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.
