Martha, Richard, Timothy, & Michaela visiting Jennifer & Michael, Michaela's birthparents.

Adoptive parents are often threatened by the idea of unknown birthparents coming back into the life of their child after placement. Birthparents live with an uncertainty about their child’s welfare that is often debilitating. An adoptee may have great difficulty maturing emotionally without real facts concerning biological heritage.

The open concept addresses and often eliminates those problems, while offering additional advantage to its participants. The advantages are greater than any perceived risks.

SERVICES

Services provided by the Choices program include home studies, pre-and post-placement counseling for each member of the adoption triangle and acting as an intermediary for the exchange of letters, pictures and future information between the adoptive family and the birth family. Agency services are available individually, on a contract basis.

The fact that there is an informed person or people willing to act as an intermediary, now or at a later date, eliminates the fear that future information is inaccessible without great risk or expense.

Our educational program is relatively brief for the amount of insight it offers adoptive parents. Although it is difficult to require birthparents to complete an educational process, we feel there is a great deal we can do for them if they are willing to engage in support groups in addition to individual counseling.

Open adoption respects the unique and changing needs of each adoptive parent, birthparent and adoptee. If practiced within the framework of an agency, emotional vulnerability can be minimized.

CACS specializes in personalized adoption plans, community resources and counseling.
 
 

Copyright © 2000 Choices Adoption & Counseling Services, Inc.