The Connected Parent

“The deeply rich and nuanced skill set required for offering secure parenting to children with trauma has too often been left to common sense. But now, Karyn Purvis and Lisa Qualls provide a wealth of research-based expertise and personal experience that will change the life of any adult caring for a child who knows ‘hard places.’ They offer a wide variety of practical tools for understanding the core (and often hidden) needs of children struggling with trauma. Their compassionate, wise, and clinically proven step-by-step options can alter the outcome of any child’s life. My deep gratitude to Karyn Purvis and Lisa Qualls for making this practical and life-altering option available in such a clear, accessible, and compassionate way.”

“The Connected Child was a life changer for my family—what a gift that we now get the incredible continuation of Dr. Purvis’s work in The Connected Parent. Her rich knowledge of attachment, sensory processing, and neuroscience as they relate to relational trauma are brought to life with Lisa Qualls’s abundant and heart-filled stories. Written with compassion and empathy, The Connected Parent will serve as a necessary resource for adoptive and foster families for generations to come!”

This is the book foster and adoptive parents have waited for. Dr. Karyn Purvis taught so many of us about our children and how to play a part in their healing. Receiving more insight and instruction from Dr. Purvis posthumously is an unexpected gift, and it is made complete by the compassionate wisdom and experience of fellow foster and adoptive mother Lisa Qualls. Together, their voices create a more complete roadmap for foster and adoptive parents as they love and parent children from hard places.

“Lisa Qualls has done a masterful job of weaving her family’s story together with the powerful legacy of the late Dr. Karyn Purvis. A must-read for parents who long to attach successfully to their adopted kids.”

“In The Connected Parent, the truth of psychology and clinical research is paired with the grace of real-life-in-the-trenches parenting in such a way that all who read it will feel better equipped to care for children from “hard places”—and empowered to reject the whispers of shame and failure they will inevitably confront along the journey. This is a must-have book.”

First thoughts as I began to read this book – “YES, YES.”  This amazing work continues the legacy of Dr. Karyn Purvis and her ground-breaking techniques in helping children and families do the work of healing.  Joining with Dr. Purvis, Lisa brilliantly weaves real-life challenges and strategies through every chapter offering hope and practical, realistic strategies. There are so many uses for this book beyond each individual family it will touch.  This will make a great resource for foster and adoptive parent book clubs and support groups. I recommend it highly!!

“What a gift this book is to anyone working and living with children from hard places. How many of us have longed for someone whispering in our ear, telling us how to apply Dr. Purvis’s principles in the heat of the moment? Lisa Qualls shares vulnerably about her family in a relatable way, allowing us to learn and be inspired to grow alongside of her. This way of parenting is a game changer, and over the long haul, it brings the peace we long for in our challenging stories.”

“Dr. Karyn Purvis and Lisa Qualls have written a must-read for adults who want to understand how to serve and love children as well as themselves. This book gives adults permission to embark on a journey of self-discovery as they usher children through their own journey. Such a practical and sophisticated book…a gift of love to the world.”

“This gem of a book provides parents with a holistic, research-based parenting approach for children who have endured trauma. Karyn Purvis’s clear voice provides the science behind children’s struggles and effective parenting approaches. Lisa brings the book home with her scripts, examples, and tips on behavioral interventions. The authors connect aptly with their readers even as they help us to connect with children. This compassionate book touched my heart. I am grateful to Karyn Purvis for her legacy through this book, made the richer through joint authorship by Lisa Qualls.”