Perspectives on Challenged Family Building

Typical children are often the least involved throughout the adoption process. Few agencies provide them information about the brother or sister to come, or the changes the family may experience when adopting a child with mental health diagnoses (i.e., PTSD, Bi-Polar Disorder, AD/HD, RAD, etc.) Parents tend to focus on issues such as sharing a [...]

Take a few moments and experience the exercise below designed to help adults see moving through the eyes of the child*:
You are sitting in your apartment’s living room on a warm summer evening. Your spouse is dozing peacefully on the sofa. You’re curled up with a good book, and your feeling is one of contentment.
 
Suddenly, [...]

Derrick is now 16. His parents, Ellen and Roger, adopted their two nieces, Jill and Joyce, when Derrick was 11 years old. Jill and Joyce are now also in their teens. Joyce has integrated into the family nicely. Jill, on the other hand, has been very hurt by the trauma she endured in her birthhome. [...]