Beyond Training: What Foster Care Taught a Trauma Professional with Megan Hamm

Amy Stone welcomes licensed professional counselor and foster parent Megan Hamm to discuss how becoming a foster parent transformed her approach to working with children and families experiencing trauma. Megan shares her personal journey, the challenges of supporting kids in crisis, and how her lived experience informed her work as a mental health professional.About the Guest:Megan Hamm, Ed.S., LPC-S, RPT, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Registered Play Therapist, and trauma-informed parenting expert. She specializes in helping foster and adoptive families turn emotional chaos into connection through her signature H.E.A.R.T. Framework. As the Amazon best-selling author of Heart of the Matter, Megan equips caregivers and professionals with practical tools to manage meltdown behaviors and foster healing. She’s passionate about dismantling mental health stigma and empowering families to thrive.Main Topics Covered:Why lived experience is invaluable in trauma-informed care for children and familiesMegan’s journey from professional counselor to foster parentThe emotional realities and surprises of fosteringRedefining trauma—from past histories to the present-day realities for children in the systemThe importance of adult self-regulation and accepting children as they areShifting traditional mental health perspectives in supporting foster and adoptive familiesMegan’s “HEART” framework and her approach to parent-child relationshipsPersonal growth, challenging conversations, and the power of showing up for kidsQuote from the Episode:“I, as the adult, am one of the, if not the most important intervention that they’ll ever have. It’s not about building skills…it’s about me being there, me being present, and me accepting them for who they are. Unapologetically.” — Megan HammTimestamps:0:00 – Welcome & Introductions0:47 – Megan on Self-Care and Nature2:06 – Career Background: Licensed Professional Counselor2:56 – How Foster Care Entered Megan’s Life6:27 – Deciding to Foster with Her Husband10:43 – Living the Experience: When Professional Training Meets Real Life15:10 – Trauma: Defining it in the Foster & Adoptive Context18:00 – How Foster Parenting Changed Megan’s Approach to Counseling26:08 – Response from Clients & Peers to Her New Approach31:31 – Megan’s Private Practice, Speaking, and Her Book36:37 – Final Fun Questions & Wrap-UpConnect with Megan Hamm:Megan’s Book: The Heart of the Matter: A Compassionate Guide to Transforming Behaviors in Fostering and Adopted Children available on Amazon and other places that you shop for books like Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/a/87491/9798990309005If you love the show and you'd like to support it directly you can tip the host here https://imperfect-adulting.captivate.fm/supportNever Miss a Moment of Imperfect AdultingWe invite you to join our email community and let us bring the podcast directly to you! As a subscriber, you'll receive notifications about new episodes, exclusive offers from our amazing guests, and easier access to any of the important links mentioned on the show—no more scrambling to write down websites or remember special codes.Why subscribe?Stay up-to-date without checking your podcast appGet guest offers delivered straight to your inboxAccess all important links in one convenient placeCatch the highlights even when you don't have time to listenAre you ready? Join us at https://www.imperfectadulting.com If you have a story to share and you'd like to be a guest on The Art of Imperfect Adulting, here are the steps for how you can make that happen. Pitch yourself at https://www.imperfectadulting.com/be-a-guestHere are a few resources that Amy uses to make all this great content. These are affiliate links :-)For livestreaming and recording ECamm https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=amy69Podcast hosting and distribution: Captivate FM https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=ntczmwi Website hosting with Siteground https://www.siteground.com/?referrer_id=9115590Ai Transcription Tool: Castmagic https://get.castmagic.io/ugrmjjrt8ofjFor Email I recently switched to Beehiiv https://www.beehiiv.com?via=Amy-Stonebefore that I used Kit. Books I like and books written by show guests on Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/lists/podcast-guest-authors