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The purpose of this research is to understand the context and the decisions women made when deciding to place a child for adoption.
To Participate, need to:
Be age 18 or olderIdentify as a womanSpeak & Understand EnglishHave placed a child for adoption in the US after ‘94Currently reside in the USParticipants will complete: (1) approx. 90 min. interview (in-person or on Zoom). Interview participants will receive a $50 visa gift card.
Participants may participate in a supplemental focus group (via Zoom). Focus group participants will receive a $10 visa gift card.
Website: https://linktr.ee/first.families.project
Email us to get started! Fill out this form or [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/First-Families-Project/61560684895325/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7A1-NgLKSf/?img_index=1
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Stephen Rowley, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist practicing in Bainbridge Island, Washington. Dr. Rowley's book, The Lost Coin: A Memoir of Adoption and Destiny, was published by Chiron Publications, Sept. 2023. With his background as a psychotherapist and educator, his interest in Jungian psychology and Zen Buddhism, Dr. Rowley discusses what fundamental core experiences adoptees share, how the adopted child reckons with the paradox of a comfortable upbringing and a powerful emotional loss, and how early childhood wounds result in “primitive agonies” that cause disproportionate emotional reactions. He also discusses what relational complexities are especially inherent to most, if not all, adoptees. Learn more at stephenrowley108.com/memoir/.
We also share information about the First Families Project, researching birth mother experiences. To learn more about this research go to https://linktr.ee/first.families.project
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Amy Seek shares her experiences with adoption as a birth mom, and how her relationship with her son has evolved. She shares about the importance of transparency and honesty in open adoption conversations and the need for improved ethical practices as we strive to better support mothers and their children.
Amy’s book “God and Jetfire: Confessions of a Birthmother”
Other Resources:
Concerned United Birthparents
Saving our Sisters
NAAP First Families support group
Donor Conceived Best Practices and Connections
Right to Know
Untangling Our Roots, an annual summit of adoptees and DCP providing education around best practices for the affected people
Open Adoption: Not so Simple Math
You can reach Amy at [email protected]
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Adoptee Lexi Condie shares her experience in this touching episode. Lexi was adopted by Aymee and Reed at age 8 along with her older brother Tyler, who was the son of Reed. Aymee and Reed decided it would be best to let Lexi and Tyler stay in contact with their mother (Stevoni), who was in prison at that time. Over the years Lexi developed a fantastic relationship with Stevoni. Lexi has always been able to lean on her adoptive parents. Lexi is currently working toward her Certified Welding Inspector certification and starting her own business. Lexi loves her career and is working towards making her life her own again. Be sure to listen to our episode with Lexi's mothers, Aymee and Stevoni, for more about how uniting adoptive and biological families in efforts to love and support adoptees can impact lives.
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In this episode, we learn about the experience of foster care alumni Cadon Riley, including his experience being adopted and later returning to the foster care system. Cadon and Shaun discuss some of the challenges Cadon has experienced, and his hopes for how our community can improve experiences for other youth in care and in need of support. Cadon Riley is a Foster Care & Child Welfare Advocate. Cadon was adopted at birth into a transracial family. At the age of 15 Cadon was placed back into the foster care system, aging out at 18. Cadon made it his goal to become an advocate to help others from similar backgrounds. Cadon is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Utah Tech University, intending to obtain his Ph.D. in Clinical Neuropsychology. Cadon’s continuous advocacy has landed him the opportunity to speak on Capitol Hill and become a Congressional Leadership Academy Delegate with the National Foster Youth Institute. Cadon’s extensive involvement in local and national advocacy aims to improve and inform the child welfare system through the power of lived experience.
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Kaira Dark is a birth mom who placed her son for adoption about 20 years ago. The adoption began as semi-open, and became open later. Kaira shares about her struggles with the trauma she experienced and how her experiences and perceptions have shifted over time. We love hearing from birth moms and really enjoyed learning from Karia's experiences.
