forward with all the skills that Kyana has taught us. We are very grateful for her time and how much she believed in us”
– Dad

TBRI® Partnering with Parents

For years, ACH Child and Family Services has relied on Trust-Based Relational Intervention^® (TBRI) to build trust and connection with vulnerable children. For more than a year, ACH has also offered TBRI Partnering with Parents to families in the child welfare system. This service provides TBRI training that is tailored for parents and caregivers, so they can build a strong family connection through empathy and understanding.

TBRI was developed by and is the
signature therapeutic model of
Texas Christian University’s
Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development.

These are stories of three graduates of the certification program.

Healing through connection: A mother’s journey with TBRI^®

What follows is a heartfelt letter from Alyssa G. to ACH TBRI Parent Educator Malee Sims. Alyssa is a mother who has experienced the transformative power of TBRI after reuniting with her foster children. Her story is a testament to the resilience and strength of families who face challenges head-on and emerge stronger together. Malee says she is honored to have trained Alyssa in the TBRI Partnering with Parents certification program.

Leading and witnessing a mother’s transformation

ACH TBRI Parent Educator Malee Sims describes a success story with Nakeia H., a recent TBRI Partnering with Parents graduate. Nakeia didn’t want to tell her son “no” until she reflected on her on her past, her own mother’s discipline troubles, and what happens when you fail to take control.

Yet More Praise from a TBRI Partnering with Parents graduate

When I first met Malee, I was pregnant and my emotions were all over the place. I honestly didn’t know what to expect and was afraid I might be judged. But the moment I opened up, she welcomed me with so much understanding and kindness. She introduced me to TBRI^®, which focuses on helping children who come from hard places and the need to feel safe and understood.

“I’ve learned to stay calm, to connect, and to guide them with love and patience.”

-- Daijahne

What meant the most to me was how the things I learned not only helped my kids, but it helped me too. I began to see their behaviors differently not as defiance, but as communication. They’re still learning how to express themselves, and sometimes it comes out in ways that are hard. But with the tools Malee gave me, I’ve learned to stay calm, to connect, and to guide them with love and patience.

Since working with Malee, my son has hardly been in timeout. We understand each other so much better now. I’m so grateful for her guidance — it’s truly changed our home. I know that when they fully come home, we’re going to have a lot of amazing things to learn about each other.

— Daijahne H.

While this program is for families in the child welfare system, ACH also offers youth and family counseling at no charge.

Find out more here or call 817.335.HOPE (4673).

Leading and Witnessing a Mother’s Transformation

ACH Child and Family Services utilizes Trust-Based Relational Intervention^® (TBRI^®) to build trust and connection with vulnerable children. TBRI is so effective, ACH also trains parents in the child welfare system so that the family benefits as a whole. Here, ACH TBRI Parent Educator Malee Sims describes a success story with Nakeia H., a recent TBRI Parenting Partnership “graduate.”

A difficult first impression…

Nakeia couldn’t understand her 13-year old son’s, aggressive, explosive, unpredictable behavior. In fact, Julian’s behavior was responsible for their evictions from several apartments. She knew she needed help and that’s why she decided to enter joint managing conservatorship with Child Protective Services.

“When I met him, he lacked the skills needed to effectively communicate what it is that he needs,” says Malee. “He resorted to attempting to communicate through his behaviors but was almost always misunderstood. He was suffering from being constantly frustrated.”

“On the other hand, initially connecting with Nakeia was difficult because she was resistant to the techniques of the training,” says Malee. “She didn’t want to accept alternatives to saying ‘no.’”

“TBRI is an evidence-based intervention model. It’s not about gentle parenting or being a millennial parent.”

Malee Sims
ACH TBRI Parent Educator

Looking back, Nakeia agrees.

“If I could do my first two meetings over again, I would,” she says. “I came in hot. I came in with an attitude. I came in with the mindset of ‘No one can tell me anything that I don’t already know about a child that I’ve been raising on my own for all his life . . .no parent is perfect.’”

…with nowhere to turn

At one point during the open case (which was officially closed in August), Julian returned home, with his behaviors still being a problem. However, this time she had little support from the child welfare system. Because Nakeia still did not feel equipped to manage Julian’s behavior, the first return home failed and Julian wound up back in various RTC’s and behavioral hospitals.

Ayden returned home again during the time Nakeia was working with Malee at ACH. This time, Nakeia was living in her car because of her record of Julian-related evictions. To make matters worse, Julian was on probation in the juvenile justice system. No apartment would accept them, so they moved in with Nakeia’s mother.

