National Adoption Awareness Month

Although the official National Adoption Awareness Month is coming to a close, we hope that the message and intent continues all year long.

November is an important month for all children and families touched by adoption. It gives us a chance to bring attention to the need of many children to find a permanent family. Some of the children have found their families and homes with you; other children are still waiting. Adoption is not an easy process, it requires us to be brave, patient, and to challenge ourselves to see things from different perspectives. But, as difficult as the process might be - I think we would all agree that adoption brings out the best in people! From simple gestures of kindness to efforts and advocacy that make the impossible come true. During the days of November, please enjoy supporting adoption in any way that you know and feel is worthwhile. The possibilities are endless!

 

- Wendy Stanley, Director, Asia program Social Services

GFA Holiday Parties - Oklahoma, Dallas and more

 

Throughout December, area GFAs are celebrating the Holidays.

Click here for the GFA December Events Calender.

 

Click here to register for the Oklahoma Holiday Party!

 

For the Dallas Holiday Party, RSVP to DallasGFA@yahoo.com

 

Asia Adoption Support Fund

Judah

Three years ago The Asia Adoption Support Fund ("AASF") was started by one family making a generous gesture to help other families pursuing an adoption. The Fund grants financial support to families who are pursuing the adoption of a child with a medical condition or a child

Olivia

who may be harder to place due to age or other considerations. Over the past three years, $35,000 has been awarded from the AASF to adoptive families. Gladney and the families who received assistance greatly appreciate the generosity and commitment of those who contributed to the fund to help children find loving and permanent families.

 

If you would like to contribute to the fund, please contact Wendy Stanley at wendy.stanley@gladney.org. During Adoption Awareness Month in November, we would like to continue to raise awareness of the AASF and build the circle of families who can provide financial support to other Gladney adoptive families.

Somewhere Between Screening 12/2 in TX

Families with Children from China of North Texas is arranging a screening of the film "Somewhere Between" http://www.somewherebetweenmovie.com/on December 2, 2012 3:00 - 5:00pm at the theater "Rave Motion Pictures located at 1101 Melbourne Rd. Hurst TX 76053.

However, in order for the showing to take place, an additional 50 must be purchased by November 26th. Tickets can be purchased at www.tugg.com/events/2127.

Thanksgiving Wishes

Wishing you all the best for a Very Happy Thanksgiving!

The Gladney Asia Program Staff

Gongzhan Wu, Wendy Stanley, April Uduhiri, Mary Chapman,

Rebecca Pollack, Allison James, Lydia Macci

National Adoption Day - You Just May Be

In celebration of National Adoption Day which was this past Saturday, November 17, we wanted to share a very special music video with you. “You Just May Be” reminds us all that anyone can make a difference in the life of a child without a family—all you have to do is say, “Yes!”

To learn more about how you can say “Yes!” to adopting one of the many waiting children through Gladney’s Asia Waiting Child Program – visit our Asia Waiting Child blog or sign up for an upcoming informational webinar!

Happy National Adoption Day!

Grace was adopted through Gladney's China Waiting Child Program.

Recently in Taiwan Adoption News

October was a busy and exciting month! One family traveled to Taiwan to bring home their little girl to Wisconsin. Three families sent their dossiers to Taiwan and two more families received their civil rulings. Gladney received two referrals of baby boys in October and both families accepted their referrals! This month so far, we have welcomed home a family to Texas with their baby girl, and another family living in Illinois, is currently in Taiwan to bring home their 6 year old son.

 

Cathwel Service Update

We enjoyed hosting two directors from Cathwel Service in Taiwan last month. We were able to exchange a great amount of insight and information about both the Taiwan and US adoption systems. Cathwel Service at this time is primarily focusing on placing children with special needs or older children. Please contact Rebecca Pollack at rebecca.pollack@gladney.org if you are interested in receiving more information about opportunities to adopt through this program.

Join Gladney at the APC Conference 11/18!

32nd Annual APC Conference

The Adoptive Parents Committee (APC) is holding their 32nd annual Conference on Sunday, Nov. 18th in Brooklyn, NY. This conference is for adoptive parents, families considering adopting and adoption professionals. A wide range of workshops and seminars are held throughout the day, covering topics related to the adoption process and parenting an adopted child. Gladney Asia Program staff will be attending the conference and will be a part of a panel discussion about international adoption and will also lead an Asia Adoption Programs workshop. Please visit APC's website for more information.

