Susan Badeau

There are only two lasting gifts we can give our children - one is roots, the other is wings

Testimonials

"I met Sue two years ago through a State organized event and was uplifted and inspired by her personal story of being a foster/adopt mother.  I knew we had to get Sue back again to our county and talk more to our foster/adopt families.  Sue was so easy to work with and accommodated us, every step of the way!  We organized a Christmas brunch with Sue as the main speaker and she suggested that we do an art project. Since I am not an artist, I was hesitant at first and personally, I also just wanted to hear Sue speak more of her experiences.  However, I went along with the idea and was not disappointed!  It was an amazing event and so many of our parents commented that it was the best event that our Department has organized for them.  Sue spoke in between the different phases of the art project, and also allowed for group conversation.  It blended so well together and was incredibly healing, collaborative and inspiring.  I would not think twice to have Sue back again and would highly recommend Sue for any foster/adopt event!"

Charmaine Summers, LCSW

Supervisor

Durango, CO


"Bristol Virginia Department of Social Services had the opportunity to attend training with Sue Badeau, first in a state conference for the Learning Collaborative and again when she came to our region to train on Permanency Round Tables.  After attending her trainings, we believed  Sue needed to be heard by staff and Foster Families.  We have invited her back multiple times to train, because Sue is someone that our foster families relate to.  She is living what she is training.  Sue generates a desire to do your best work with the youth we serve.  She did a session at the Best Practice Conference last fall (2017), and the attorney's feel she needs to speak to our Guardian ad Litem team to help them understand the importance of timeliness to permanence for our youth."
Deborah Harvey
Bristol Virginia Department of Social Services

"The Colorado Department of Human Services contracted with Sue Badeau in 2016 and 2017. She is highly skilled and did an amazing job facilitating 11 forums for families across the state to discuss the kinds of post-permanency services that they wanted or needed. Sue understands the impact of trauma on kids and families and weaves her own family story into her messaging. The audiences really connected and could relate to her. Sue is an excellent speaker, an expert in trauma, a great listener, and a skilled communicator. We highly recommend her and can't wait to work with her again!"
Mary Griffin, MSW
Foster Care Program Administrator and Relative Guardianship Assistance Program Administrator
Denver, CO

"Sue Badeau and I have worked closely over the last two years.  She has a calling and passion for this work .  She has provided excellent consultation, training , coaching and support to our agency specific to foster care and adoption practice.  Her span of knowledge reaches from front line workers to managers and administrators.  Sue’s work has resulted in impactful change for agency."

Lavinia P. Hopkins, MSW

Program Manager, Reunification & Permanency

City of Richmond Department of Social Services


"Sue Badeau masterfully combines a lifetime of personal experience and professional knowledge in foster care, guardianship, adoption, and trauma into a powerful, compelling story of why every child needs a family throughout their lifetime. She illustrates this universal need for belonging in an entertaining way through the theme of 'There's no place like home' journey depicted in the Wizard of Oz. Her permanency values work is essential for professionals and caregivers alike who strive to meet the needs of the children they care for and love."
Lynn Sloan Biggs, ACSW
Senior Director - Yakima Field Office
Casey Family Programs

"Sue Badeau's training on permanency and trauma are a must for social workers in all stages of service and with all levels of experience! She is informative, her trainings interactive, and her personal experience makes the entire experience poignant to the audience! She has walked her talk!"
Melanie Cleveland, Area Director, Region 2
Department of Human Services
Fort Smith, AZ

"Sue Badeau brings a tremendous depth of professional knowledge and personal experience to her work, always with a focus on healing and permanency. Her trainings are always insightful and inspiring, and above all helpful to families and caregivers of children with a history of grief, loss and trauma."
Lisa Maynard, MSW
Hillside Family Finding & Adoption, Rochester, NY

"Sue's writing that comes from the soul shines with beautiful pictures, impacting insights and impressive application of God's Word. One is left inspired, encouraged and pondering on the power of God?s Word. His message clear and relevant in moments of joy, heartache and struggles sings through her writing."
Janet Perez Eckles
Inspiration Author and Speaker, Florida

"Sue Badeau is a warm, engaging, and experienced consultant, trainer, and facilitator. Sue's deep personal experiences and broad professional work uniquely qualify her to bring an authentic and effective voice to system reform efforts."
Nancy Miller, National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges
Director, Policy & Government Affairs, Reno, NV

"Susan is an speaker who brings practical experience coupled with advanced research knowledge in the field of trauma, child welfare, and caregiving to her audiences. She speaks to any level of staff with sincerity and knowledge that helps participants walk away from a presentation or training knowing what to do with the information that she has shared. Engaging and "very real", Susan uses the experience and expertise of those in the room to build new skills while affirming participants' current practice. She is an excellent curriculum developer and supports a jurisdictions practice philosophy while weaving exercises and group development experiences into training sessions."
June Cairns, MSW
Staff Development Director, DHS, Philadelphia, PA

"On behalf of the Trauma and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents (TGCTA) Learning Collaborative Faculty, Participants and Planning team, we would like to sincerely thank you for your willingness to share your personal experience and perspective on how we can continue to build a more trauma-informed system for young people placed in Juvenile Detention Centers across the country. Partnering with you on the Family engagement and transition planning session, helped our participants better answer the question of "To ensure that youth can maintain their coping skills after release with the support of their families, can introducing trauma-informed parenting help families with reunification?. Your presentation during this session made our final Learning Session a thought-provoking and memorable event for everyone present!"
Linda Gaskins, Program Manager
NCTSN, Durham, NC

"We absolutely loved the presentation . . . Permanency is one of the most important things for our CASA volunteers to understand when working with children. After your presentation, I believe it was very clear for them that a permanent, stable home should always be the goal to work towards. They really liked how you interacted with them and engaged them in a "conversation like" presentation. We really appreciate your time and effort, and will be sure to contact you for future in-services."
Amparo Montes
Youth Advocacy Coordinator, CASA DC

"Sue is by far the best trainer we have had here - maybe ever!"
Participant, Maine Permanency Values Training
Child Welfare Social Worker

"I greatly admire your dedication to the improvement of children's lives both personally and professionally. Thank you for sharing your insights with us."
Megan Schrantz
National Child Traumatic Stress Network

If you have a testimonial to add, please email it to sue@suebadeau.com. Thanks!