Presenter: Ruth McRoy, Ph.D., Donahue and DiFelice Endowed Professor, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work
Children entering families through adoption and guardianship bring with them a history of grief, loss, and often trauma. This is especially true of children formerly in foster care. Recently, increasing attention is being paid to the special needs of these families, and in particular, how mental health and other support services tailored to adoptive families can effectively help children heal and achieve success at home, at school, and in the community.
This webinar will focus on the history and research that have led to a more enlightened understanding of the clinical needs of adoption and guardianship families – why this is such a complex issue; and what is being done to improve clinical and other support services. In addition, it will discuss training and practice models that are being developed or currently used to address the need for adoption-competent clinical services. Finally, the webinar will include a personal testimonial from one adoptive family who struggled to get access to appropriate services, as well as an overview of the AB1790 legislation that is propelling this issue forward in California.
