Relational–Cultural Theory: A Supportive Framework for Transracial Adoptive Families

2021 ◽  
pp. 106648072110289
Author(s):  
Susan F. Branco
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Cultural Theory ◽  
School Mental Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Relational Cultural Theory ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Family Counselors

Transracially adopted children and adolescents are subject to increased risks to their mental health and identity development as a result of racism and microaggressions. The risks are exacerbated by limited racial–ethnic socialization from their mostly White adoptive parents. This article reviews the history of transracial adoption in the United States through the lens of colonization, describes research related to racism and its impact on transracially adopted children, and recommends relational–cultural theory as a supportive framework for school, mental health, and family counselors.

When Love is Not Enough: Parenting an Adopted Child with Mental Illness

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele D. Hanna ◽  
Erin Boyce ◽  
Diane Mulligan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Residential Treatment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Treatment Center ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Adopted Child ◽  
Adoptive Families

This article presents the results of a qualitative study designed to explore the experiences of adoptive parents who placed an adopted child with mental illness in a residential treatment center (RTC). Twenty-four adoptive families from across the United States who placed an adopted child in residential treatment were interviewed. The adopted children represented various types of adoption including public child welfare, domestic infant, and intercountry adoption. Parents reported feeling victimized by their child and by the very systems designed to help them, including child welfare, mental health, health care, and education. The findings reveal signs of trauma in the adoptive parents as a result of their experiences. The article concludes with recommendations from adoptive parents for adoption, mental health, and residential treatment professionals who work with adopted children and their families.

Variables Associated With Indiscriminate Friendliness Displayed by Chinese Adoptees in U.S. Families

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 414-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanhong Liu ◽  
Richard J. Hazler
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Institutional Care ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Family Counselors ◽  
Significant Regression ◽  
Practical Implications

The study investigated potential variables associated with indiscriminate friendliness (IF) in children adopted from China by U.S. parents. Children in this study were adopted at a mean age of 19 months and have spent an average of 61 months with their adoptive parents. The sample comprised of 92 U.S. parents with children adopted from China. Children’s age at the time of adoption, length of postadoption time, prior institutional care, and postadoption parenting by adoptive parents were investigated in association with IF. Findings showed that prior institutional care was significantly associated children’s IF, whereas an increase in postadoption time shared with adoptive parents was not accompanied by a decrease in children’s IF. The significant regression model explained 9% of variance in children’s IF. Results provided practical implications for family counselors and other mental health professionals working with adoptive families.

scholarly journals The Early Growth and Development Study: A Prospective Adoption Study From Birth Through Middle Childhood

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 412-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie D. Leve ◽  
Jenae M. Neiderhiser ◽  
Daniel S. Shaw ◽  
Jody Ganiban ◽  
Misaki N. Natsuaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Early Growth ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adoptive Parent ◽  
Primary Study ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Development Study ◽  
Adoption Study

The Early Growth and Development Study is a prospective adoption study of birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted children recruited in two cohorts (N = 561 triads). The primary study aims are to examine how family, peer, and contextual processes affect children's adjustment, and to examine their interplay (mediation, moderation) with genetic influences. Participants were recruited through adoption agencies located throughout the United States following the birth of a child. Assessments are ongoing, in 9-month intervals until the child reaches 3 years of age and in 1-year intervals thereafter through age 9. Data collection includes the following primary constructs: child temperament, social behavior, school performance, mental health, and health; birth and adoptive parent personality characteristics, mental health, competence, stress, health, context, substance use, parenting, and marital relations; and pregnancy use of drugs and maternal stress during pregnancy. DNA and salivary cortisol samples have also been collected. Analyses have indicated evidence for genotype-environment interactions during early childhood. Study procedures, sample representativeness (including tests of potential confounds in the adoption design), and an overview of findings to date are summarized, and future plans are described.

scholarly journals Issues Involving International Adoption

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-39
Author(s):  
Brandy Mounts ◽  
Loretta Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Counselor Training ◽  
International Adoption ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Family Counselors ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
New Family ◽  
Potential Child ◽  
Internationally Adopted Children

Challenges in adoptive families are well-documented; however, a lack of empirical research on the preadoption preparation of prospective adoptive parents for these common challenges exists. The purpose of this study was to seek a more thorough understanding of the education and preparation adoptive parents receive regarding potential child issues in international adoption. A qualitative research design was utilized to gain more in-depth knowledge of the international adoption experience that included preadoption education, transitioning into a new family structure, and services utilized. Ten participants, who are parents of internationally adopted children, were recruited for this qualitative study. Three research questions were developed regarding the challenges adoptive parents experience, how preadoption services could be improved, and participants’ perceptions of preadoption training. The following six primary themes were identified: purpose, attachment, challenges experienced, inconsistent preparation, support systems, and families utilizing mental health services. Recommendations for professional practice are presented, including more current and consistent training for prospective adoptive parents as well as recommendations for increasing the numbers of family counselors with adoption expertise and enhancing counselor training to address adoption issues.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Group Therapy in Supporting Adoptive Families

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 01-06
Author(s):  
Shanika Lavi Wilson ◽  
Kristen DeGree ◽  
Christopher Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Group Therapy ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Parent Child Relationship ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Child Relationship ◽  
Adoption Research

Adopted children and their families have unique needs compared to non-adoptive families. Adoption research seeks to understand these unique needs and contribute to a growing field of adoption competent therapy. The purpose of this paper is to understand how adoption competent group therapy can benefit adoptive families, and provides analysis on secondary data collected in 2019 from pre and post measures for a weekly support group from post adoption program. The research included 8 participants who were adoptive parents of adolescent girls, and included quantitative and qualitative data about how parents and their children responded to the program. The questions covered a variety of topics regarding the child, adoptive parents, and the parent- child relationship as a while. The results showed that from a quantitative standpoint, minimal improvements were made after the group, but the qualitative data showed that the group provided numerous benefits for adoptive parents.