Unfortunately, Nakeia’s mother was really hard on Julian. She failed to recognize he was just trying to adjust to being back home. The grandmother had zero tolerance for what Malee describes as “normal” teenage behaviors. Malee told Nakeia that the issue wasn’t as much about Julian’s behavior as it was her mother’s. And, by not taking control, she may have actually contributed to their situation.

A lightbulb moment turns into a brighter future

In TBRI Caregiver meetings with Malee, Nakeia learned that parenting is perfect maybe 30% of the time at most. The rest of the time is considered rupture and repair, which is how you learn and grow. In this “scaffolding” process, you learn where you are at and then move on.

“TBRI is an evidence-based intervention model. It’s not about gentle parenting or being a millennial parent,” says Malee.

When Nakeia saw the light, she decided it was best to distance herself and her son from her mother by moving into an extended stay hotel. At the same time, she grew to understand more about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and began practicing a technique called Connecting, Empowering, and Correcting.

“I thought I knew it all, and I thought wrong,” says Nakeia. “I learned a lot from TBRI about not only my child, but about myself as well. If I can give anyone one bit of advice to take with you when you go down this journey, it would be that it’s okay to listen, and it’s okay to learn. To trust the process, but most importantly, listen.”

Nakeia and Julian have since been accepted to a housing program, and things are really looking up for them. Julian is on the football team, and for the first time—enthusiastic about school. There are still challenges to overcome, but their future is looking much more promising.

While this program is for families in the child welfare system (CPS), ACH also offers youth and family counseling at no charge.

Find out more here or call 817.335.HOPE (4673).

TBRI was developed by and is the signature therapeutic model of
Texas Christian University’s
Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development.

2025 Fort Worth Thanksgiving Meal Resource

The holidays are meant to nourish the mind and body, when loved ones gather and plates are filled with comforting, delicious food. But for many in our community, it’s challenging to provide an entire meal. Whether it’s lack of time or funds, some children and families will not have a holiday spread of turkey, stuffing, cornbread, and other Thanksgiving must-haves. That’s where this Fort Worth Thanksgiving Meal Resource comes into play.

The resource below will help families who need a Thanksgiving meal. Simply click the image below and you’ll be directed to a PDF that has clickable links to local resources, such as the Tarrant Area Food Bank, Operation Turkey, and Taste Project.

Share the Fort Worth Thanksgiving Meal Resource with friends, family, neighbors and anyone who could benefit from a warm meal.

Click the Thanksgiving Meal Resource anywhere below to use the individual links.

Adoption Thoughts from an Adult Adoptee

Katie Reisor is a member of ACH’s Community Engagement team.

As an adoptee, I know firsthand how difficult it is to process the loss of identity one can feel after separation from their biological family. Even when a child is adopted as a baby, trauma can happen. Relinquishment is not biologically necessary, but sometimes the necessary step that took place. I personally work hard to advocate for all members of the adoption constellation (a term used to describe the members of the adoption community such as adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents) because I believe despite the trauma- good work is happening and that the focus is adoptees. Adoption centers around them and they are worthy of amazing lives.

Ways to advocate for adoptees

Listen to their stories. Adoptees, just like me, are using their social media platforms, their voices on podcasts, writing books, and starting up organizations to share about the realities of being an adopted child. Our stories matter and they are so diverse. I challenge you to go and dig into some of the amazing, amplified voices out there and to share them. We can learn so much from one another. Here are a few adoptees I follow on social media that I learn so much from: @therapyredeemed, @katiethekad, @adoptee2adoptionworker, and @hannahjmatthews to name a few

Realize that adoption/foster care is about them, not you. Sometimes we unintentionally place ourselves on a pedestal of saviorism. It’s good to check our intentions behind adopting/fostering and decide if we are doing something for ourselves or simply because a child needs a loving and safe home, and I can provide that. The truth is, it’s not about what we can do, it’s all about helping that child succeed in life. I dream of a world that is eradicated of the problem where children need homes, but the reality is there are so many kids who do. When we are looking to help, it’s a great reminder that this is all about those kids.

How hopeful adoptive parents can equip themselves to best care for an adopted child

If you are adopting, especially if internationally or transracially, you should be considering how to surround your child with their culture in your immediate circles.
What friends do you have that can be mentor figures in your child’s life?
What books and classes are you using to educate yourself on culture, trauma, RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder), TBRI and other trauma informed care, and to hear from adult adoptees?
Are you in therapy to work through your trauma and quirks?
Are you capable of self-regulating in stressful moments? There are so many things to consider in preparation to adopt or foster, but also simply to grow as a person.

