Send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you worry that your decision to foster or adopt will hurt the kids you are already raising? Check out this podcast with Dr. Jana Hunsley, an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of Texas at Dallas, trauma therapist, TBRI® Practitioner, and founder of Project 1025. In this episode, we cover:FosteringWhat are some of the common impacts of fostering on children already in the family? Both potentially negative and positive.Wha...

Impact of Fostering and Adoption on Kids Already in the Family

Are you thinking about adopting or fostering a child? Confused about all the options and wondering where to begin? Or are you an adoptive or foster parent or kinship caregiver trying to be the best parent possible to this precious child? This is the podcast for you! Every week, we interview leading experts for an hour, discussing the topics you care about in deciding whether to adopt/foster or how to be a better parent. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are the national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster &amp; kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: weekly podcasts, weekly articles, and resource pages on all aspects of family building at our website, CreatingAFamily.org. We also have an active presence on many social media platforms. Please like or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

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Send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you considering adopting internationally. If so, you really should listen to this interview with the great Dr. Dana Johnson, MD, PhD. He is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Johnson founded the International Adoption Clinic at the University of Minnesota. 

In this episode, we discuss:Prenatal exposure to alcohol and drugs: How common in international adoption? How much and when in the pregnancy? What does the impact look like in an infant, preschooler, school-aged child, and older?AlcoholOpioidsCocaineMethamphetamineMarijuanaCigarettesPrenatal stress: Does maternal stress during pregnancy have a long-term impact on the child? Is this something that adoptive parents will know other than by assuming from reading the files?How heritable are mental illnesses?DepressionBi-polarSchizophreniaHow heritable are the following?ADHDIntelligence or academic successAttachment issues: How common with international adoption, and what are the recognizable symptoms of attachment struggles?Disinhibited social engagement disorder. What is it, and how common?How common is Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)?Impacts of neglect: How common is neglect in international adoption?Impact of institutionalization in international adoption.Impacts of physical abuse: How common in international adoption? How often do referrals report physical abuse?Impact of sexual abuse: How common in international adoption? How often do referrals report sexual abuse?Impact of lack of prenatal care.How common are the following:Hepatitis B: Where is it most prevalent? Long-term prognosis?Hepatitis C: Where is it most prevalent? Long-term prognosis?HIV: Where is it most prevalent? Long-term prognosis?Congenital Syphilis: Where is it most prevalent? Long-term prognosis?Prematurity: Where is it most prevalent? Long-term prognosis?Low Birth Weight: What is the long-term prognosis of a child who was born with low birth weight?Cleft lip/palate: Where is it most prevalent? Long-term prognosis?Congenital heart issuesMissing limbs/digits-amniotic band syndromeAlbinismDwarfismMost common special needs you are seeing.What is the risk to the child if the birth mother has/had tuberculosis?Other risk factors to be aware of.Tips for evaluating risk factors in international adoption. How to find a clinic that specializes in evaluating international adoption referrals?Support the Show. Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:  Weekly podcasts  Weekly articles/blog posts   Resource pages on all aspects of family building 

Evaluating Risk Factors in International Adoption

Send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: We’re 5 years in trying to conceive and I’m TIRED. I have an opportunity to adopt an unborn baby girl. My question is, does it get any easier dealing with the infertility, the failure, the empty feeling? Does your heart stop breaking every month when you know you’re not pregnant? I’m so afraid that I’m gonna get this little baby but still need more…. hope I didn’t offend anyone!

Resources:Coming to Terms with Infertility Grief Before You Adopt (Suggested Books)Parenting After InfertilityBreastfeeding the Adopted ChildSupport the Show. Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:  Weekly podcasts  Weekly articles/blog posts   Resource pages on all aspects of family building 

Will the Pain of Infertility Go Away If I Adopt? - Weekend Wisdom

Send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Join us to talk with Cam Lee Small about his new book, The Adoptee's Journey: From Loss and Trauma to Healing and Empowerment.

