Nancy Thomas is a woman with a big heart. The mother of three and grandmother of seven Thomas has taken several adoptive children into her Glenwood Springs, Colorado home, and she continues to educate people on how to handle challenging and challenged children. Nancy Thomas founded Families by Design in 1995 to further her goal of helping families with challenging children heal. Nancy Thomas supplements her work with Families by Design by providing phone consultations with parents, teachers, and mental health professionals.

For over 30 years, Nancy Thomas has helped parents with severely emotionally challenged children. First as a Therapeutic Parenting Specialist and later as a Professional Therapeutic Parent, Thomas has broken new ground in an important and under-studied field. Nancy’s book, “When Love is Not Enough: A Guide to Parenting Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder,” is considered a must-read for those dealing with at-risk and troubled children, and she has lectured in 47 states and 8 countries on the subject. Mrs. Thomas’ work with Providence General Medical Center for Continuing Medical Education in Washington earned her a Physician’s Recognition Award from the American Medical Association (AMA).

At home with her husband Jerry, Nancy Thomas has created a warm and curative atmosphere that fosters trust and healing. When she is not operating Families by Design or her other organization, SAVY, Inc., Nancy volunteers her time caring for the violent children of financially disadvantaged parents throughout the week and weekends.