What are you most interested in learning from this certificate
course? What is something about yourself that no one would know
just by looking at you? 3
Slide 4
Handout #2.1 Certificate Program in Adoption Competency for
Mental Health Professionals Handout #2.1 Certificate Program in
Adoption Competency for Mental Health Professionals 4
Slide 5
What does it mean to be an adoption competent mental health
professional? What is the theoretical and philosophical framework
that should guide our work as adoption competent mental health
professionals? How can we apply this framework in building
therapeutic relationships with adopted persons, adoptive families,
kinship families and birth families? What is the role of
race/ethnicity, class, gender/sexual orientation and family culture
in adoption? Are there biases and beliefs regarding adoption that
may impact our clinical practice? 5
Slide 6
Clinical Issues Trauma Attachment Loss and separation Grief
Identity formation Racial, cultural, and ethnic identity Adoption
Issues Developmental stages of an adopted child Different types of
adoptive families Adoptive family development and integration Open
adoption 6
Slide 7
Clinical Skills Preparing children and families for adoption
Working with families on issues of racial and ethnic identity
Consulting with parents on childrens challenging behaviors Helping
families explore ongoing connections post adoption Working with
birth families Working at the community and cross systems levels
Community resources Other service systems 7
Slide 8
Identify 5 characteristics of adoption competent mental health
professionals Identify 5 principles that comprise the theoretical
and philosophical framework Identify effective and ineffective
therapeutic strategies List 2 clinical skills in developing a
therapeutic relationship 8
Slide 9
List at least two clinical skills in engaging adoptive parents
as the experts on their child. Give 3 examples of how
race/ethnicity might impact adopted person Give 3 examples of how
sexual orientation might impact adoptive parents Identify 2 beliefs
of clinicians about adoption that might impact their clinical work
9
Slide 10
Was any of the information about the adoption process new to
you? Have you worked with families on aspect of the adoption
process? What about the court process and its potential impact on
families, children and youth? Any thoughts about what you learned
about the adoption court process? 10
Slide 11
Were there any new insights into the history of adoption? Did
any aspect of the history of adoption strike you as particularly
relevant to todays adoption practice? What are your thoughts about
the many adoption laws that you read about? Hague
Convention/Intercountry Adoption Act Federal child welfare laws
State laws on private adoptions 11
Slide 12
Handout #2.2 The Definition of an Adoption Competent Mental
Health Professional Handout #2.2 The Definition of an Adoption
Competent Mental Health Professional 12
Slide 13
Do you agree with the type of approach that adoption competent
mental health professionals/clinicians are expected to use and the
knowledge and skills they should have? The definition specifies
certain knowledge areas. Do these areas seem relevant to adoption
competency? 13
Slide 14
The definition specifically states that adoption competent
mental health professionals are culturally competent with respect
to the racial and cultural heritage of children and families. Why
do you think that this area was expressly emphasized in the
definition? 14
Slide 15
The definition states that adoption competent mental health
professionals are skilled in using a range of therapies with birth,
kinship and adoptive families to meet certain goals? What range of
therapies might you expect adoption competent mental health
professionals to be able to use? 15
Slide 16
Finally, the definition states that an adoption competent
mental health professional is skilled in advocating with other
service systems on behalf of birth and adoptive families. Is this
something that you expected to see in the definition or does it
surprise you? 16
Slide 17
Pre-adoption Post- placement Post- adoption 17
Slide 18
Handout #2.3 Post Adoption Services Handout #2.3 Post Adoption
Services 18
Slide 19
1. True or False: Most adoptive families do not need post
adoption services or supports. 19
Slide 20
2. Families who seek post adoption services most often need
help with: A. Their childrens grief and loss B. Their own grief and
loss C. Attachment issues D. All of the above 20
Slide 21
3. Issues regarding an adopted childs identity formation may be
particularly complex when children have been adopted: A. As an
infant B. Transracially C. From foster care D. Without their
siblings 21
Slide 22
4. Which of the following would NOT likely trigger the need for
post adoption services and support? A. The child becoming an
adolescent B. Mothers Day C. The adoptive family taking a vacation
together D. The child starting kindergarten or first grade 22
Slide 23
5. Which of the following would NOT likely be offered by
adoptive family support groups? A. Information and referral B.
