Foster Parents with Mental Health Diagnoses?

Wow that's interesting. We live in Illinois and all I have seen is you need to be 'physically able to care for children'. I work outside the home, but as long as you can support your family financially, it should be ok. Are you single or coupled? I have PTSD and Depression, but it's never been an issue and it would show up on the medical records if it was. Maybe you should request the medical records to see if your doctor put something inappropriately. Was there any other factor that they might be using against you as to why they would decline you? I think our trouble might be that my partner has a back disability from the military, but I will insist that the child be put in daycare/respite while I am at work, as so many parents do. My partner can care for a child, but if her back hurts, she has to take medication that makes her sleepy. She wouldn't take the medication for her back when the child was alone with her obviously. I feel horrible about your situation. I hope that you are doing something to fight it, as long as you can support yourself and the child financially. Wisconsin does ban second parent adoption though (for gays). Good luck.I found this information on Who can Foster Parent in Wisconsin:Wisconsin Foster Care Fact Sheet Foster parents give a child a safe and loving place to stay while the child’s parents are unable to provide for them. These children come from a wide variety of backgrounds and situations. They are children of all ages and races. The children in the most need of homes are children with special needs, including teenagers, siblings and children with physical, emotional or behavioral disabilities. Above all, most of these children need a loving and stable place to call home. Many different types of people can be foster parents. A lot of people may think that only married people can be foster parents or you have to own a home. In reality, people from all walks of life can be a foster parent. You can be young or old, home owner or renter, married or single, work in or outside the home or with or without children of your own. Most importantly, a foster parent needs to provide a safe and loving environment for these children.

CatMama, were you trying to license directly with the state? If so, have you looked into private agencies, as other posters mention?

Good news, I found out that my partner's disability (back) will not stop us from foster/to/adopting. I talked with a State Licensing Supervisor, and he said that all she needs to do is get a note from her doctor saying she cannot take care of the child while I am at work, and they'll pay for day care. However, you have to make sure the day care accepts the age of the child, and that they accept DCFS funding. I found a lot more good information too. But I won't share it unless anyone wants me to. Thanks.

My DH, after many years of problems, has finally decided to seek counseling. The counselor thinks he has OCD and wants him to see a psychiatrist and try medication. He's already has his interview with the SW and told her about his issues, but I think that he should tell her during our next appt that he is now seeking counseling. He's afraid that it will hurt our chances to be licensed. Any suggestions on this? Thanks.

I think it is a good idea. It shows responsibility for your emotions and will be able to manage your emotions with the foster child better, and that it's okay to ask for help/get help. It's good to be honest.

Be truthful with your general practitioner and with the agency. They want to know that you are not going to have stress related anxiety attacks to the point where you can't protect or advocate for your foster child. They'll have whomever prescribes sign the fitness for fostering medical form. I wouldn't sweat it.

It depends on how severely the OCD effects his day to day living and ability to parent. (I think we ALL are OCD about something) I would not be specific about what the behavior is, because the details are not their business. What matters is whether it effects his parenting. It's good that he recognizes it, because then you know that a severely OCD child may or may not be a good fit for your family..... Do you care to give us more details about the situation?

As I put in another thread, I had some mental health issues related to a physical disorder. I got the physical disorder under control so no more of those mental issues. However, I do have an anxiety disorder. I have seen a psychologist on and off. I have had to go back because of the trauma issues *I* was having due to what my children have gone through. I was struggling with not handling them perfectly (why I think I should be perfect when we all are imperfect is beyond me). I think there are a couple positives to having this, getting treatment, and admitting the issue. First, I can understand. Two of my kids have anxiety dxes. Second, I have proven that I will seek help as necessary. If I will do it for me, I am likely to do it for them. Additionally, I use traditional and non-traditional help. I prove that I am willing to do whatever it takes to be healthy, advocate, etc. And third, honesty is always the best policy. I'm generally trust-able because I was forward regarding this.Best to you :)

Sure. He lives a perfectly normal life- it's just that the obsessive thoughts cause anxiety which causes him to do small things to compensate. His behaviors are basically invisible to anyone except him and me. He just started a new job, which has overwhelmed him and caused an increase in the anxiety- which is why he decided to start counseling. I don't think it will affect his parenting at all, but he mentioned the movie "As good as it gets" the other day, mentioning how the dog picked up on the behaviors and copied them, and he doesn't want any children who come to us to do that. I think that shows where his concern is. Thanks everyone for the advice.

No one is perfect, but EVERY parent SHOULD do all they can to take care of their issues, mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc. If your toilet isn't working, you get it fixed, right? Same should apply to your mental health so the child can have the best parenting possible. My partner is a disabled Veteran, and she will have her doctor sign off that she cannot take care of the child by herself alone, because of her disability medication makes her sleepy. She needs sleep every day more than regular people so she can take care of her issue. Our child will go into day care while I am at work (we aren't planning to foster for 2 years when our oldest daughter turns 18). Don't get me wrong, my partner will still be a backup to when I need a "break" and she will tell me when she needs sleep so that I can watch the child, but it would be too much for her to say 'take care of this child 8 hours completely while I work". Anyway - I think you will be fine as long as you keep getting help, it shows that you are human and that you are taking care of your issues. We all have issues, and if we pretend they are not there, it will harm the child when those issues are not addressed.

Good for him. It is more difficult for men to seek counseling than women, because of the pressures to 'pull yourself up by your boot straps' mentality taught early on for boys and men. I am glad that he is doing all he can to prevent any further problems and doing all he can to ensure a healthy life for himself, and his family.

I also have a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder and have been in therapy and tried various treatments in the past. I haven't had the best of luck with finding a treatment that works, but I have learned to live with it reasonably well. I was very concerned that this diagnosis would impede my chances of being approved or being placed with a child, so I chose not to disclose it when I was going through the homestudy process. Even so, my social worker noted that I was "very shy" in my homestudy and wrote that it may interfere with my ability to advocate for a child. I was placed with both my children very quickly, so obviously her comments didn't hurt me, but I still often wonder if having an official diagnosis instead of just her observation that I was "shy" would have made a difference. If I were doing it over again, I would still chose not to disclose it just in case.

Well I guess you got lucky, you got a good SW then. I think we will disclose some, but not all. If you are too vocal about your issues, it might backfire. You made a gut feeling about not disclosing, which I respect, it is just up to the person I guess. Did you have to do a physician report though? Some states require a physician report, maybe your state doesn't require it.

:love: Thanks for sharing. Your post made me smile. As good as it gets and What About Bob are movies that help people keep a sense of humor about mental health struggles. Humor is hugely important if you become foster parents. Most of all, though...is a genuine love for children. Do know, however....foster parenting gets stressful, for sure. You can always ease into it by giving breaks to other foster parents or only taking one child at a time...age group that is in your comfort zone. Best to You!

hello all! I was so glad to find this thread because it's an issue I've been worried about. I take medication and attend therapy for social anxiety/mild depression. I have asked a few people about how it would affect our chances to be foster parents, including an adoption lawyer. She said that as long as you have a letter from your therapist stating you are fine to parent, she has never seen it be a problem. That gave me hope. :cool: