Need for the training
Adoption by itself warrants special knowledge on the part of professionals who assist adoptive families. Firstly, the family challenges become more complex when they have to receive and assimilate the child to the new environment. More children beyond infancy stage and sometimes as old as 7 years are placed for adoption. Secondly, CARA (Central Adoption Resource Agency) has mandated pre adoption counseling for prospective parents and a report needs to be submitted by the counselors confirming the readiness of parents who wish to adopt. Thirdly, adoption agencies seek professional help to prepare an older child for adoption. All of the above tasks require high specialized set of insights and skills for mental health professionals.
Program description
It is a comprehensive training to mental health practitioners and the curriculum is designed as follows:
- Historical perspectives & adoption in India
- State Adoption laws and policies (overview)
- Agencies protocol in the process of adoption
- Adoption theories
- Adoption counseling - Adoption triad, attachment in adoption, impact of abuse, neglect and trauma, grief and loss in adoption, diversity in adoption, it will also cover pre, during and post counseling services by the counselors.
- Ethics & Documentation (overview)
Training objective
It is a comprehensive training to mental health practitioners and the curriculum is designed as follows:
- To sensitize the professionals about adoption and adoption related issues
- To strengthen the capacity of the professionals and offer adoption-competent mental health services
Training Goals
It is a comprehensive training to mental health practitioners and the curriculum is designed as follows:
- Increase the mental health community’s clinical competency in preserving, supporting, treat and strengthening adoptive families.
- Provide mental health professional with the knowledge and therapeutic skills to
- Identify strengths and resiliencies of adoptive families to support their children’s development
- Guide adoptive families in their expectations and strategies to help their children’s healthy growth.
- Treat the psychological wellbeing of children with issues of neglect and trauma.
- To expand the availability of adoption competent therapists/counselors
