ADOPTION COURSES

This course compares the sometimes idealistic ideas about adoption with the realities of raising an adopted child.  Using a series of statements, Jennifer Knight will help set appropriate expectations to avoid disappointment and enhance the quality of the adoption experience.

India Edition

Children adopted internationally have often experienced sexual trauma.  In this course, Dr. Karen Hutcheson will educate families about the signs and symptoms of sexual abuse.  She offers specific strategies for talking to children about sex and giving children the tools to stay safe at every developmental stage.  Resources for getting professional help are also presented.  No matter the child's background, there is hope and healing, through Christ, in a safe and nurturing family environment.

India Edition: 1.5

In the adoption journey, some patterns impact those in the adoption constellation.  This training will provide a brief overview of the seven core issues in adoption and explore how these issues affect adoptees and adoptive parents.

Siblings can be best friends and worst enemies. This course focuses on families who welcome siblings into their homes through international adoption. Jennifer Knight, LISW, offers important issues to consider before adopting siblings, looking at the benefits and challenges. She offers strategies for building family cohesion and insights into making the placement successful. Bringing home multiple children will create a full house, and more children = more opportunities for love!

Talking about adoption is one of the most critical - and sometimes most difficult - tasks of adoptive parents. This course prepares adoptive parents to talk to their child about adoption in a way that fosters open, honest communication. Highlights include how to initiate conversations with your child, what words to use (and to avoid), and how to share hard information about birth family and history. Also included is a discussion about how to talk to other people about your child's adoption, especially how to handle questions and comments from outsiders. The webinar concludes with the topics of search and reunion, important issues in the lives of adoptees. This webinar is a must for adoptive parents seeking to raise their child with a positive and healthy attitude toward being adopted.

*** THIS COURSE IS AN EXCERPT FROM ANCHORED IN HOPE: STRENGTHENING FAMILIES FOR ADOPTION. If you have taken Anchored in Hope: Strengthening Families for Adoption, you have already completed this course.

It's finally here - time to travel to the foreign country, meet your child for the first time, and bring that child home to make a family. What can you expect in the first days, weeks, and months after placement? In this course, Diane Hood will discuss the placement experience from the adoptee's perspective, to better prepare you for your child's reaction. You will be equipped with strategies to ease your child's transition and nurture a strong bond. Critical topics such as eating, sleeping, day care, school and technology are discussed, as well as the best way to introduce your new child to children already in the home and extended family members. A healthy adoption begins with a strong foundation, and this course is a building block of that foundation.

International adoption almost always involves children with physical, emotional or mental health special needs. This course examines common special needs and focuses on the health risks and "unknowns" in international adoption. The participant will learn how to conduct a thorough medical review of their child's records and what to expect at the visa medical appointment in country. Participants are encouraged to consider the impact of their adoption on their family and lifestyle. Research, advice from professionals, and careful decision-making will help parents provide the best care possible for their internationally adopted child.

This 1-hour instructor-led course will cover the following topics: Have a basic understanding of mental health disorders and conditions that commonly occur in childhood; recognize that not all “survival” behaviors or symptoms of grief are connected with mental health disorders; know about commonly administered psychotropic medications; know how to obtain consistent, adequate and appropriate access to mental health services.

*** THIS COURSE IS AN EXCERPT FROM ANCHORED IN HOPE: STRENGTHENING FAMILIES FOR ADOPTION.  If you have taken Anchored in Hope: Strengthening Families for Adoption, you have already completed this course.

The joys and blessings of adoption are intricately woven with challenges and hard times.  In this course, Amber Lewis explores some tough issues facing adoptive families.  The Seven Core Issues in Adoption are discussed, as well as therapeutic tools for healing and growth.  Strategies for finding adoption-competent services are presented, along with a brief look at adoption disruptions and dissolutions.  Parents will gain a better understanding of the needs of adoptees and be better prepared to move through difficult seasons.

This 1.5-hour live virtual course will explore information and strategies that parents who adopt need to effectively parent a child with a history of sexual trauma.  Participants will be able to identify indicators of sexual abuse, describe risk factors for children who have been sexually abused, understand how to respond to prevent these risk factors from manifesting, and know how to draw safe boundaries with and for children regarding sexual knowledge and/or behaviors.

*** THIS COURSE IS AN EXCERPT FROM ANCHORED IN HOPE: STRENGTHENING FAMILIES FOR ADOPTION.  If you have taken Anchored in Hope: Strengthening Families for Adoption, you have already completed this course.

Bringing a child into your home through international adoption can be wonderful and challenging.  While we celebrate the blessing of adoption, we also want to equip families to parent their child's heart, soul, brain and body.  The goal is to promote long-term healthy relationships among family members.  Effective discipline strategies are discussed, specifically tailoring the discipline to suit the level of correction needed.  The importance of self-care is also emphasized, to make sure all members of the adoptive family are set up for success.

What a joy to grow your family through international adoption!  But the days, weeks, and months after placement can also bring sadness and grief.  In this course, Jennifer Knight will explore the experience of post-adoption depression, also known as PAD. Ms. Knight will explain the definition, symptoms, and causes of PAD.  She offers strategies for coping, including how to know when to get outside professional help.  PAD is a condition that can be hard to talk about, but Ms. Knight handles the topic with compassion and empathy.

