The Dr. Jana Podcast

This episode is the second of a five-part series on the tricky balancing act of structure and nurture in parenting in adoptive families. Your natural parenting might be more structured and traditional - what was modeled for you from your parents. But you've been taught in the adoption community that good parenting leans heavy in compassion and nurturing care. And yet, neither approach seems to be creating calm in your home. How do you effectively balance the two? Find out how to give choice and offer collaboration in your parent-child relationship while balancing structure and nurture in this episode with Dr. Jana and Beth.

This episode is the first of a five-part series on the tricky balancing act of structure and nurture in parenting in adoptive families. Your natural parenting might be more structured and traditional - what was modeled for you from your parents. But you've been taught in the adoption community that good parenting leans heavy in compassion and nurturing care. And yet, neither approach seems to be creating calm in your home. How do you effectively balance the two? Find out in this episode with Dr. Jana and Beth.

In this episode, Dr. Jana discusses the importance of narrative for an adopted child to make sense of themselves, the world, and relationships. Dr. Jana shares specific language to use and ways to answer questions to give honest and developmentally appropriate information to help guide children who are adopted to a complex, accurate understanding of their stories.

In this episode, Dr. Jana discusses the importance of narrative for an adopted child to make sense of themselves, the world, and relationships. Dr. Jana shares perspectives for caregivers to consider to lay a healthy foundation to begin having complex conversations with their children about their stories, the losses their children have experienced that they did not deserve at early ages, and how to make sense of it all.

This episode is the final episode in a five-part series where we share the truth we want each group of people who are involved in life post-adoption to hear. Today Dr. Jana and Beth are discussing the important role professionals play for adoptive families and the challenges that professionals can face. They discuss the realities of complex trauma being at the center of one's daily work and the important habits professionals need to have to do this work well.

This episode is the fourth episode in a five-part series where we share the truth we want each group of people who are involved in life post-adoption to hear. Today Dr. Jana and Beth are discussing the important role extended family and support systems can play for adoptive families. They discuss why this relationship can sometimes be challenging for both parties, what families really need, and how extended families can be the greatest assets to meet those needs well.

This episode is the third episode in a five-part series where we share the truth we want each group of people who are involved in life post-adoption to hear. Today we are discussing adoptive siblings - or the children in families who can sometimes feel invisible or pushed aside while their parents are caring for the more immediate needs of other children in the home. We discuss some of the most common patterns siblings can face from Dr. Jana's research and clinical work, the personal experiences of both Dr. Jana and Beth as adoptive siblings, and how to best support siblings.

This episode is the second episode in a five-part series where we share the truth we want each group of people who are involved in life post-adoption to hear. We discuss some of the most common patterns adoptees can face in Dr. Jana's clinical experience, why those patterns exist, and how to improve these patterns.

This episode is the first of a five-part series where we share the truth we want each group of people who are involved in life post-adoption to hear. We discuss some of the most common experiences for caregivers, why the complexity can feel so hard sometimes, and what to do about it.

In this first episode, Dr. Jana and Beth introduce themselves, how they connected over a shared passion, and why they are doing this podcast now. For those who don't know them, this first episode serves as a helpful introduction to better understand the lived experiences, educational backgrounds, and professional experience that shapes their conversations each week.

The Dr. Jana Podcast is a space for caregivers, helping professionals, and anyone involved in adoption who is navigating the complexities of trauma, adoption, neurodiversity, and relational healing. With compassion, honesty, and clinical insight, Dr. Jana and her co-host Beth offer practical tools, fresh insights, and hope for families navigating complexity. This isn’t about quick fixes—it’s about understanding what’s really going on beneath the behavior and learning how healing happens in relationship.