Financial support C. Buddy families D. Workshops 23
Slide 24
6. True or False: Families who adopt children from foster care
can often use adoption subsidies and Medicaid to obtain post
adoption services. 24
Slide 25
The Therapeutic/Philosophical Framework for Adoption Competent
Mental Health Services 25
Slide 26
Handout #2.4 Principles of the Theoretical/Philosophical
Framework for Providing Adoption Competent Mental Health Service
Handout #2.4 Principles of the Theoretical/Philosophical Framework
for Providing Adoption Competent Mental Health Service 26
Slide 27
Select the one principle that was most compelling based on your
own personal and/or professional experience with adoption. Share
your selected principle with your partner then reverse roles.
Report Out 27
Slide 28
Handout #2.5 Questions for Prospective Therapists Handout #2.5
Questions for Prospective Therapists 28
Slide 29
Handout #2.6 Positive Adoption Language Handout #2.6 Positive
Adoption Language 29
Slide 30
Handout # 2.7 Natashas Case: Part 1 Handout # 2.7 Natashas
Case: Part 1 30
Slide 31
What might be your therapeutic approach with Natasha? What
issues might you expect to work on with Natasha? How would you
involve (or not involve) Natashas adoptive mother? 31
Slide 32
Handout #2.8 Natashas Case: Part 2 Handout #2.8 Natashas Case:
Part 2 32
Slide 33
Return to your small groups. How does Rachel work with Natasha?
How does her work compare with your ideas? Report Out 33
Slide 34
Which aspects of the therapeutic relationship are most
meaningful to Natasha? How has Natasha experienced adoption? What
impact have Natashas birth mother and other important caregivers
had on her? What was Rachels work with Natashas adoptive mother?
34
Slide 35
The therapist recognizes that each individual experiences
adoption in a unique way. How might adopted persons experience
adoption? What are some ways that an adopted person might
experience adoption that are different than the way that Natasha
experiences adoption? 35
Slide 36
The therapist recognizes that adoption is a circumstance of
emotional importance that affects the adopted person, adoptive
parents, birth parents, and extended family members. What are the
important issues at an emotional level for each person touched by
adoption? 36
Slide 37
The therapist embraces a genuine collaboration with adoptive
families as the real experts on their children. We didnt see this
happening in Rachels work with Natasha. Why do you think that it
did not happen? How might a therapist genuinely collaborate with
adoptive families as the real experts on their children? 37
Slide 38
The therapist does not blame adoptive parents for their childs
emotional and behavioral challenges. Many adoptive parents report
that when they see therapists who have little background in working
with adoptive families, the therapists often blame them for the
childs challenges. Why is this principle important in our
therapeutic work with adoptive families? 38
Slide 39
The therapist recognizes the presence and impact of the birth
family on the adoptive family. How might the birth family be
present in an adoptive family? 39
Slide 40
40
Slide 41
Handout #2.9 Case Scenarios: Engaging Adoptive Parents Handout
#2.9 Case Scenarios: Engaging Adoptive Parents 41
Slide 42
How might you incorporate these key characteristics of the
therapeutic approach in working with and engaging thee adoptive
parents? 42
Slide 43
Sudra and Amare Tom, Sandra and Deven Derrick, Steve, and
Shoshana 43
Slide 44
Handout #2.10 Life in An Orphanage Handout #2.10 Life in An
Orphanage 44
Slide 45
Which of the following is a transracial or transcultural
adoption? Mom is Latina. She adopts a Chinese child. Mom is White.
She adopts a Russian child. 45
Slide 46
Dad is African American; Mom is White. They adopt an African
American child. Dad is African American; Mom is African American.
