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It is very important for
adoptive families to feel
supported as they address
their children’s needs and
respond to changes in their
family system. However,
quite often the adoptive
parents need to be proac-
tive in seeking appropriate
mental health services.
According to the article,
Issues Facing Adoptive
Mothers of Children with
Special Needs, written by
Heather Forbes and Sophia
F. Dziegielewski, (http://
www.beyondconsequences.com/
articles1.html), “As adoptive
parents move through the
adoption experience, many
soon realize that the
‘honeymoon’ is over and that
the stress and tension in
their families are at a level
in which outside help is
warranted. However, adop-
tive mothers can perceive
asking for help as a fail-
ure.” The article mentions
that adoptive mothers turn
to friends, but then discov-
er that outsiders do not
understand their situation.
The article identifies three
types of post-adoption ser-
vices. “Educational and in-
formational services include
requesting more complete
information about the
child’s history; request for
literature (pamphlets, books,
articles) on adoption issues;
and lectures, seminars, work-
shops, and classes focusing
on adoption. Material ser-
vices include adoption subsi-
dies, medical care, and spe-
cial education options. Clini-
cal services include counsel-
ing for the child, couple, or
family, and respite care.”
The article explains that
material and clinical services
are the most important for
adoptive families. According
to this article, “Research
shows that finding qualified
therapeutic help for adopted
children is an extremely
(Continued to pg. 2)
Upon arriving at the
Shopneck Boys & Girls Club
in Brighton, you will see a
large variety of kids, from
ages 6 to 18. The youth
may use computers, receive
homework help, and enjoy
art time and fun with
friends. There is a sepa-
rate area for the
teens. They also have a
Garden Club where youth
have the chance to soil,
plant, and maintain the gar-
den until time to harvest.
Several sports are offered
throughout the year. The
Club can pick up children
after school at: North Ele-
mentary, Pennock Elemen-
tary, Overland Trails Mid-
dle School, South and
Southeast Elemen-
tary. During the school
year, the facility is open
from 2:30pm until
9:00pm. They offer after-
noon snacks and an early
dinner.
The Boys and Girls Club
branches in the Denver
Metro area offer similar
services for about $2 per
year for each child. Con-
tact your local branch to
get updated information. To
contact The Robert M.
Shopneck branch call 303-
637-7272.
Community Spotlight-
Robert M. Shopneck Boys & Girls Club
Is it Time for Therapy?
Issue 3, September 2012
Adoption Newsletter
Inside this issue:
Is it Time for Therapy? 1
Community Spotlight—
Boys & Girls Club
1
Is it Time for Therapy?
(Continued)
2
Children to Know 3
Getting Kids Up and Out 3
Adoptive Families’ Picnic 4
Culture Pass Program 4
Services for Children with
Developmental Disabilities
5
Top Ten List 5
Adams County Human
Services Department
Adoption Support Group
3rd Tuesday of each month,
5:30pm—7:30pm, CFC building, 7401
N. Broadway, Denver, 80221
Next meetings:
Sept. 18, 5:30-7:30pm Open Discus-
sion
Oct. 16, 5:30-7:30pm Open Discus-
sion
Please RSVP with Elizabeth Miller,
303-412-5118
difficult challenge itself.” Many
times adoptive parents determine
that “The therapists do not under-
stand how to treat adopted children
with complex histories and therapists
do not have a working knowledge of
the relationship between the adopted
child and the adoptive parents.”
The Adoption Exchange (http://
tae.convio.net/site/PageServer?
pagename=adoption_post_coparc_therapist)
has an article from
(www.adoptivefamilies.com), “Do We Need
a Therapist? How to Decide- and How
to Find One.” The article compiled by
Susan Freivalds, suggests some things
to consider or do prior to pursuing
therapy: 1) Learn about child develop-
ment to identify if your child’s behav-
iors are normal; 2) Consider if there
has been a change in the family that
may be triggering the behavior; 3)
“Seek out parenting classes or advice
from a parenting expert”; 4) Let your
child know that you are open to talk
about adoption; 5) Give your child op-
portunities to interact with other
children who have been adopted; and
6) Join a support group. The Adop-
tion Exchange website (http://
www.adoptex.org/site/PageServer?
pagename=adoption_post_coparc_main) has
links to search for adoptive parent
support groups and mental health pro-
fessionals with adoption training/
experience. The same article, “Do We
Need a Therapist? ...” also offers
situations when therapeutic profes-
sional help is needed, such as:
“inconsolable, persistent crying;
chronic worry; being made fun of at
school; significant change in tempera-
Center for Adoption Support and Ed-
ucation (C.A.S.E.), a non-profit adop-
tive family support center, “…has con-
vened a group of nationally recog-
nized experts, including parents, who
identified the specific knowledge,
skills, and values competencies that
mental health practitioners need...”
