integrity. safety. trust.

Oakland Foster Care Therapist and Therapy

Matt Lindgrens offers therapy for kids in foster care, and Court documentation for reunification, permanency planning, and adoption in Oakland

Therapy for Kids in Foster Care in Oakland

Kids in foster care need a tremendous amount of mental health support. Unfortunately, many kids in Oakland are stuck getting mental health services through MediCal, the state medical insurance fund, which pays very poorly and requires extensive documentation.

As a result, very few licensed Oakland therapists in private practice with extensive training in childhood trauma are able to provide high quality services to these kids who need help the most. I am happy to be one of the few who is able to do so.

I not only work with kids in foster care, but also receive funding to do so through the Victim Compensation Program. Every child in the foster care system qualifies for this funding, though this fact has yet to catch on with social workers and law enforcement personel who help foster kids.

I am happy to help you or your child apply for this funding. I am also happy to provide progress reports, Court documentation, assessments, and to communicate with your social worker about your case.

top

Oakland Family Reunification

Sometimes kids are placed in foster care to protect them while their parents or caregivers make changes in their lives so that they can return. Sometimes parents will need to leave an abusive spouse who may threaten a parent with domestic violence or sexually abuse a child. Sometimes the parents may have drug or alcohol addictions that require therapeutic treatment before a child can reunify with them.

If you or your child are in this situation, I am happy to work with you in Oakland to help you reunify with your kids. While in foster care, kids need to have the support of understanding and safe adults who can answer their questions and help them understand that it is not their fault that they are away from their parents.

I would be honored to work with you and your family toward a happier conclusion to foster care.

top

Permanency Planning and Adoption in Oakland

Sometimes parents just aren't able to make the changes they need to provide a safe home. If this is the case, I am happy to work with you and your foster child, whether in a temporary home or permanent placement, to help your child make it through all the huge changes in their lives.

I work with kids in Oakland who have been placed for adoption so that they create healing bonds with caregivers that help them through their history of trauma and abuse. I also work directly with caregivers and adoptive parents to coach them through problem behaviors with children who have behavioral problems or even reactive attachment disorder.

I am happy to assist social workers with pre and post adoption planning.

top

Oakland Foster Home Guardianship

Sometimes it makes sense for kids to stay in the foster care system until they become adults. This is often the case with children who are in late adolescence or high school.

Kids who stay in the foster care sytem need safe and dependable role models who will stick with them as they get older. I am happy to work with teens in the foster care system, particularly young men.

In my work at Blackbird Family Therapy, Inc. in Oakland and surrounding East Bay areas, I facilitate therapeutic nature meditation trips for teens in foster care, where they can learn mindfulness based cognitive therapy, as well as social skills training, in the context of safe and supportive adults.

top

Oakland Therapy for Parents of Foster Kids

The good news is that Child and Family Protective Services and the Courts do sincerely want to reunify children with parents as quickly as possible. If you follow their plans, whether you agree with them or not, you should be on track to getting back together with your kids. If you are the non-offending parent, such as a victim of domestic violence, you may also qualify for mental health services under the Victim Compensation Program.

Please understand that while you do need to follow the rec