You will feel elated when you finally bring your child home, but you might also experience other emotions on the outskirts of that joy — from lingering sadness about infertility to echoes of failed matches to becoming a parent literally overnight. You are finally home with your newly adopted child, and you’re thrilled — but […]
Tag Archives | psychotherapy
Support Groups: The Five Top Benefits and FAQ’s
Infertility and Adoption Support Groups: The Top 5 Benefits The IAC Center loves groups. We offer: infertility groups; pre-adopt groups, adoptive parents groups, children’s adoption groups and teen adoption groups. These groups have shown us the best side of human nature as we see the members support each other, share tips, make each other laugh […]
Talking About Adoption with Children
This workshop is for adoptive parents, pre-adoptive parents and professionals. Some adoption agencies will accept this workshop as credit toward the home study requirements. Certificates will be issued upon request. In this workshop you will learn: How to create a safe family atmosphere in which adoption can be openly discussed What children think about adoption […]
Talking to Your Child About Their Donor Origins
Written By: Judith Kottick, LCSW, Fertility Counseling & Consulting Services 4 Key Parental Steps to prepare for talking to children about their donor origins: Make the decision to be open with your child before they are born and while they are young; as you get comfortable with the idea, the telling will be more natural […]
Resilience Tips for Your Family Building Journey
A process requiring resilience comes in two phases. First there is the crisis, a time when the loss or distress is often too unbearable for you to see opportunities that may be available. Once the distress fades away, you may start to see potential in a new situation and to gain a new perspective. And […]
Pieces of Me Book Review
Susan Merkel Book Review: Pieces of Me Edited by Robert L. Ballard ISBN: 9780972624442 “Who am I?” is a question everyone asks themselves at least once in their life. But for adopted people, especially during their teenage years, the answer can be more elusive, which makes for a much more complicated experience in adolescence and […]
Adoption and Schools
To play the presentation click on the link below then click “open’. ADOPTION&THESCHOOLS Written by Joni S. Mantell, LCSW, CSW, Director of IAC Center, 2005 All Rights Reserved
Talking to Your Child About Adoption: Infancy to Age Six
5 Key Steps for Parents – Prepare yourself to talk with your child about adoption Claim your child and feel entitled to parent your child Emotionally accept that your child has an interest in his birth history. Learn about the ages and stages in children’s understanding of adoption Get comfortable talking about adoption with your […]
A Striking Resemblance!
Sharing a family resemblance can keep away some awkward questions. It’s up to you how much to reveal, and to whom. New parents are often asked “Who does your baby look like?” or “Where was she born?” But such questions evoke complex emotions in new adoptive mothers. Some may proudly reveal that their baby was […]
Budding Curiosity: Talking about adoption Ages 3 to 5
Between the ages of three and five, children love hearing the story of how you became a family, and begin to ask their first, simple questions about adoption. AF takes you inside the mind of your preschooler, and offers tips for talking. You’ve probably been telling your child her adoption story from the first day […]
Surviving a Winding Road
What should you be prepared for when pursuing adoption, and how can you lessen the risk of heartache along the way? by Carrie Krueger As adoptive parents know, the light at the end of the tunnel is truly worth it—parenthood! But our journeys may be filled with twists and turns, and, possibly, a detour or […]
First Year Home: Now What?
Most adoptive parents come home with their new child unsure how to meet all his needs, and to form a strong attachment. Our experts answer common questions from that first year. by Editorial Team Before adopting, Adoptive Families readers uniformly report that their biggest worry is about attaching to their child. Although we may know […]
New Kid on the Block
Learn the when, how, and why of explaining a new sibling to you child, and easing the adjustment. by Lisa Milbrand When we decided to adopt for a second time, we were worried about how our older (and slightly diva-ish) daughter would take to sharing the spotlight. As it turned out, we didn’t need to […]
Real Parents Discipline
Setting limits can be tough for parents–but it’s important to discipline our children anyway Watching preschoolers can be exhausting. They love to explore and play–and these little explorers have little impulse control and absolutely no sense of danger. They assert their developing independence by “escaping,” and it’s no wonder parents feel like they could use […]
Fantasies and Fears
Is your child entertaining a wild birth parent fantasy? Don’t worry — it’s totally normal. Around ages six to seven, children are capable of more complex thinking and begin to grasp what adoption means. This gives rise to new, sometimes alarming fantasies and fears. While many children daydream about another set of parents — who […]