Pre-Adoption

Counseling services are available for children, adolescents, adopted adults, parents of adopted children, and adopted families whose lives have been touched by adoption.  Adoption can be a complex and lifelong experience; one that can bring great joy as well as sadness or uncertainty.  Adoption communication can be an emotional journey to include topics such as loss, search and reunion, identity issues, improving attachments, managing open adoption relationships, trans racial adoption, and how to discuss difficult adoption stories.  Our adoption trained and competent therapists can assist you with adoption related specific issues. 

Post-Adoption

The Post-Adoption Services (Specialized Outpatient Program) provides specialized complex trauma, attachment based
treatment services to meet the needs of children who are adopted or about to be adopted, or who are in legal guardianship homes. The therapists are specifically trained to work with children to heal wounds resulting from trauma from abuse, neglect, abandonment, and loss. The children in this program are all living with legal guardians, adopted families, or are in pre-adoptive homes. The work we do is based on a holistic approach and requires the active
participation of family members.

• Two-week intensive therapy
• Post intensive follow-up therapy
• Parent as a Partner Model
• Psychiatric Consultation

Case management with schools and other service providers as warranted. Our therapists have 25+ years of experience working with children who have been abused, neglected, pre adopted, adopted, or placed in legal guardianship homes. Our Child and adolescent psychiatrist and several of our therapists were trained initially at the Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio under Dr. Gregory Keck. Our therapeutic interventions include:

• Child understanding and working through their past trauma, losses, and expectations of their new family
• Parent Support, Education, Therapeutic Parenting Techniques and Coaching
• Affect and Emotional Regulation Techniques for the Child

Clinical oversight of this program is provided by Dr. Mary Anne Albaugh, MD.

Adoption Support Groups

Friendship is important for everyone. For adopted children and teens socializing with other adopted children is extremely important.  We provide Girls Circle Groups and Boys Council Groups for youths age 9-18 to interact with same age adopted peers.  Following a 5-8 week Girls Circle or Boys Council specifically selected curriculum, children share thoughts and feelings that aren’t easily understood by their non-adopted friends.  There is plenty of fun activities built into each session.