May Staff Recommendations

Staff Recommendation One: Straw

In the film Straw, a single mother in deep despair is pushed to the brink. With no safety net to turn to, she’s forced to make a difficult decision to help her ill daughter.

Kirsten shares, “The film Straw tells the story of a single mother’s struggles to raising a chronically ill child on her own. It explores themes of poverty, illness, trauma and grief.”

Staff Recommendation Two: We Are Jeni

We Are Jeni is a landmark documentary special about Jeni Haynes, an Australian survivor of severe childhood abuse who developed Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) with over 2,500 alters. The film follows her decade-long battle to get her father convicted using the testimonies of her different personalities.

Emily shares, “I’ll be honest: This is a tough watch, as it contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse, but it is so informative and enlightening regarding the effects of trauma and the protective strategy of the mind splitting into multiple parts. It provides insight into recovery from sexual abuse and it does have an uplifting ending when justice is served.”

Staff Recommendation Three: The “F” Word – Foster Care Podcast

Sparking conversations about the child welfare system is the “F” Word: Foster Care podcast. Host Colleen Puckett explores how people navigate foster care from different perspectives. The show features stories from Parent Navigators, service providers, judges, attorneys,  foster parents, and others involved in the child welfare system. The podcast offers listeners unique insight into the realities and challenges of foster care.

Click here to read last month’s staff recommendations.