Stephanie Garde volunteered with ATN for 9 years and was a Board Member before becoming the Operations Manager in 2018. She and her husband are parents to two sons, one by adoption and one by birth. Their experience with trauma and attachment issues started when they adopted a 5 year old boy from state custody in 1999. Two years of struggle later, Stephanie saw a Law and Order episode that explained her son’s behaviors. Using the internet and this new term “attachment,” the Garde family started on the journey to heal. With the help of trauma-sensitive attachment-focused therapy, their son is now 28. While he continues to struggle with the effects of early childhood trauma and neglect, he has graduated from high school and completed a vocational training program at a community college. He is living independently and works full-time. She is so proud of her son’s commitment to working to understand how his early-childhood trauma impacts his life.
Stephanie graduated from the University of Rhode Island and Vermont Law School. Formerly a disability attorney, Stephanie retired her license to be available full-time for her son’s needs. She is finding ways to help ATN, herself, and her community. Stephanie feels that ATN gives parents a place to be themselves. She works to remind ATN members of the bond we all have as parents and caregivers.
Stephanie is a breast cancer survivor and enjoys living in New England. Email Stephanie
