Many agency workers who serve the foster care community choose this path out of a passion for helping others. But transitioning into this challenging career can often be a very overwhelming experience. Even when workers are doing their best, they can start to feel like they’re not doing enough and that they don’t have a support system to fall back on in their times of need.
Brian Gazdziak is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker as well as a foster and adoptive dad. He has spent years providing specialized mental health therapy to help people, such as those in the foster care community, cope with life challenges. As someone who has experienced foster care from the perspective of both an agency worker and a foster parent, Brian has unique insights and empathy surrounding the topic of these complex relationships.
In this episode, Brian shares what it’s like to work with children and families in a hands-on capacity, how churches can provide much-needed support to foster care workers, how to build a better relationship with case workers, and so much more.
Show Notes: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/brian-gazdziak-226/
Join Team 3:10: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/team310
Episode 180: Advocating for Those That Feel Forgotten (w/ Tess Dykstra)
Episode 179: Recognizing Signs of Grooming and Trafficking (w/ Tiffani Price)
Episode 178: The "Fun Circus" of Life as a Single Foster Dad (w/ Tyler Daily)
Episode 177: Supporting Infants and Biological Mothers (w/ Heather Simpson)
Episode 176: An Unexpected Journey: God’s Presence Through the Pain (w/ Bethany Riley)
Episode 175: Nothing is Wasted: Processing Tragedy and Loss (w/ Davey Blackburn)
Episode 174: The Messy Journey of Healing (w/ Kristen Thomas)
Episode 173: I See You—From Rejection to Redemption (w/ Shyann Skelton)
Episode 172: Supporting Aging-Out Youth (w/ Nick Sgarlata)
Episode 171: The Challenges of Kinship Care & Becoming a Grand-Family (w/ Rachel Mahnke)
Episode 170: How to Love Our LGBTQ+ Foster Children (w/ Laurie Krieg)
Episode 169: Talking About the Tough Topics in Foster Care (w/ Jenn Hook)
Episode 168: Finding Wholeness and Healing (w/ April Guffey)
Episode 167: Showing Up for Teens in Foster Care (w/ Serena Rice)
Episode 166: Glimmers of Hope After Hardship (w/ John Gibson)
Episode 165: Walking Through Unexpected Grief (w/ Tim Challies)
Episode 164: How a Street Kid Turned Foster Dad Found Acceptance and True Worth (w/ Peter Mutabazi)
BONUS: Exciting News and Year-End Encouragement
Episode 163: The Beauty of Entering the Mess (w/ Cynthia Yanof)
Episode 162: Finding Peace About Your Past (w/ Hudson Kaeb)
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