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In this episode, Lanette and Alisha discuss establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries, both in open adoptions and when caring for children in foster care. We address some frequently asked questions regarding this subject, including how to create healthy communication patterns and how to mediate challenging situations.
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There are two kinds of openness in adoption—structural and communicative. Both are important in supporting identity and development of adopted individuals, as supported by academic research. We discuss the differences between structural and communicative openness and tips for adoptive parents for practicing openness in a more adoptee-centered way. This episode is part of our series where we discuss frequently asked questions regarding open adoption. We address many of the fears adoptive parents might voice as they consider openness in this discussion.
Learn more in The Openness Guide for Prospective Adoptive Parents: What You Should Know About Open Adoption
Sources:
Brodzinsky, D.M. (2005). Reconceptualizing openness in adoption: Implications for theory,
research, and practice. In D.M. Brodzinsky & J. Palacios (Eds.), Psychological issues in adoption: Research and practice (pp. 145-166). Praeger.
Brodzinsky, D. (2006). Family structural openness and communication openness as predictors in the adjustment of adopted children. Adoption quarterly, 9(4), 1-18.
Brodzinsky, D. (2015). Understanding and treating adoptive families. Contemporary families: Translating research into practice, 35-52.
Berge, J. M., Green, K. M., Grotevant, H. D., & McRoy, R. G. (2006). Adolescent sibling narratives regarding contact in adoption. Adoption Quarterly, 9(2-3), 81-103.
Grotevant, H. D. (2020). Open adoption. The Routledge handbook of adoption, 266-277.
Grotevant, H. D., McRoy, R. G., Elde, C. L., & Fravel, D. L. (1994). Adoptive family system dynamics: Variations by level of openness in the adoption. Family process, 33(2), 125-146.
Grotevant, H. D., & McDermott, J. M. (2014). Adoption: Biological and social processes linked to adaptation. Annual review of psychology, 65, 235-265.
Grotevant, H. D., Wrobel, G. M., Fiorenzo, L., Lo, A. Y., & McRoy, R. G. (2019). Trajectories of birth family contact in domestic adoptions. Journal of Family Psychology, 33(1), 54.
Neil, E. “Making sense of adoption: Integration and differentiation from the perspective of adopted children in middle childhood.” Children and Youth Services Review 34, no. 2 (2012): 409-416.
Neil, E., Beek, M., & Ward, E. (2015). Contact after adoption: A longitudinal study of post adoption contact arrangements. Coram BAAF.
Wolfgram, S. (2008). Openness in adoption: What we know so far—A critical review of the literature. Social Work, 53(2), 133-142.
Wrobel, G. M., Ayers-Lopez, S., Grotevant, H. D., McRoy, R. G., & Friedrick, M. (1996,
October). Openness in adoption and the level of child participation. Child
Development, 67(5), 2358.
Wrobel, G. M., Kohler, J. K., Grotevant, H. D., & McRoy, R. G. (2003, October 1). The Family
Adoption Communication (FAC) model. Adoption Quarterly, 7(2), 53–84.
Scherman, R. (2016). Openness and intercountry adoption in New Zealand. In Intercountry Adoption (pp. 309-318). Routledge.
Vandivere, S., Malm, K., & Radel, L. (2009). Adoption USA: A chartbook based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
MacDonald, M., & McSherry, D. (2011). Open Adoption: Adoptive Parents’ Experiences of Birth Family Contact and Talking to Their Child about Adoption. Adoption & Fostering, 35(3), 4-16.
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Christelle Pellecuer returns to the podcast to discuss some tough questions and challenging aspects of adoption, particularly transracial and international adoption, in this episode. She discusses the importance of honesty and transparency in adoption. She also considers what potential impacts of a lack of structural and communication openness may be in her adoption experience. Christelle shared her story in Episode 88 of the podcast. We recommend listening to that episode before this one for more context.
Find our ebook at https://openadoption.gumroad.com/l/opa use code launchOAP for 25% off until April 18th, 2024.