In this episode, we talk about:You wrote this book for Christian adoptees. Why that specific audience?Adoptees have been objectified, scrutinized, and infantized. Can you give examples of where you see this?The narrative surrounding adoption, especially international adoption: you were saved, you are better off, God called us, etc.Loss and grief that is inherent in adoption. Ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief.Is trauma a part of all adoptions?What are the stages of recovery from trauma and how can adoptive, foster, and kinship parents help with this recovery?“The cost of gratitude-driven silence is high.”I am adopting (kin) a two-year-old girl and planning to keep her basic birth story as part of open conversation. She has details in her story that may be difficult to hear and I would like to keep those from her until she is much much older. Do you agree or disagree with this idea and why? How old were you when you learned your full adoption story?Your parents gave you full access to your records, which you could look at with them or alone. Was this helpful, and do you recommend this approach?3-5-7 model for preparing children for permanencyThe reunion experience. Dr. Susan Branco’s seven themes of emotions that participant report from their reunion experience. Support the Show. Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:  Weekly podcasts  Weekly articles/blog posts   Resource pages on all aspects of family building 

An Adoptee's Journey

Send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: Hello! I’ve been listening to the podcast for a little while now as I consider my desire to adopt. I’ve had many models around me who adopted their children, and although the process is difficult, I have a desire to provide a home to children in need. It seems like now adoptions are declining for various reasons, and I’m trying to consider my motivations and whether it is right for me and my husband. One of our considerations is that my husband has a physical disability, and I wonder if there is anyone or data about how likely/quickly it’s possible for someone with a significant physical disability to adopt (domestic infant or international). My husband is very physically independent and is the breadwinner in our family. We have not started seriously contacting agencies as we hope to wait a few years before considering starting our family.

Resources:Types of Adoption (Domestic, International, Foster Care)Choosing an Adoption AgencyAffording AdoptionSupport the Show. Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:  Weekly podcasts  Weekly articles/blog posts   Resource pages on all aspects of family building 

Can I Adopt If My Husband Is Disabled? - Weekend Wisdom

Send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Do you want to help your adopted or foster child work through the big issues they may face in life? Join our discussion of the seven core issues with Allison Davis Maxon, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She is the co-author of Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency, The Seven Core Issues Workbook for Parents of Traumatized Children and Teens, and The Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency Workbook for Children and Teens.

In this episode, we cover:The 7 core issues in adoption and foster care: Loss, Rejection, Guilt/Shame, Grief, Identity, Intimacy, Mastery/ControlThese 7 core issues impact all adoptees and foster kids to some degree and are crucial for adoptive and foster parents to understand.They also impact all members of the adoption or foster care triad: adoptee or foster child or adult, birth parent, and adoptive/foster parent. Today, we will focus primarily on how these 7 core issues impact adoptees and those who spent time in foster care and what role parents can play in helping their children process these issues.These core issues can manifest themself differently in children at different ages and stages.Parents can provide guidance and support, allowing the child to feel every emotion deeply. They can also use education, understanding, awareness, and acceptance tools to encourage the child to move forward.Loss.What have adopted and foster kids lost?What can parents do to help? Rejection.How have adopted and foster kids been rejected?What can parents do to help? Guilt/Shame.What causes adopted and foster children or adults to feel guilt or shame?What can parents do to help? Grief.What can adopted and foster children or adults grieve?What can parents do to help?Identity.What are the universal identity issues faced by adopted and foster children or adults?Additional issues for transracial adoptees.Having the label “foster” to your identity is shaming.Does openness in adoption “cure” this issue?What can parents do to help? Intimacy.What issues with intimacy are common with adopted and foster children or adults?What can parents do to help?Mastery and Control.What mastery and control issues are common with adopted and foster children or adults?What can parents do to help?Our children can heal!

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 Support the Show. Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:  Weekly podcasts  Weekly articles/blog posts   Resource pages on all aspects of family building 

Impact of Fostering and Adoption on Kids Already in the Family

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