Some shrewd writing highlights the importance of post-adoption support services and how all members of the adoption triad benefit from them.
Adoption STAR has earned the Human Rights Campaign’s (HR
C) “Seal of Approval” via their All Children, All Families initiative, showing that we regularly demonstrate cultural competency and proficiency in working with LGBT individuals and families.
The HRC published a wonderful resource guide entitled Promising Practices in Adoption and Foster Care. In it, there’s an especially useful section that reminds us of how important it is for adoptive families to link with post-adoption support:
“Michael Colberg, an educator, counselor and psychotherapist who conducts pre- and post-adoption consultations, says that many prospective adoptive parents focus all their attention on getting a child and becoming a parent, a period of time that ends as the adoption actually begins. He believes many adoption agencies reinforce this mindset rather than helping clients focus on what it will mean to have a child through adoption and be an adoptive parent, a time that lasts the rest of their lives.
‘The difference is between building the space station and building the space station and supplying it with enough food and oxygen to support life,’ he explains. ‘Both of them are floating out their in space, but one environment isn’t supportive of the people living in the ship. They need more than just the structure to flourish.’
Adoptive families that don’t plan for and have support for what comes after placement and finalization are like the space station without food. The structure is there, but they many not have all the support they need to flourish.”
Adoption STAR is proud to have created Family STAR, a division of the agency that’s focused exclusively on providing post-adoption support services to all adoptive families, birth families, and adoptees – whether they’re Adoption STAR clients or not! If you’re in need of post adoption support, please contact Family STAR at 716-639-3030 or visit them on the web – www.family-star.com.