ABOUT
Get to Know Me
and My Philosophy
LCDC III, CTRS-C
John Ward
Since the age of 13, I have been involved with child welfare in one form or another. I spent my teenage years as a foster child, was later adopted, and was formerly a therapeutic foster parent for over 19 years.
Throughout my 25-year career in child welfare, I have held various roles that have enabled me to make significant contributions to the field. As a caseworker, I provided essential support and guidance to families in need, ensuring their well-being and stability. Furthermore, I served as a program manager for a private foster care agency, where I was responsible for overseeing the implementation and management of programs designed to foster and reunite families. Additionally, I held the position of Director of Counseling for a non-profit organization for over a decade, during which time I developed and delivered counseling and coaching services to families. I also trained social workers and foster parents for the Ohio Child Welfare Training Program, further enhancing my expertise in the field.
My current responsibilities include coaching parents, providing training, and offering Guardian ad Litem and court mediation services to families. I also train other community partners, ensuring that they are well-equipped to support families in need. Notably, I have had the privilege of training clinicians for the Center for Adoption Support and Education, with a focus on adoption competencies.
I hold a master’s degree in Counseling, specializing in Reactive Attachment Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Addiction, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and trauma-related issues. I am a licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor III for the State of Ohio and a Certified Trauma and Resilience Specialist (Clinical level) through the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children: Starr Commonwealth.
I have a favorite non-profit charity that I support: https://www.naomisheartmission.org, which provides missionary services to impoverished children and families in the Philippines who are in desperate need of food, clothing, medical care, educational services, and other essential items.