What does it look like to integrate mental health and faith?

My guest today brings her knowledge, experience, and passion to answer this question. Ashley McFarland is a trauma trainer, psychotherapist and co-founder of the Pineheart Center. Throughout her time in child welfare, nonprofits, the school system, and a detention center, she gained insight into the ways trauma shapes our brains.

In this conversation, we explore why it’s important to build connection and safety with an individual before trying to encourage behavior changes, how the Bible connects with neuroscience and healing, and much more. Ashley’s insights are so eye-opening for Christians who want to understand evidence-based mental health treatment models, and the hope and healing these methods can bring, through a biblical lens.

Find the show notes and links to anything we discussed here: https://riversideproject.org/podcast/ashley-mcfarland-50

Going to court can be intimidating for everyone involved in the child welfare system: from foster parents to biological families, and of course, for children. Because of this, it's often the case that parties will neglect to show up for their court date. When this happens, judges have to base their decisions on an incomplete picture of the situation—and key testimony and desires are not taken into consideration.

That's why we're so grateful to welcome Judge Charles Griffin on the podcast for an important conversation. He serves as the Associate Judge of the Gulf Coast Children’s Court under the Office of Court Administration and is a board-certified attorney in child welfare law. Charles has spent over six years presiding over cases that directly impact children and families in the foster care system. He’s here to give us some perspective on the factors that judges take into account as they strive to secure the best possible outcome for each case.

In this conversation, Judge Griffin brings both extensive legal experience and a compassionate lens to one of the most complex areas of the child welfare system as he explains the role of a judge in a child welfare case, why everyone should respond to the call to “come to court,” some first steps you can take to get involved, and much more.

Find the show notes and links to anything we discussed here: riversideproject.org/podcast/charles-griffin-49

1 in 7 children experience abuse or neglect in the United States, according to the CDC. However, the actual number is estimated to be higher due to many cases going unreported.

It’s easy to assume that maltreatment only happens when a child’s caregivers are uncaring or intend harm—but that isn’t always the case. The reality is, children are more at risk when their caregivers are overwhelmed, underresourced, and in desperate need of community. It isn’t enough to address the aftereffects of abuse and neglect; we need to start supporting families from the very beginning.

Here to help us understand how we can help effectively prevent child maltreatment is Dr. Melissa Merrick.

Dr. Merrick is the president and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect. With over 20 years of clinical research and leadership experience, she is a nationally recognized expert on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

In light of April being National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we are thrilled to have her join us to share about her work and inform us on how we might work together to better our community for vulnerable families and children.

In this conversation, Dr. Merrick shares some of the core factors that lead to child maltreatment, why solutions need to come at a community-wide level, common myths about prevention, and much more.

Find the show notes and links to anything we discussed here: riversideproject.org/podcast/melissa-merrick-48

What if the key to improving a child’s behavior isn’t found in stricter rules, but in stronger relationships? And what should care and treatment look like for children who have experienced really hard circumstances?

Our guest today brings evidence-based answers to both of these questions.

Darius Payne is a licensed Master Social Worker and Juvenile Justice expert with extensive experience in child welfare and the application of Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, or TBRI®. He currently oversees training, implementation, and quality assurance of TBRI® at the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department.

TBRI® is a trauma-informed, attachment-centered approach designed to meet the complex needs of children who have experienced adversity. Rather than focusing solely on behavior management, TBRI® emphasizes felt safety, connection, and skill-building. When children experience healthy, consistent relationships, they begin to develop confidence, self-worth, and the capacity to heal.

In this episode, Darius shares the key tenets of TBRI® and how it strengthens families, how the foster care and juvenile justice systems can work together more effectively, what systemic change really requires, and more.

Find the show notes and links to anything we discussed here: riversideproject.org/podcast/darius-payne-47/

From the beginning of their relationship, adoption was always a part of our founder, Amber, and her husband’s plan; they even had an adoption fund in their wedding registry! After they stepped into the child welfare system, they felt a desire to support foster parents like themselves—and this vision would quickly turn into something much bigger.

Amber Knowles is our founder and Executive Director. In 2018, she launched the Babysitting Collaborative, which would become The Riverside Project’s first initiative and lay the foundation for everything we do now.

A pediatric nurse practitioner by training, Amber holds a BSN from Baylor and an MSN from UTHealth Houston, and is a TBRI® Practitioner, bringing a trauma-informed approach to her work. Today, Amber combines her background in healthcare and her passion for child welfare to create meaningful change for vulnerable children and families in Houston.

In this episode, Amber shares more about how The Riverside Project began, the challenges faced by every foster parent, a vision for the future of Houston and foster care, and much more.

Find the show notes and links to anything we discussed here: https://riversideproject.org/podcast/amber-knowles-46

What kinds of foster care placements are you open to? This is a question that gets asked to all foster parents when they first open their home. Will you take sibling groups? Infants? Children with significant medical or physical needs? Or children with disabilities?

Each family and individual must decide for themselves what they are prepared to handle based on their capabilities and current circumstances.

Children involved in the child welfare system who have special needs or disabilities often struggle to find foster families. They are also more likely to experience negative outcomes in this system, such as having to navigate multiple transitions during their time in foster care.

My guest for this conversation is Kayla Williams, an early childhood special education teacher in Bryan, Texas. Kayla was a foster parent for two years before adopting her daughter in 2022. As a single parent raising a disabled child, Kayla brings a rare and invaluable perspective that we can learn a lot from.

In this episode, Kayla shares some of the challenges that come with parenting a child who has disabilities and is recovering from trauma, the realities of “blocked” care, ways we can advocate for families who are caring for children in foster care with special needs, and much more.

Find the show notes and links to anything we discussed here: https://riversideproject.org/podcast/kayla-williams-45

When people think of foster care, it’s typically assumed that it ends at age 18 when a child ages out of care. However, that is not the case in most states. Nearly every state offers federally funded programs to extend foster care beyond 18 years.

This is what is known as extended foster care, and it includes programs like continued care with foster parents and independent living situations. Our guest for this episode is deeply familiar with these programs as she oversees them for Texas.

Alina White is the State Office Extended Foster Care and Supervised Independent Living (SIL) Program Lead at the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). Since joining the department in 2012, she has served in multiple roles supporting youth and young adults transitioning out of foster care. Alina is passionate about improving services and programs that help young people successfully navigate adulthood.

In this episode, Alina shares the importance of youth being informed about extended foster care options, ways we can support those in extended foster care even if we aren’t foster parents ourselves, common misconceptions about individuals who are involved in extended foster care, and much more.

Find the show notes and links to anything we discussed here: https://riversideproject.org/podcast/alina-white-44

“When it comes to kids and families in our community, we don’t have to settle for not enough.”

National estimates show that, in recent years, roughly 300,000–400,000 children have been involved in the child welfare system at any given time. Statistics like this, while helpful, can sometimes cause us to slip into a scarcity mentality. We may worry that we don’t have enough resources to address such a large need. Or, we might assume that if we’re not able to take up the role of a foster parent, we don’t have a meaningful role to play.

Our guest is on a mission to help us understand the truth: that there is more than enough support we can offer to children and families before, during, and after foster care.

Jason Weber serves as the national director of More Than Enough for CAFO. He is also a podcast host and author. Jason and his wife, Trisha, have been helping vulnerable families and children for over 29 years, with 10 years spent as foster parents.

In this episode, you’ll hear why it’s important to focus on the statistics in your own backyard, the importance of operating as the unified body of Christ to offer support from every angle, key elements for impactful collaboration, and much more.

Find the show notes and links to anything we discussed here: https://riversideproject.org/podcast/jason-weber-43