
As social workers, our main goal is to provide support and assistance through various life changing events. Our values remind us that it is our responsibility to protect children from abuse, neglect, and any other form of maltreatment. Year after year there have been countless infants abandoned in unsafe locations where they…
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The staff at Hopeful Beginnings is always looking for ways to provide support to the mothers in our community who are in need of a safe space and a message of hope and encouragement. Our current pandemic is leaving many of us lacking in connections with others. Small group gatherings even with outside…
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As birth mothers and adoptive families may research their options regarding adoption, they will find there are many different types of professionals involved in the adoption process. Adoption agencies could be viewed as more of an encompassing multi-disciplinary team approach while independent adoptions facilitated solely by adoption attorneys could be viewed as…
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There is no denying that wintertime in Chicago can be a very long and gloomy few months. Once the cold fall weather sets in and the clouds have blanketed the sky, it can feel as if the sun goes into hibernation until March. Mentally, emotionally, and physically, this time of year can be…
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Women hope and pray for a safe pregnancy. Discovering their pregnancy is affected by postpartum depression is devastating. However, postpartum depression can be treated through counseling. We at Hopeful Beginnings provide free counseling from qualified counselors for women experiencing postpartum depression. With time and treatment, recovery is possible Have you been feeling empty,…
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After a long day, you are finally able to rest. You feed your baby and put them to sleep, expecting them to fall asleep. If the baby is sleeping, then you can get some sleep too. However, you hear that the baby is crying and get up to check on them. You…
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Is it normal to have anxiety? We all experience some type of anxiety in our everyday life. We can feel anxious about making difficult decisions, doing a presentation, or dealing with financial issues. Anxiety is a feeling of worry or uneasiness due to stressful situations. Many women can experience anxiety during and…
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Why do children feel that a divorce means they did something wrong? Emotions can be extremely overpowering as an adult, for children they are drastically heightened. Divorce is a stressful and emotional experience for not only the adult but more so for the children. Children have a difficult time processing the situation due…
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As a parent, the first response to a child acting up is discipline. Due to generational patterns and behaviors, many of us learned that spanking was the first and foremost form of discipline. According to Robert Sege and Benjamin Siegel (2018), there is a strong correlation between corporal punishment being linked to and…
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November: Adoption Awareness Month Around 140,000 children are adopted by American families each year, and around 62% of babies in domestic infant adoptions were placed with their adoptive families within a month of birth (Adoption Network, 2013). This is quite a large number, but many people do not understand what exactly adoption…
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