According to the survey, the adoption
competent therapist “… understands
the nature of adoption as a form of
family formation and the different
types of adoption; the clinical issues
that are associated with separation
and loss and attachment; the common
developmental challenges in the expe-
rience of adoption; and the charac-
teristics and skills that make adop-
tive families successful.” “An adop-
tion competent mental health profes-
sional is skilled in using a range of
therapies to effectively en-
gage...families toward the mutual goal
of helping individuals to heal, empow-
ering parents to assume parental en-
titlement and authority, and assisting
adoptive families to strengthen or
develop and practice parenting skills
that support healthy family relation-
ships.” These findings are part of a
multi-year initiative that C.A.S.E. has
spear headed “…to expand the ac-
cess...to adoption competent mental
health professionals; to provide adop-
tive families with the mental health
services they need to be stable and
healthy and reduce rates of disrup-
tion and dissolution; and to strength-
en the post adoption services offered
by the mental health and child wel-
fare systems nationwide.”
Page 2 Adoption Newsletter
Is it Time for Therapy? (Continued) ment, personality; persistent malaise or
apathy; risk-taking behaviors; dramatic
drop in school performance; suicidal
thoughts; difficulty sustaining relation-
ships.”
If therapy seems to be the next step,
you should work directly with the Be-
havioral Health Organization (BHO) in
your area to identify an adoption com-
petent therapist who is a good fit with
your family. The link to the BHO cus-
tomer service lines and the Office of
Member and Family Affairs for each
service area is: (http://www.colorado.gov/
cs/Satellite/HCPF/HCPF/1212398231156).
For further assistance in accessing ser-
vices, contact the Medicaid Ombudsman
for Managed Care at 303-830-3560 or
1-877-435-7123 outside metro Denver.
Family Voices Colorado (1-877-731-
6017) can also advocate for your family.
The article: “Do We Need a Thera-
pist?...” has questions for choosing a
therapist: “What is your experience
with adoption?” What issues do you be-
lieve may affect adoptees and can be
helped by therapy?; What experience
do you have in dealing with similar situa-
tions?; Does the therapist “…appear to
know how children think about adoption
at different developmental levels?”;
What information about our family do
you need to know?. Helpful information
should include: (“what led the parents
to adopt;” how the family talks about
adoption; and what impact the parents
believe adoption has on their child’s be-
havior);”
According to the article WHAT DOES
ADOPTION COMPETENCY MEAN?, the
Michelle (10 yrs.), Jaelyn (6
1/2 yrs.) and Levi (4 1/2 yrs.)
These three siblings need a loving
adoptive family who will commit to
them permanently. Michelle enjoys
listening to music
and pretending to
be a famous singer.
Michelle is outgoing
and likes to strike
up conversations.
She has fun playing
with her friends and siblings.
Michelle is excelling in school and
talks often about new things she has
learned.
Jaelyn enjoys playing games and swim-
ming. She likes fashion and choosing
fun outfits for the
upcoming week. Ja-
elyn enjoys being
around other chil-
dren, but can also
entertain herself.
She has an easy-
going personality.
Levi is an active child who
enjoys physical play such
as kicking and jumping
and is interested in play-
ing sports. He seems to
engage well with adults
and would benefit from gaining social-
ization skills with his peers.
Michelle, Jaelyn and Levi would bene-
fit from a two-parent family who
could focus on their individual needs
and promote a safe family environ-
ment. Their family should offer good
supervision and consistency to help
them develop personal boundaries.
If you have an approved home study
please contact Nikole Ordway, 303-
412-5167.
Jovan (11 yrs.)
Jovan is an active guy with many in-
terests. He enjoys playing outdoors,
camping, fishing, reading, putting to-
gether puzzles, and watching movies.
Jovan has a large collection of Star
Wars action figures that he values.
Jovan is bright and he likes to learn.
He is independent and enjoys being a
leader. His social skills continue to
improve and he is learning to maintain
friendships.
Jovan would do best in a patient, lov-
ing adoptive family where he would
receive a good deal of individual at-
tention, structure and supervision.