An Exploration of Clinical Mental Health Counselors’ Attitudes Toward Professional Identity and Interprofessionalism

2022 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-81
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Klein ◽  
Eric T. Beeson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Codes Of Ethics ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
The University ◽  
High Degree

Opportunities for clinical mental health counselors to practice in interprofessional settings are likely to increase as the larger health care system in the United States evolves. While aspects of interprofessionalism are embedded in the codes of ethics of the counseling profession, discussion of identity has primarily been focused on intraprofessional identity. To concurrently assess intraprofessional identity, interprofessionalism, and interprofessional identity, a study was conducted with clinical mental health counselors (CMHCs) using the Professional Identity Scale in Counseling–Short Form (PISC-S) and the University of West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire (UWE IPQ). Results indicated that CMHCs place importance on both intra- and interprofessional identity, although they have more confidence in their intraprofessional identity. A high degree of correlation was found between the PISC-S and UWE IPQ, indicating the interrelatedness of these aspects of identity. Results can be used to inform interprofessional education and identity development models for the CMHC profession.

scholarly journals Adopting Minds — a mentalization-based therapy for families in a post-adoption support service: preliminary evaluation and service user experience

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Midgley ◽  
Adriana Alayza ◽  
Hannah Lawrence ◽  
Rebecca Bellew
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Therapy ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Support Service ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Past Experiences ◽  
Therapy Service

Children placed for adoption often face unique challenges and are at higher risk of mental health problems compared to the general population. Yet despite some important clinical developments, there is still a lack of evidence related to effective therapeutic interventions for this population. This study reports on the preliminary evaluation of a mentalization-based family therapy service, Adopting Minds, offered as part of a post-adoption support service. Thirty-six families who had adopted 42 children were referred to the service between September 2015 and December 2016. Demographic information was collected and assessments undertaken on the families at baseline and at the end of therapy, using a range of validated measures. Five families who had completed therapy were also interviewed about their experience of the approach. For those families on which data were available, positive outcomes in mental health and parental self-efficacy were identified, and adoptive parents reported high levels of satisfaction with the mentalization-based family therapy service. Analysis of the interviews revealed that the families found it a containing space that was supportive and non-judgemental. They felt able to express their fears and worries to a therapist who was friendly and knowledgeable and reported that the service helped them to deal with and link struggles they were facing to their own as well as their child's past experiences. However, some adoptive families felt that this short-term, six-session service alone was not enough to address all the difficulties that had brought the family to seek help, and would have preferred a longer-term intervention or therapy in combination with other types of support.

scholarly journals Depression and Anxiety Symptoms of British Adoptive Parents: A Prospective Four-Wave Longitudinal Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (24) ◽  
pp. 5153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca E. Anthony ◽  
Amy L. Paine ◽  
Katherine H. Shelton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Parental Anxiety ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

The mental health of birth parents has gained attention due to the serious negative consequences for personal, family, and child outcomes, but depression and anxiety in adoptive parents remains under-recognized. Using a prospective, longitudinal design, we investigated anxiety and depression symptoms in 96 British adoptive parents over four time points in the first four years of an adoptive placement. Depression and anxiety symptom scores were relatively stable across time. Growth curve analysis showed that higher child internalizing scores and lower parental sense of competency at five months post-placement were associated with higher initial levels of parental depressive symptoms. Lower parental sense of competency was also associated with higher initial levels of parental anxiety symptoms. Parents of older children and those with higher levels of parental anxiety and sense of competency at five months post-placement had a steeper decrease in depressive symptoms over time. Support for adoptive families primarily focuses on child adjustment. Our findings suggest that professional awareness of parental mental health post-placement may be necessary, and interventions aimed at improving parents’ sense of competency may be beneficial.

Child–Parent Relationship Therapy for Adoptive Families

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara Carnes-Holt
Keyword(s):  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Child Parent Relationship Therapy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Child Experience ◽  
Relationship Therapy ◽  
Parent Relationship

Adopted children may present with a wide range of disruptive behaviors making it difficult to implement holistic therapeutic interventions. The number of primary caregivers, disrupted placements, and repeated traumatic events contribute to the overall mental health of the adoptee and greater number of occurrences increases the risk of maladjustment. Adoptive parents are faced with the challenge of developing a relationship and helping the child experience that relationships can be safe and trusting. Child–parent relationship therapy (CPRT) is a structured, time-limited approach that trains caregivers to be an active participant as a therapeutic change agent in their child’s life. CPRT therapy offers an empowering treatment modality for families striving to feel connected and secure.

School mental health content in state in-service K-12 teaching standards in the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 312-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annahita Ball ◽  
Aidyn L. Iachini ◽  
Jill Haak Bohnenkamp ◽  
Nicole M. Togno ◽  
Elizabeth Levine Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
School Mental Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Teaching Standards ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Health Content
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