Adopting a Child with High Needs: Mental Health, Medications, and Trusting God Through the Unknown with Donna Kirkwood

Welcome to Season Two of the What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting podcast!

I’m Christine Marie — adoptive mom, former foster parent, and biblical mindset coach. Whether you're navigating foster care, adoption, or parenting a child with trauma or mental health challenges — you’re in the right place.

In this season premiere, I’m joined by Donna Kirkwood — former special education teacher, adoptive mom, author, and woman of deep faith — as she shares her family’s journey of saying “yes” to adopting a child with high needs.

From the early days of behavioral challenges and medication decisions to the later diagnosis of schizoaffective bipolar disorder, Donna walks us through how faith, structure, and community helped them navigate trauma-informed parenting and deep unknowns.

We talk about:

• Adopting a child with high needs and complex diagnoses

• Parenting through mental health challenges with grace and structure

• Medications and behavioral support through a trauma-informed lens

• Why boundaries, faith, and consistency matter

• Donna’s book, He Is the Vine, as a source of spiritual encouragement during hard seasons

Whether you're parenting a child with trauma, navigating mental health in adoption, or walking through uncertainty with God — this episode will speak to your heart.

☕ Grab your coffee and settle in — this one will stretch you, strengthen you, and remind you why love is always worth it.

💕 PS — Want to join a supportive space for women who are navigating foster care, adoption, or just want to love others well? Come join us here: 👉 facebook.com/groups/fostercareandadoptionforchristianwomen

Connect with Donna Kirkwood: 📘 He Is the Vine: From the Vineyard to the Tasting Room 📔 Companion Study Guide also available 📧 Email: www.DonnaKirkwood.com