He would benefit from a mom and dad
able to model and teach him to be a
strong and nurturing
young man. His
adoptive parents
should be skilled in
attachment and
should participate in
family therapy with
him. Jovan would do best in a home
with no other children or one older
child. If you have an approved home
study, please contact Cathy Padilla,
303-412-5257.
al nights prior to get him prepared
for the events of the morning.
The Night Before: Plan for an early
bedtime. Children need approximately
nine full hours of sleep, depending on
their age, to feel rested. Provide a
protein rich bed time snack. This will
help sleep come quickly and keep them
full so they do not wake up due to
hunger at night. Examples would be
cheese, pumpkin or sunflower seeds,
or peanut butter and crackers. Get
backpacks and lunches ready the
night before .
School has started and the morning
routine can be stressful. Here are a
few ideas to start the day well. The
following guidelines were provided
from an article on
www.attitudemag.com entitled “
Morning Routines for Children with
ADHD: Rise and Shine for School”.
While this article is for a specific
population the rules seem to be useful
for all children.
Long Term Planning: Establish and go
over the morning routine with your
child over the weekend and for sever-
Waking Up: Using an alarm clock may
help your child with starting his own
routine. Another way to wake your
child would be to let light into the
room and give your child time to wake
up before beginning the morning rou-
tine.
From Bed to Door: Have your child
eat a healthy breakfast to help her
focus longer and to be more prepared
for the stresses of the morning. Re-
ward your child and give her good
feedback for a good morning.
Issue 3, September 2012
Getting Kids Up and Out the Door
Children to Know
Page 3
On June 15, 2012, adoptive families gathered for a picnic at E.B. Rains Park in Northglenn. There was food, face paint-
ing, and socializing. It was a wonderful turn out of approximately 30 people. The focus of the party was for adoptive
parents to network, provide support for each other, and have fun. The hope is that the party will be an annual event
organized for and by the Adams County adoptive parent community.
Due to the success of the picnic, families may want to gather again in October or November, for a more low-key event.
Please let Liz Miller ([email protected]) know if you would like to help organize this event or if you have ideas of a
location that would be inexpensive and fun. There is no funding available, so it could be families meeting for an activity:
bowling, hay ride, pumpkin patch, etc.
Page 4 Adoption Newsletter
Adoptive Families’ Picnic
Culture Pass Program
The Jefferson County Public Library Culture Pass Program
For those of you with a Jeffco Library card, we recommend you look into this program. You can get passes to: Denver
Firefighters Museum, Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys, Dinosaur Ridge, Foothills Art Center, Golden Histo-
ry Museums, MCA Denver, Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, The Hudson Gardens & Event Center (which, this time of year,
is currently free admission).
You can get the passes up to 30 days in advance, with a max of two passes booked per 30 day period. You can do this
from your own computer or visit the library for more information. You will need your library card to make the reserva-
tion.
Drawing by John M.
A Community Center Board (CCB) is an organization designed to help with long-term services and support systems to
people with developmental disabilities. Although there is likely to be a very long wait-list, it’s important to get your
child on the list if they qualify. Services are provided for children from birth and last throughout their lives and
vary based on the child’s needs. When a child is in foster care, they are not included on the waitlist. Even if a child
was on the list prior to being in foster care, their name is dropped from the list as soon as the biological parent loses
custody. That is why it is extremely important that you contact your local CCB as soon as you finalize. There will be
children who have been on the list since birth.
Some services offered through the CCB’s include case management, referral assistance, therapy and educational sup-
ports, financial resources, services for families with children who have intensive behavioral and/or medical needs,
and for families who have children at risk of being hospitalized or admitted to a nursing facility. There may also be
special services for children with Autism. If you think your child may qualify, contact your local CCB (http://
www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDHS-VetDis/CBON/1251586997819).
For Adams County, contact North Metro Community Services at (303) 252-7199, or visit their website at http://
www.nmetro.org/index.php.
10. In the back yard from a dog taking them out
9. In the hamper
8. Under their sibling’s bed
7. In the dog’s water bowl
6. Under the child’s spaghetti plate
5. In the garbage
4. Under a planter, in the water tray
3. In a hamster’s cage
2. In the fish tank
And the #1 most unusual place a shoe has been found:
In the foot of the pajamas while he was wearing them.
Thank you for the feedback. Our next topic will be: Top Ten: Places to Celebrate Fall with your Children.
Please forward responses to [email protected]. I look forward to your responses.
Issue 3, September 2012
Top Ten: Most Unusual Places Your Child’s Shoes
Were Found
Services for Children with
Developmental Disabilities
Page 5