Created to Heal
A practical guide to understanding how the brain changes — and how healing happens.
Created to Heal equips parents, caregivers and leaders with clear, research-informed insight into neuroplasticity and practical steps to support healthy brain development.
Early adversity impacts children’s brains. So does nurture.
The brain is an incredible creation, wonderfully complex and pointing to the goodness and order of God. At the same time, the brain is tremendously delicate and easily impacted by circumstances. Adverse experiences can negatively impact and change the developing brain. This can feel discouraging for those who care deeply for children who have experienced early adversity. But there is room for hope.
The brain was created to heal.
Just as the brain can be negatively impacted by adversity, it can be positively impacted by healthy, nurturing environments. Intentional caregiving, safety and security, intellectual stimulation, rich relationships, and more actually rewire the brain for health, helping children move toward fulfilling their potential.
You can play an irreplaceable role in helping a child’s brain to heal.
Created to Heal explores how brains form, how they respond to their environments, how they heal and practical steps we can take to promote brain recovery in people who have experienced early adversity.
So Where do we begin?
Knowing that a child’s brain can heal from early adversity matters.
That’s precisely the focus of Created to Heal.
Who should read this book?
Leaders, staff, and volunteers of nonprofits serving vulnerable children & families
Foster, adoptive, and kinship parents seeking tools to support their children
Church staff and volunteers serving vulnerable children
Child welfare professionals looking for practical tools to share with the families and programs they serve
What will you learn?
The (simplified!) fundamentals of brain development.
How the brain responds to stress.
How the brain can heal from trauma.
Principles and practices for helping the brain to heal.
What makes this book unique?
Research-Informed and Accessible
Research-Informed and Accessible
Complex neuroscience is explained clearly and practically for everyday caregivers.
Grounded in Real-World Application
Grounded in Real-World Application
Each chapter connects science to concrete, actionable steps.
Designed for Global Contexts
Designed for Global Contexts
The principles are adaptable across cultures and care environments.
Focused on Hope and Healing
Focused on Hope and Healing
Neuroplasticity demonstrates that change is possible — even after early adversity.
About the Authors
Nicole Gilbertson Wilke, Ph.D
Dr. Nicole Wilke serves as director of the Center on Applied Research for Vulnerable Children and Families at CAFO. Prior to this role, she worked as a child and family therapist, missionary, in juvenile detention and with children with disabilities. Through her professional and personal experience, she has gained extensive insight into foster care, adoption, residential care, healing from early adversity, OVC research and cross-cultural ministry. Nicole holds degrees in psychology, family studies, marriage and family therapy, and permanency and adoption competency. She lives with her family in Peru, where they work to see vulnerable children raised in families.
Meredith Morgan Caleb
Meredith serves as the Technical Editing & Research Coordinator at the Center for the Economics of Human Development. With a passion for serving vulnerable children and families, she has supported children with significant needs in academic, therapeutic and nonprofit settings. Meredith holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and neuroscience from Bridgewater College and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in special education. In her free time, she supports children with disabilities in the church setting.
Alisha Pangborn
Alisha has a master’s degree in early childhood education and has been teaching young children about the love of Jesus for over 25 years. She is passionate about research-based approaches to serving children in the church and ministry settings. She has developed programming for orphaned and vulnerable children in low-income housing in Houston and shares this experience in a concise curriculum titled He Told Them Stories. Her current full-time role is as a wife and homeschooling mom of two boys.
Ready to Go Deeper?
Created to Heal provides a research-informed, practical exploration of how neuroplasticity supports healing and growth in children who have experienced adversity.
