Adoption, though a source of joy, is often accompanied by complex emotions, attachment struggles, and profound questions of identity …
… from young adult adoptees navigating feelings of loyalty and love while deciding whether to explore their cultural roots and biological heritage
… to adoptive parents grappling with the complexities of adoption as they recognize their child’s unspoken grief and the expectations they had for parenting.
Without the specialized knowledge required to navigate the complexities of adoption, therapists may unintentionally invalidate or minimize client’s experiences or decisions, leading to disenfranchised grief, ongoing uncertainty, and missed opportunities for healing.
Watch Jeanette Yoffe, a child psychotherapist, author, and expert in the areas of adoption & foster care, to discover how to navigate the invisible threads of separation trauma and birth family loss, support transracial and transcultural adoptees with identity integration, and open meaningful, age-appropriate dialogues about adoption.
You will learn:
Tools to assess the effects of in utero trauma, separation trauma, and attachment disruptions caused by adoption
Creative therapy techniques to address the 9 core vulnerabilities faced by adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents
Attachment-based interventions to support healthy bonding and secure relationships
Step-by-step guidance for identity discussions within transracial and transcultural families
Skills to build trust and navigate boundaries in open adoption relationships
Support strategies for clients during complex reunions or reconnections
With evidence-based techniques, you’ll learn to empower families and individuals through therapeutic interventions tailored to their unique experiences, transforming your clinical practice into one of true adoption competence. Purchase now.
CPD
Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships
All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners. For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.
CPD
This online program is worth 6.5 hours CPD.
Handouts
File type
File name
Number of pages
PDF
Manual - Adoption and Mental Health
(12 MB)
189 Pages
Available after Purchase
PDF
Manual - Adoption and Mental Health - French
(12 MB)
189 Pages
Available after Purchase
PDF
Manual - Adoption and Mental Health - Italian
(12 MB)
189 Pages
Available after Purchase
PDF
Manual - Adoption and Mental Health - German
(12 MB)
189 Pages
Available after Purchase
PDF
Manual - Adoption and Mental Health - Spanish
(12 MB)
For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com.
Objectives
Analyze the neurobiological impact of in utero trauma, separation trauma, and attachment disruptions in adoptees.
Choose attachment-based interventions to support secure relationships and repair ruptured attachments in adoptive families.
Identify the nine core vulnerabilities experienced by adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents.
Utilize age-appropriate therapeutic strategies to help adoptees process identity integration, grief, and loss at different developmental stages.
Determine culturally responsive techniques to support transracial and transcultural adoptees in navigating identity and belonging.
Develop best practices for guiding clients through open adoption relationships, birth family reunions, and genetic testing decision.
Outline
Adoption in the 21st Century
Adoption terminology
The 8 types of adoption
Genetic testing, adoption records, and more
Limitations of the research and potential risks
Separation Trauma and the Grief of Relinquishment
What we know about in utero trauma
The neurobiology of separation trauma
Attachment and abandonment: Brain changes
Trauma and grief of relinquishing mothers
Infertility, foster parenting, and other pre-adoptive experiences of adoptive parents
Identify and Target the 9 Core Vulnerabilities for all Members of the Adoption Constellation
Identity integration
Grief and loss
Rejection and abandonment
Shame and guilt
Control and autonomy
Fear and trust
Secrecy and transparency
Belonging and connection
Integration and healing
Attachment-Based Interventions
Overview of attachment styles
Build attachment to foster attunement and responsiveness
Strategies for nurturing trust with adopted children
Techniques for repairing ruptured attachments
Tools for parent self-regulation
Activities to enhance family bonding
Interventions for Each Age and Stage
Recognize adoption-specific challenges at developmental milestones
Age-appropriate adoption language and talking points
Activities to address feelings of rejection, anger, or confusion
Adopted Parts of Me
Bird in the Nest
Puzzle Within
Angry Heart
Sensory Memory Smoke Detector Cards
Interventions from ACT and CBT to support self-worth and foster resilience
Activities to address identity questions and curiosity about birth family
Ghost Kingdom: Exploring my Imagined Life
Suitcase of Memories
Lifebook Creation
Adoption Genogram
Navigate school and peer conversations about adoption
Creative and play-based therapies to address loss and grief
Grief Mailbox
Tracks of My Tears
Adoption Counselling: Best Practices
Recognize adoption as a lifelong process
Navigate openness and transparency in adoption
Transracial and transcultural family dynamics
Search and reunion: Prepare for all potential outcomes
Up-to-date research in trauma, grief, and adoption dynamics
Target Audience
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Counsellors
Social Workers
Psychotherapists
School Social Workers
School Counsellors
Marriage and Family Therapists
Case Managers
Child Welfare Attorneys
Other Mental Health Professionals
Educators
Reviews
Bundles Pricing
This product is part of a bundles which includes special pricing as displayed below.
Additional Participant CPD
Additional Participant CPD must be purchased for each additional viewer. These viewers will watch the video with the main registrant, but will have individual access to course handouts and certification. The standard price of this program includes certification for main viewer.
Satisfaction Guarantee
Your satisfaction is our goal and our guarantee. Concerns should be addressed to info@pesi.co.uk or call 01235847393.
