The Hastings daughters, counterclockwise from left: Ava, Sydney, Faith, Hope, and Ellison
By Tiffany White
Photo by Sarah Michals Photography
The Hastings family sought specialized care from the behavioral health outpatient services program at St. Joe’s for their 3-year-old twin girls who had medical issues. Kristin and her husband, who also have three bio kids ages 13, 11, and 9, knew they needed extra support to successfully handle the responsibilities of caring for the twins. “The girls were three months old when we got them as foster parents through DCBS. We had all these different doctors and appointments we were taking them to, and a psychologist who was working at Norton Healthcare in our pediatrician’s office, told us she thought St. Joe’s could serve us better. We really needed someone who could work on their interactions with each other,” she says. The couple adopted their twin daughters in 2023.
Kristin shares three characteristics about the St. Joe’s therapy team that has made life as parents more manageable for her and her husband.
Emotional intelligence — We had this really sweet relationship with Alex and Maryann. They were always accommodating of our schedule. It was really hard for my husband to be there during our sessions with his work schedule, so they made sure that Maryann was always available to support all of the sessions.
Reassurance — It has been an encouragement to me as much as them…hearing the reminders of the way to speak to them. For me, it’s like a retreat [when we go to their appointments]. I can sit in my car while they’re gone and know they’re happy and safe. They are always excited to go.
Problem solving skills — They (the therapists) always ask me ‘What are you struggling with at home and how can we reenact that here?’ For a while, we were doing some outside activities, because they were struggling with walking through parking lots and being safe outside. We practiced walking and testing how far they would go. It’s hard with twins, so having two other people there to help me corral them and keep them safe was very helpful. They would also be silly with them and do dances they’ve watched on YouTube. All of their other therapists (outside of St. Joe’s) have been impressed with the girls’ knowledge of emotions and their ability to describe how they’re feeling.
Interested in learning more? Contact us to set up an appointment at bhsoinfo@sjkids.org.
This post was supported by funds made available by the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s Office of Health Equity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, under RFA-OT21-2103. The content of this post are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of or endorsement by the Kentucky Department for Public Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.