Allison Davis Maxon, LMFT

01/26/2026

01/26/2026

01/26/2026

Underneath every behavior is a feeling.
Underneath every feeling is a need.
When we meet the need we address the root cause of the behavior (instead of getting stuck on the symptom)
Children in foster care have overwhelming amounts of distress, pain, grief, loss, hurt and anger that needs to be understood and processed

Being an Emotional Tutor for a Child in Foster Care by Allison Davis Maxon | May 22, 2017 | Uncategorized Children in foster care have all experienced varying degrees of abuse, neglect, and multiple placements. They typically have increased social, emotional, and behavioral problems, most often due....

01/23/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEDWaGtjMv0

In this video, you’ll learn just how much healthy connections and consistent relationships matter! Relational health is important! Whether it’s your connecti...

01/23/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m507vh18Y0s

The TRUTH About TRAUMA. In this episode, we’re going to be digging into the truth about trauma. What is trauma? How does trauma affect the brain? What does a...

01/23/2026

https://open.spotify.com/episode/03qPzBBd7DD03OuguW0igC

By Their Side: Advocating for Children in Foster Care · Episode

01/23/2026

Experts say graphic images, nonstop outrage, and the 24/7 negative news cycle don’t just upset us—they alter our stress response and harm mental health.

01/23/2026

There's still time to register to attend our Town Hall tomorrow morning. If the weather keeps you at home, no problem! Grab a coffee and connect virtually to hear terrific presentations from NCMEC, CASE, DHS, DHHS, FASD United, ABA Center for Children and the Law, and hear about an important sleep study as well as the 'Rooted and Ready' program.

View the agenda and register for the event at https://nfpaonline.org/nfpa-bod-annual-meeting-cosa-and-town-hall-2026/

01/23/2026

When her eyesight begins to fade, a film editor reimagines belonging and what it truly means to see.

01/23/2026

Tomorrow is our peer support group for Multi/Cross-Cultural Women Adoptees!!

Have you ever felt like you're standing between two worlds, never quite fitting into either? That moment when someone asks "where are you from" and your answer is complicated. When your reflection doesn't match your family album. Or when loving your family and missing what you've lost exist in the same breath.

Maybe you've caught yourself wondering if anyone truly understands what it's like to navigate identity when your story started in one place and unfolded in another. To carry the weight of cultures you're trying to honor while living in a family where you're the only one who looks like you.

Here's what we know. You might feel too much of one thing for some spaces and not enough for others. The racism you experience can be invisible to the people who love you most. And sometimes the hardest part isn't the questions from strangers but the silence in your own home when you need to talk about race, loss, or belonging.

Our Cross Cultural Women Adoptee Peer Support Group creates space for women who were adopted transracially, internationally, or grew up in multicultural families through adoption. This isn't therapy, but connection with women who absolutely understand, without you having to explain every layer.

Think of it like finally exhaling after holding your breath for years.💞💞💞

Join us Thursday, January 22rd at 7:00pm CST as we explore New Year's Intentions and Integrations together. Whether this is your first time or you're a regular, we saved a seat for you.

Register on Eventbrite or our website. Free and online.
Your story matters.
See you there. 💛

Exciting news!!!
Next month this group opens to all genders!!!!

01/23/2026

This year, we are starting a new resource series around the Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency. This model, first developed in 1982 by Sharon Kaplan Roszia and Deborah Silverstein, has since been expanded upon by Roszia and Allison Davis Maxon to include all types of permanency, as well as all members of the adoption constellation, including adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, and other family members.

The seven core issues are loss, rejection, shame and guilt, grief, identity, intimacy, and mastery and control. These issues are not something you can find a “quick fix” for, as they are complex, layered, and lifelong.

Over the next seven months, we will explore each of the core issues, providing integral information to help you and your family successfully navigate these complicated feelings related to adoption and permanency.

Stay tuned in the coming months to learn more.

Note: We appreciate the thoughtful engagement with this post. This introduction is part of a broader series over the next seven months, which includes ongoing conversations with adoptees and other voices of lived experience.

Read the introduction to the series on our website: https://adoptionsupport.org/freeresource/seven-core-issues-in-adoption-and-permanency/