The Human Trafficking Trap: How To Spot It

Events
Human trafficking is the act of illegally buying and selling human beings for forced labor or sexual exploitation and is commonly referred to as “modern day slavery.” But that only happens in faraway places, nowhere near you or your family…right? Well, not exactly. Human trafficking, while it definitely is a global issue, it has also become a local issue even here in the United States. There are approximately 20 to 30 million slaves in the world today, pushing human trafficking to the third largest international crime industry in the world with it generating a profit of roughly $32 billion every year. While people would like to think that this does not happen in countries like the United States, more than half of that profit is generated in industrialized countries (including…
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Resolution vs Vision

Resolution vs Vision

Blog, Business, Motivation
First week of the new year has passed and some of us are seeing a couple of things: The resolution is going well or it is on their way out of the window. Many people say they don't do new year’s resolutions for a variety of reasons. Either they think that they will shoot too high and set themselves up for failure or maybe they say they are happy with their life and don’t have anything they “need” to change. The logic behind a new year’s resolution is that we all have a dream or two or three and we use the new year to embark on some sort of journey to achieve a goal or change an aspect of their lifestyle they find themselves dissatisfied with. Every new beginning…
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Here’s To a New Beginning: Choosing Joy

Here’s To a New Beginning: Choosing Joy

Blog, Health, Therapy, Tips
The end of the year is an important period for many of us, giving us the change to reflect on what we have learned from the experiences and people we have encountered this year. As the year ends gets nearer, we try our best to make sure that we end it on a happy note, no matter what our year may have been. Hoping that the new year will be just how we close the current year. Happy. While we search for that happiness that often elude our grasp, my encouragement to you is to look beyond happiness, to choose something deeper. Something called JOY Joy is not that giddy feeling we have when we are with someone, or that butterfly-in-my-stomach feeling, or that ear-to-ear-smile kind of feeling either. Joy…
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The Art of Dealing with In-Laws

The Art of Dealing with In-Laws

Blog, Tips
The holiday season is in full swing and with this time of year comes the company of friends and family, good food and tons of activities to join in on. This time of year is also accompanied by last minute deadlines, budgeting obstacles, and often being around some dreaded family members. To anyone who absolutely loves being around every single person in their extended family for several days without a break, you are headed for sainthood. Most people have a family member or two they could do without. Not surprisingly, in laws often fall into this category. Not so much that they are absolutely unbearable, unlovable people, but that in laws can be over critical, overwhelming, and a bit demanding. So here’s some tips and tricks on conquering the art…
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Navigating The End of Year Rush

Navigating The End of Year Rush

Blog, Health, Therapy, Tips
Between work, school, kids, or whatever else takes up your time – you’re busy. Managing a crazy schedule can be overwhelming. You’ve probably had to remind yourself a few times that you can’t be in two places at once, and that’s okay. Along with a packed schedule and rushed deadlines comes stress, agitation, and all around just not feeling quite like yourself. While it usually seems that being busy and being stressed go hand in hand, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can find ways to manage your busy schedule in a way that works for you – and we have some tips on how to do that, all while caring for yourself. Keep a planner. Remembering a thing or two doesn’t sound like it is too bad,…
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From the Eyes of a Birthmother Part I

From the Eyes of a Birthmother Part I

Adoption
Life is breathtaking. It’s always exciting and often very unpredictable. Bringing you to the highest of highs and lowest of lows. One thing certain is that It is never guaranteed to be easy. It is possible to have a good life though. As a little girl you dream of all the amazing things you will experience growing up. My adult life has been pretty far opposite from all of those dreams. Little girls base their love life from Disney movies. It’s a fact. We all do it. We have our minivans full of beautiful babies. The perfectly manicured home with the best yard in the neighborhood with a golden retriever playing fetch in the back. However, we can’t forget about graduating college, having an amazing career, and trophy husband (of…
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Supervision for Social Work Licensure

Blog, Supervision/Mentorship, Tips
Congratulations! You’ve earned your Master’s in Social Work (M.S.W)! It is time to explore the career path you desire. An MSW is one of the most widespread master’s degrees chosen and the career paths you’ve opened up for yourself are numerous. MSW’s have the opportunity to enter fields in human resources, adoption, child welfare, social work administration and work in a school setting. The opportunities seem endless, and the consideration for licensure is always there. What’s the difference you may ask? An L.C.S.W, or Licensed Clinical Social Worker is someone with a Master’s in Social Work, who chose to take their counseling degree one step further by becoming a licensed, specialized, social worker through more training in the field. If you choose this next step in your career path, it…
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Your Complete Guide to the Adoption Process

Your Complete Guide to the Adoption Process

Adoption, Parenting, Therapy, Tips
When you are adopting a child, уоu аѕѕumе all responsibilities fоr them whісh, Aside from gіvіng you lеgаl rіghtѕ, аlѕо makes уоu the lеgаl parent. Yоu are then fully accountable for the еmоtіоnаl аnd рhуѕісаl wеll-bеіng of thе child. Whether уоu аrе a couple оr аѕѕumе such rеѕроnѕіbіlіtу аѕ аn individual, іt is important for you to be confident that уоu are rеаdу for this process. Before you dесіdе, уоu nееd tо make sure thаt уоu'rе fіnаnсіаllу аnd mеntаllу capable оf brіngіng up a сhіld. I want to help you in that journey through this eBook. This book will be your trusted reference in answering questions that you might already have and the questions that you thought would not come up. [uxi_button link="https://dta0yqvfnusiq.cloudfront.net/alexi90572029/2017/09/Complete-Adoption-Process-E-book-59b197e9db5b8.pdf" new_window="0" tel="0" class="button-block button-block-mobile button-32" padding_x="15" padding_y="15"…
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Adoption Equality: What the Numbers are Saying

Adoption Equality: What the Numbers are Saying

Adoption, Blog, Parenting, Tips
The Case for Adoption Equality [caption id="attachment_3359" align="alignright" width="368"]   Source: Family Equality Council [/caption] An estimated of 400,000 children in the U.S. have been removed from their homes and are now in foster care, wards of the state. With this many children, the main goal of the foster care system is to find each and every child a home within a reasonable amount of time. If the children’s biological parents have lost their right, finding a home is usually mandated 12-24 months from the removal date, ideally. The main goal of adoption is to find a child a home that is loving and can provide a stable environment for a child to grow up in. What is the Focus? Stability, according to the Florida state government means meeting minimum…
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Know Your Deal Makers and Deal Breakers

Know Your Deal Makers and Deal Breakers

Blog, Relationship, Therapy, Tips
As You Enter Into... A new love relationship, navigating this new chapter of your love story can get very complicated especially if you and your partner are looking through the rose colored lenses many of us have at the beginning of any relationship. For those of us looking for something long term and serious, its important to know the traits you definitely want to see in a potential partner, and the possible deal breakers. Having standards that are too low, might leave you unhappy, but having super high standards can end up making you feeling lonely. How do you find this balance? Know exactly what you want and need and what you don’t in a relationship. Navigating the ups and downs of a new relationship often gets complicated especially at…
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