Trigger Warning: As Kamille bravely and openly shares her experience, we want to make sure you know this episode mentions sexual assault between 11:30-13:00 and briefly again around 22:00.
“They are so resilient. I can see myself in them.” – Kamille Justus
Children in foster care are some of the most resilient people you’ll meet. They navigate continual change, traumatic experiences, and so much more, and their experiences often form a determination within them.
Kamille Justus is one of these resilient people. In her case, that determination was to be a cycle-breaker in her family despite the hardship she had experienced throughout her life.
Today, Kamille is a Lead Family Support Worker at The Center for Youth and Family Solutions, which has locations across Illinois. Kamille has endured her own experiences in what, now, could bring children into care and she is using her experiences to help connect with children and parents. She hopes that her experience can build those connections so that the families within the Knox, Henderson and Warren counties can be supported and reunited.
In this episode, Kamille shares her story, the triggers that have formed as a result of what she experienced growing up, why her trauma created a passion to support others who have gone through something similar, the importance of empathy and compassion, and so much more.
I am so grateful to Kamille for joining me for this conversation!
TAKEAWAYS FROM TODAY’S CONVERSATION:
1. We don’t know the details of everyone’s story, so it’s important we lead with compassion.
It’s easy to think that people are overreacting to “something small” when they are feeling triggered. However, we don’t know the weight of that small thing on their heart. It may not just be a haircut. It may not just be uncomfortable shoes. It may not just have felt like an innocent brush against their shoulder. No matter the source of the anxiety, it’s important that we lead with as much empathy and compassion as we can.
“When we feel like someone is overreacting, it’s important to remember that the little things to us are huge to someone else.”
2. How can we become a safe space for those in our care?
Kamille shared about the challenge it was growing up because she didn’t feel like she had anyone that she could truly be open with about the abuse she experienced. This is a helpful reminder of the opportunity we have when supporting the foster care community. How can we ensure those we care for have a safe space?
“I was never able to talk about the abuse because I didn’t have a safe space. That really shaped how closed off I was.”
3. Challenging behaviors aren’t black-and-white.
Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “They aren’t giving you a hard time. They are having a hard time.” There is a lot of truth to that concept. At the core, it’s important that we simply remember the circumstances many children in foster care have navigated. As Kamille shares with us, many children in care are used to people giving up on them, which is why they may push boundaries. Down deep, they may wonder, will this time be different?
“So many of our kids are waiting for you to give up on them.”
Meet Our Guest
Kamille Justus is a Lead Family Support Worker at The Center for Youth and Family Solutions, which has locations across Illinois. She and her fiancé, Daniel, are inching their way closer to their wedding day at the end of September! Together, they bought their first home in 2021 and they have two fur-babies: a cat, Violet and a dog, Shiloh. Kamille has endured her own experiences in what, now, could bring children into care and she is using her experiences to help connect with children and parents. She hopes that her experience can build those connections so that the families within the Knox, Henderson and Warren counties can be supported and reunited.
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