CE Eligible: Twice Removed:Clinical and Practice Implications of Adoptees in Out of Home Care

Welcome to the 10th Biennial Adoption Initiative Conference

The Evolution of Adoption Practice: Activist and Community Perspectives

Password for the Vimeo Videos: AIC2022PAID

PM Saturday Session A Pt. 1 Sloan Nova and JaeRan Kim

PM Saturday Session A Pt. 2 Brett Furst

PM Saturday Session A Pt. 3 Amanda Woolston and Katy Perkins

Twice Removed: Clinical and Practice Implications for Adoptees in Out-of-Home Care

This presentation will highlight the research findings from two studies examining the experiences of adoptees in residential and out-of-home care. Sloan Nova will share findings from her qualitative study that highlights the lived experiences of adoptees placed in lockdown residential treatment centers during adolescence. The study explores how adoptees make sense of their experiences prior to, during, and post-residential care; how they view themselves currently; and how they understand links between their experiences during residential treatment and their current states.

Sloan Nova will describe the methodology and rationale for the study, the notable gap in the literature beckoning for personal accounts from adoptees placed in residential care, as well as lingering questions in identifying key factors in the adoptee experience pre- and post-residential treatment, such as the role of parenting style and adoption competence of clinical interventions and mental health professionals. Results will illustrate the importance in increased assessment of harmful adoptive family dynamics, as well as clinical considerations for clinicians treating adoptees individually.

JaeRan Kim will discuss her research on the significant legal, relational, and residential losses experienced by intercountry adoptees with histories of adoption discontinuity. The results illustrate the theme of a multiplicity of traumatic losses, both internally and externally and across settings and life domains. This study's findings can inform practitioners on the necessity for trained mental health professionals skilled in providing attuned, trauma-informed care specific to the unique needs of the adoptee and broader adoptive family dynamics.

To conclude, the presenters will share clinically significant overlaps in their data findings that identify topics for future research, areas for clinical improvement, and clinical implications for providers.

Adoption and Addiction: The Role of Biological Parents in the Severity of Addiction 

Adoptees make up a significant portion of the Substance Abuse treatment population and are up to twice as likely to become addicts as non-adoptees. While we know that this population of adoptee-addicts exists, there is little to no research or treatment models that focus on helping them.

The purpose of this presentation is to explore the question - Is there a relationship between the levels of attachment to biological parent(s), or the idea of their biological parents, and the severity of substance use in those that are adopted and struggle with Substance Abuse? This presentation will explore the answers to this question, as well as how this information may inform treatment plans and protocols. Treatment of this specific intersection of the adoptee-addict population, including evidence-based therapeutic approaches and vital self-of-the-therapist work necessary for conceptualizing and treating this population, will be introduced and explored as well.

"Dealing With" Adoptees: Exploring Mental Health 

Clinical paradigms and professional tools used to address the needs of adoptees and their families, including therapy and psychiatry, that enforce dominant cultural myths about adoption.

Links:

o katyperkins.com

o www.adoptionandtrauma.com

o amandawoolston.com/

o declassifiedadoptee.com/

o thelostdaughters.com/