Your decision to adopt directly and indirectly affects your family members and your friends, who may play a significant role in your adopted child's life.  This training course focuses on incorporating your loved ones into your adoption journey.  Topics include telling others about your adoption decision, answering their questions, managing their expectations, and mediating their interaction with your newly adopted child. The course concludes with An Open Letter for Our Family and Friends, a resource you can use to connect with and educate your loved ones.  This useful guide will open up conversations and welcome your family and friends into the

Parents have many options for educating their adopted child.  Homeschool, public school, private school - the choices can seem overwhelming.  Amber Lewis is a school counselor who will guide you through all aspects of your child's education, from choosing the right type of school to balancing school with extra-curricular activities.  She explains IEPs, 504s, ESL and therapeutic services available through the school system.  Common school challenges such as homework and social relationships are included in this presentation.  This course will help school to be a beneficial and positive experience for your child, to set your child up for a lifetime of learning.

Relationships with siblings are likely the most enduring and influential relationships a person will experience in life. This course looks at several ways sibling relationships are created.  Perhaps your family has children by birth and is now growing your family through adoption. Perhaps you have already adopted and are in the process of adopting again. The many aspects of sibling dynamics are explored. You will learn how to prepare children already in the home for an adoptive placement.  Special consideration is given to adopting multiple children and adopting children out of birth order. Practical advice is offered for facing challenges among siblings after an adoption. Help your children connect, get along, and enjoy each other with the insight offered in this course.

*** THIS COURSE IS AN EXCERPT FROM ANCHORED IN HOPE: STRENGTHENING FAMILIES FOR ADOPTION.  If you have taken Anchored in Hope: Strengthening Families for Adoption, you have already completed this course.

International adoption usually involves adopting a child of a different race and/or culture, and these families face unique issues.  In this course, Diane Hood will equip families to acknowledge and celebrate their differences, to foster healthy identity formation, to navigate being a conspicuous family, and to confront racism, all from a Christian worldview.  Join us as we explore what it's like to be people of different races and cultures unified into one family.

This course is designed for those who desire to support adoptive families, including grandparents, friends, neighbors, the church community, and more.  The course is broken into 5 sections that help you understand the experience of the child in adoption, the experience of the family, the nuances of the adoption adjustment, how you can help, and if needed, how you can provide respite care (care for the adopted child) in a wise and healthy way.

This course provides an introduction to the concepts of Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), including background and purpose of TBRI, as well as the key principles which include Connecting, Empowering, and Correcting Principles.  Participants will come away from the training with a basic understanding of the key elements of TBRI.

This course will review the information covered in the TBRI Introduction and Overview recorded session.

What happens to an adoptee's brain when exposed to early trauma and institutionalization?  Our expert in occupational therapy will compare typical brain development to the brain development of children who experience hard situations early in their lives.  She will emphasize the impact of these experiences on a child's ability to process sensory input, which in turn affects a child's behavior, relationships, school performance, and many other areas of their life.  Dr. Angie will offer concrete strategies for mediating these impacts, as well as helping parents know when and how to get professional help.

Self-care is critical to a person's spiritual, physical, emotional, and social well-being.  In this webinar, Diane Hood will explore the definition and components of self-care.  The participants will be encouraged to identify their own self-care activities and to commit to engaging in those activities regularly. Techniques for self-regulation are also highlighted. Taking care of yourself will make you a better parent, and this webinar will inspire you to give yourself a little TLC!

Adopting a school-aged child, a preteen, or a teenager brings its own joys and challenges.  Jackie Grignon has focused on older child adoption for most of her career and prepares parents for the issues unique to this age range.  Topics include social media, cell phones, friendships, dating, and more. She places special emphasis on helping an older child adjust to a new home and offers guidance on bonding and attachment in older children.  Preparation is key, and this webinar will offer families what they need to know for the successful adoption of an older child.

Many adoptive parents are aware of the types of challenges that can occur in the early days and weeks of being an adoptive family, but are you aware of the challenges that can come in adolescence and well into adulthood?  This session will look at the source of adoption-related crises, identify common triggers for these crises into adulthood, and identify some proactive strategies that families can take to address them.

This 2-hour instructor-led course will cover the following topics: Learn the three R’s – Regulate, Relate, Reason; be informed of practical Trauma-Informed Parenting strategies; be aware of trauma support resources for children; recognize the importance of finding activities to have fun with children; recognize the importance of connected parenting and the relationship as the foundational cornerstone; understand how to promote healthy behaviors; recognize the importance of parent’s self-regulation’ know how to be proactive versus reactive’ recognize the difference between discipline and punishment.

This 2-hour instructor-led course will cover the following topics: Learn how chaos, threat, neglect, and other adversity during development can alter the developing brain and that, in turn, can change the ways children think, feel, and act.  Understand the major stress responses we use to cope with perceived and actual threats.  Recognize the reasons and range of adaptive symptoms from inattention and distractibility to avoidance and shut-down; learn about reasons for rejection and testing; recognize survival skills and coping strategies that result in a complex range of behaviors.

*** THIS COURSE IS AN EXCERPT FROM ANCHORED IN HOPE: STRENGTHENING FAMILIES FOR ADOPTION.  If you have taken Anchored in Hope: Strengthening Families for Adoption, you have already completed this course.

Adoption begins with loss, and the impact of that loss is explored in this course.  In the first part, Amber Lewis will look at the types of trauma your child may have experienced prior to placement and how to help your child heal from past hurts.  She will use the Cycle of Needs to nurture attachment and bond with your child.  In the second part, she'll examine your own attachment style and how to move past your own "stuck spots" if needed.  This course will focus on growing a long-term, loving and secure relationship with your child by adoption.