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We have a new adoption openness guide, “The Openness Guide for Adoptive Parents: What You Should Know About Open Adoption,” which was released today. The message we often see in the adoption community is, "Open adoptions are good! Do them!" with little guidance on how to make it work. This guide and workbook bridges that gap and teaches adoptive parents how to navigate open adoption.
https://openadoption.gumroad.com/l/opa
https://sites.google.com/view/openadoptionproject/openness-guide
Use code: launchOAP for 25% off until April 17, 2024.
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Cultivating and nurturing any relationship takes work and dedication. Relationships in open adoption are sometimes hard to maintain. In this episode, we discuss some questions we’re asked frequently regarding how to move forward in adoption relationships when things get complicated, and considerations when trying to choose a path forward. In particular, we discuss how respect and communication factor into forging stronger relationships.
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We wrap up National Adoption Month with a discussion about disenfranchised grief and some highlights and lessons learned during 100 episodes of the Open Adoption Project podcast (so far). Disenfranchised grief is grief that is not recognized as valid by society, and is prevalently experienced in the adoption community. We talk about how those who adopt can better understand grief experienced by adopted people and first parents, and how this understanding can counter shame and create stronger bonds. We also share what our most downloaded episode is, and a handful of some of the most impactful interviews we’ve done since starting the show in 2021. We’ll be back in the new year with our fifth season. Happy Holidays and thanks for learning with us!
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In this episode we introduce a discussion and questions regarding the similarities and differences between embryo adoption and traditional adoption. A guest couple shares their experience with embryo adoption. We share results from a small survey we posted on our instagram about embryo adoption, and discuss the section on embryo adoption from “The Adoption Constellation” by Dr. Michael Grand as well as an article from European Child and Psychiatry.
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Julie was adopted as an infant with her twin sister. In this episode she shares how medical issues pushed her to connect with her birth family nearly 50 years after being adopted. She writes extensively about finding out who you are, where you belong, and making sense of it. Julie’s debut memoir, “Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging” (2021) is the story of her five-year search for birth relatives. Her weekly blogs That Girl, This Life and monthly column at The Beacher focus on identity, family, and life’s quirky moments. Her follow up book, “Belonging Matters: Conversations on Adoption, Family & Kinship” was released this month. In this episode, she discusses adoption, adversity, abandonment, and developing identity as an adoptee.
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When we recently discussed orphan trains, one thing that stood out to us was that the policies and practices during this time were adoptive parent-focused. This problem persisted over time, like during the Baby Scoop Era. In this episode, we discuss why this focus on adopters is problematic, and actionable ways adoptive parents can shift the focus in the adoption community toward adoptees and biological parents.
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In this National Adoption Awareness Month special, we hear adoptee Sara Odicio, LSW, of Core of Adoption. She talks about ruptured attachments. We then discuss some of Dr. Bruce D. Perry’s research on child attachment and development, and eight ways caretakers can help nurture children who struggle with secure attachments. We reference two articles by Dr. Perry called “Examining child maltreatment through a neurodevelopmental lens: clinical application of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics” (2009) and "Bonding and Attachment in Maltreated Children Consequences of Emotional Neglect in Childhood" (2001).
For more about how to nurture children experiencing ruptured attachments, and for more information on some of Dr. Perry’s work, go to ChildTrama.org and bdperry.com.
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In this National Adoption Awareness Month special, we hear from four adoptees—Melaina, Sara, DaKota, and Jori—and some things each of them want people to understand about being adopted.
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Foster care trainer with Utah Foster Care Liz Rivera shares her thoughts on openness in foster care situations. She discusses the importance of prioritizing meaningful relationships for children in care and honoring children's roots.
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In this episode of our National Adoption Month series, we hear from Leah Outten, a birth mom who consults with prospective adoptive parents, about her top tips for building an adoption profile with expectant parents in mind.
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Sara Jane Schenk is a birth mom of about 16 years and has had a very open adoption the entire time. She talks about the importance of communication within the adoption community, destigmatizing adoption, and the supporting village that helped her through placement.
- Visa fler