Parent Course

Since working with RAD Advocates, I have finally experienced the relief that comes from being understood. Living in a small community where reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is often unknown or greatly misunderstood is incredibly isolating. RAD Advocates helped make sense of what we were experiencing while providing education, compassion, and support from people who truly understand the complexities of RAD.

Having a community where I don’t feel judged or have to minimize the impact RAD has on our entire family has been invaluable. I only wish I had found RAD Advocates sooner. I’m incredibly grateful that we no longer have to walk this journey alone.

Before finding RAD Advocates, our family had spent nearly six years trying to keep every member safe, on little to no sleep, while navigating education, mental health, and child welfare systems alone. State entities and legal systems do not understand reactive attachment disorder or the realities families face behind closed doors. By year five, we had retained an attorney and finally reached out to RAD Advocates, where we were placed with Amy VanTine. We felt misunderstood, falsely accused, blamed, and completely alone — until we met Amy.

Amy prepared us for difficult meetings and situations, helped us understand what to expect, and sat beside us throughout the process. When our voices were dismissed or we struggled to find the right words, she spoke up and supported us. She helped many involved in our case understand the disorder itself and our family's complete story, continually bringing the focus back to the safety of every family member in the home. She remained a rock in our storm.

RAD Advocates did not offer empty promises or easy answers. They gave us something we desperately needed: knowledgeable guidance, honest preparation, and the assurance that we would not have to walk into another difficult room alone. After almost two years of constant calls, emails, and many emergency calls, Amy became a trusted friend. Her knowledge gave us direction, her courage helped us find our own voices, and her friendship reminded us that we were seen and understood.

We genuinely do not know how we would have navigated this without them.

When my husband and I took the Empowered Parenting Course, we were simply trying to survive each day while doing everything we could to help our child and protect the rest of our family. Misty and Heather walked alongside us step by step, giving us practical tools that brought structure and consistency into our home. They helped us create a family plan, establish behavior goals, develop visual aids, and build a documentation system. These tools did not just give us something to follow — they gave us a sense of direction and helped us feel equipped and confident as parents.

One of the greatest gifts was what the program gave our other children. Our glass children had spent years putting their childhood on hold while we focused so much energy on their sibling with RAD. The Empowered Parenting Course changed that. It allowed our other children to have their own goals, work toward them, and shine. They did not have to miss out on life simply because their sibling was struggling.

What we never anticipated was how vital our documentation would become. When our family faced false allegations, over a year of organized records showing our efforts, consistency, and parenting strategies helped close our case as unfounded. The state social worker was impressed by the thoroughness of what we had built.

What began as a parenting program became something much bigger. The Empowered Parenting Course did not make our circumstances disappear, but it gave us the tools to navigate them and helped us remember that every child in our family deserves the chance to simply enjoy being a kid.