How we as an organization can help

Preserving Families. While not always possible, preserving families is always the best option for a child. If we can equip families to succeed as healthy parents, we can keep a child in the environment that they know. We can keep that family from being another statistic of a broken home. We can help that child thrive in their biological family and with the identity they are already forming. While there are always situations that call for different strategies, I think it’s important for us to not get jaded by the difficult situations we have seen and still have hope that a family can find redemption with the right resources.

Protecting Children. ACH helps equips hopeful foster families and adoptive parents with the tools for success. It never ceases to inspire me how many people are passionate about helping children in need. Every child deserves a loving home and people are excited about helping. However, you cannot just feel passionate about providing a home, you must be equipped to best care for a child.

We do that by making sure that our families who wish to open their homes are:

Trauma informed
Asking how they plan to implement a child’s culture into their lives after adoption/fostering
Do they have people in their communities that will come alongside them and support their families?
Will they continue to fight for a child who is not adapting into their family and might even be lashing out behaviorally?
Are they willing to continue growing in education resources so that they can learn to be a safe space for kids?

I think we do a great job with these things at ACH, but there is always room to grow. Really focusing on setting our foster/adoption families up for success is vital.

Interested in fostering or adopting? Call 817.886.7140 or click below.

Every Child Deserves a Family

10 Years of Finding Forever Homes for Children in Need

In her decade spent at ACH, Foster Care & Adoption Director Stella Maggs has helped more than 500 children get adopted by safe and loving families.

Stella’s history with foster care and adoption goes all the way back to when she was a child in foster care. She and her two brothers were adopted as children.

“I want to help other children find a forever family and have the great experience that I had,” said Stella.

For more than 25 years, Stella has made it her mission to find the best possible homes for children in foster care.

“Every child deserves a family that will stick with them through thick and thin, to love on them and treat them like their own children because they should be their own children,” said Stella.

Even during a Pandemic, kids can't wait

When hurdles come their way, Stella and her team always put children first. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, her team pivoted to make sure Foster and Adoptive parents were receiving their training and kids were not put on hold.

“Watching my staff turn on the dime and adjust was awesome,” said Stella. “No one blinked twice, they just jumped up and did whatever they needed to do to make sure our kids were safe, and our families were well taken care of.”

The pandemic also allowed Stella to spend more one-on-one time with her families. Even after 500 adoptions, Stella enjoys keeping up with each family and seeing how their children have grown over the years.

Stella remains close with many of the families, and one touched her heart in an amazing way. During her second year at ACH, she met a couple, who already had two biological children, that were eager to adopt a child. With doubts the family would be open to it, Stella asked if they would be interested in adopting a sibling group of four.

“I thought, ‘there’s no way they are going to take a sibling group of four.’ He called me the next day and he said, ‘Stella, we want to move forward with these kids. We really think they’re the ones for our family.’”

After several visits, and going through the adoption process, the couple adopted all four siblings.

“I presented all four siblings, thinking, there is no way they would be interested in a sibling group of four, especially since they had two children already which would make them a family of eight; but they jumped on it, and they have been wonderful advocates and parents for these children,” said Stella. “It has been amazing to watch them all grow and to see them grow as parents to these kids.”

A passion to serve

“Stella came to ACH in 2011 as the Adoption Program Manager and has continued to invest in and build our foster care and adoption program,” said Melissa Opheim, ACH Chief Operating Officer.

“If you ever talk with Stella about adoption, you can immediately see her passion and dedication to children and families and her love for what adoption means to so many of the children we serve, a family of their own.”

Dedicated to ensuring a child's safety

Stella also thinks of the parents who welcomed a young boy into their home who was diagnosed with cancer just months before his adoption was finalized.

“This family went through everything with him,” said Stella. “Bone cancer, multiple surgeries, all kinds of things to find something to help him.”

The family knew the boy would not live long enough to have the adoption finalized, but they asked ACH and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services if they could change his last name to their family’s name before he passed.

“They were committed to him from day one and it didn’t matter what anybody threw at them or what he went through, they were there,” said Stella. “That is the kind of family ACH recruits and trains. Families who will take care of a child no matter what.”

For Stella, the most rewarding part of her job is seeing children thrive with their new families, despite the trauma they have experienced. When she sees 500 adoptions and 500 children that have gone to a forever home, and have had a great life with their families, it’s priceless.

“To think you just had a small part of that, of placing a child with a family, feels great,” said Stella. “ “This is why I am so proud of my team because they are so dedicated to ensuring a child’s safety. To ensuring our children get a forever home or go back to a home that can now truly help this child grow into anything they want to.”

Stella feels the passion her team has is consistent with every program at ACH.

“Everyone in this organization has a passion for children, all the way from our CEO to our maintenance team, and it comes through in everything that we do.”