 

Keynote Speaker

Holly van Gulden, Adoption Counselor

Since 1985,Holly van Gulden has been training adoptive and foster parents and professionals throughout the United States, England, Scotland and Canada. In addition, for over twenty years, Holly has co-directed Adoptive Family Counseling Center with Claude Riedel.

 

Holly has co-authored books including, “Learning the Dance of Attachment”, “Real Parent, Real Children”: Parenting the Adopted Child. Holly is herself an adoptive parent who grew up in a multi-racial, international family comprised of six children born to the family, four adopted children and several foster brothers and sisters. This blend of professional and personal experience has given her extra insight into what it’s like to grow up adopted and to parent through adoption.

Special Webinar offered by Gladney Taiwan Program - November 16th!

We are pleased to host a webinar this week to help families understand and weigh developmental and psychological assessment reports provided with child referrals from Taiwan. The webinars will be helpful to any parent considering adopting a toddler or older child, and will introduce some of the children in Taiwan who are waiting to find a family.

"Helping Your Decision to Adopt: Part 1 - Understanding Psychological Assessments". Friday, November 16th from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST. To register for Part 1 click here.

"Helping Your Decision to Adopt: Part 2 -- Understanding the Role of Family Therapy in Supporting Healthy Attachment". Friday, November 16th from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST. To register for Part 2 click here. 

Registration information is also posted on our Taiwan Blog.

Helping Your Decision to Adopt - Upcoming Webinars


Gladney Center's Taiwan Adoption Program is pleased to host a 2 part webinar with guest speakers Dr. A. Jordan Wright and Dr. Courtney Rennicke on Friday, November 16th beginning at 12:00pm EST.

In international adoption, varying amounts of background and evaluation information are available with respect to any specific child. Where information is available, the information is viewed by prospective adoptive parents as a way to begin understanding a child’s level of emotional and cognitive functioning. In the United States we have seen that psychological testing and therapy can be highly beneficial when working hand in hand, but we have also seen how misdiagnosing or inaccurate descriptions of behaviors and symptoms can lead to incorrect conclusions about a child.
Many adoptive parents considering the adoption of a toddler or older child have questions as they consider the adoption of a specific child:

• What are his/her strengths and weaknesses?
• What might be some considerations for educational planning?
• What would be fair to expect at this point in time?
• What might his/her needs be in the future?
• Who can I work with to improve my interactions with him/her?

This two-part webinar series is intended to encourage parents in their adoption decisions by demystifying the role of pre-adoption psychological evaluations and post-adoption family therapy.

* * *

Presenters:

A. Jordan Wright, Ph.D., ABAP specializes in psychological testing and assessment and is the author of Conducting Psychological Assessment: A Guide for Practitioners (Wiley, 2011). A diplomate in assessment psychology from the American Board of Assessment Psychology (ABAP) and a Fellow of the American Academy of Assessment Psychology, he has provided assessment services for many years, including psychodiagnostic, cognitive (especially learning disorders and ADHD), emotional, and personality assessment. He has also been on faculty and taught/supervised psychological testing and assessment at Columbia University and is the Director of Training at the New York Milton H. Erickson Society for Psychotherapy and Hypnosis (NYSEPH).

Dr. Courtney Rennicke is a Columbia University trained clinical psychologist that specializes in treating adopted and foster care children and their families. Dr. Rennicke has been trained extensively in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Dan Hughes, Ph.D. model of attachment-focused family psychotherapy. She is the President and Co-founder of the Adoption Foster Care Therapist Network and Director of Rennicke & Associates, a private psychotherapy group practice in New York City.

* * *

Note that each webinar must be registered for separately.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - Part 1: Understanding Psychological Assessments

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER – Part 2: Understanding the Role of Family Therapy in Supporting Healthy Attachment

National Adoption Awareness Month Calendar

 

Adoptive Families Magazine has published a November 2012 Calendar with 30 Ways to Celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month. Click here to access this printable calendar.