They adopt an Hispanic/Latino child. 46
Slide 47
Dad is African American. He adopts a White child. Mom #1 is
White; Mom #2 is Latina. They adopt a White child. Mom is of
Chinese heritage; Dad is of Korean heritage. They adopt a Cambodian
child. 47
Slide 48
48
Slide 49
An adoption in which a family of one race adopts a child of
another race The term transracial adoption means the joining of
racially different parents and children together in adoptive
families An adoptive parent(s) adopting and raising a child of a
different race and ethnicity than their or their partners race or
ethnicity Transracial or transcultural adoption means placing a
child who is one race or ethnic group with adoptive parents of
another race or ethnic group. In the US, these terms usually refer
to the placement of children of color or children from another
country with Caucasian adoptive parents. 49
Slide 50
What are the ways that race and ethnicity may affect adoptive
families? White families who adopt a child of color 50
Slide 51
What are the ways that race and ethnicity may affect adoptive
families? For families of color who adopt a white child 51
Slide 52
Sexual orientation Birth and adoptive family culture 52
Slide 53
List at least 2 ways that sexual orientation may be an issue
for gay and lesbian adoptive parents and at least 2 ways that
sexual orientation be an issue for gay/lesbian youth who are
being/have been adopted. 53
Slide 54
How might gender/sexual orientation be an issue for adoptive
families? For gay or lesbian adoptive parents 54
Slide 55
How might gender/sexual orientation be an issue for adoptive
families? For adopted young people who are gay or lesbian 55
Slide 56
The Interface of Race and Sexual Orientation 56
Slide 57
The unique culture of each family How the culture of the
adoptive family and the birth family may be different 57
Slide 58
Family culture is the unique way that a family forms itself in
terms of rules, roles, habits, activities, beliefs, and other
areas. The racial or ethnic culture in which a family lives may
strongly influence family culture. Other families are no longer
tied to cultural norms of their ethnic or racial group. Every
family is different; every family has its own culture. 58
Slide 59
What the parents like most about their children: The familys
goals for itself Parents goals for their children What the family
sees as their biggest accomplishment What makes the family happy
Their favorite memories 59
Slide 60
What parents view as their best qualities as parents The
familys special rules Who their friends are, who they call when
they need help or want to talk, and who they consider to be
supportive Traditions or cultural events in which the family
participates Special values or beliefs that they learned from their
parents or others 60
Slide 61
Are there other aspects of the adoptive familys culture that we
should add to this list? 61
Slide 62
62
Slide 63
Handout #2.11 Race, Ethnicity and Culture in Adoption Handout
#2.11 Race, Ethnicity and Culture in Adoption 63
Slide 64
Handout #2.12 Therapists Values and Beliefs about Adoption
Handout #2.12 Therapists Values and Beliefs about Adoption 64
Slide 65
Our own experiences with adoption impact our values and beliefs
about adoption. Discuss the questions on Handout #2.12. 65
Slide 66
How might a personal experience with adoption as a birth mother
affect a therapists view of adoption? How might a therapist think
about adoption if he were adopted by an aunt and lived happily and
healthily within an extended family that included his birth mother
and father? How might a therapist think about adoption if her
clients are principally infertile couples who are attempting to
adopt and who have experienced situations in which birth mothers
changed their minds about agreeing to the adoption? How might a
therapist view adoption if she recently has had two cases in which,
despite her intensive work, the parents made the decision to end
the adoption? 66
Slide 67
Can I identify 5 characteristics of an adoption competent
mental health professional? Can I identify 5 principles that
comprise the theoretical and philosophical framework for this work?
Can I identify effective and ineffective therapeutic strategies in
a case study? Can I list 2 clinical skills in developing a
therapeutic relationship? 67
Slide 68
Can I list 2 clinical skills in engaging adoptive parents as
experts on their child? Can I give 3 examples of how race/ethnicity
might impact adopted person? Can I give 3 examples of how
gender/sexual orientation might impact adoptive parents? Can I
identify 2 beliefs of clinicians about adoption that might impact
their clinical work? 68
