Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

Evan has been in the field of social work for nearly a decade. Early in his career he gained experience working in child welfare and mentoring where he witnessed the powerful impact that one consistent adult could have on a young person’s life. Moved by this experience, he went on to receive his MSW where he focused on child welfare, LGBTQ youth, trauma and attachment. In addition to his MSW, Evan is also a LICSW and a has a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership. Evan brings a diverse skill set to his role ranging from experiences providing clinical and administrative supervision, training, program management, and providing individual therapy for individuals who were navigating identity and trauma. Evan was ecstatic to join SLM in 2012 as a Program Coordinator where he supported matches and developed SLM’s LGBTQ Mentoring Initiative. In 2015, he transitioned to the role of Program Supervisor where he currently provides clinical supervision and oversees the daily functions and overall growth of the CBM program. Every day he is grateful for the trust that youth and mentors place in SLM, and to be part of such an amazing team.

Outside of work Evan can often be found kayaking in nearby river, hiking trails and mountains all over New England, or kicking back in a local park. If he’s not outside he’s likely cooking up a storm, chasing after his nephew, binge watching a new show, or continuing his mission to find the best cup of coffee in the area.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-hubbard-licsw-7b573225/ 

Silver Lining Mentoring empowers youth in foster care to thrive through committed mentoring relationships and the development of essential life skills. We are one of only a few mentoring organizations in the country exclusively focused on youth impacted by foster care.

Find out more at:

https://www.silverliningmentoring.org/

https://www.facebook.com/SilverLiningMentoring

https://twitter.com/SLMyouth

https://www.instagram.com/silverliningmentoring/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Steve Kalb, director of post adoption services, is an adult adoptee from the Midwest.  He received his masters of social work in 2009 and is currently pursuing his Ph. D. in social work and social research, focusing on adoptee community and empowerment models.  Since 2005, Steve has worked directly with hundreds of adoptees through the adoptee camps and birth search counseling.  He has seen the need for, and benefit of, a strong adoptee community; that experience guides his adoptee advocacy work at Holt.

Connect with Steve:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-kalb-b684a9a1/

Holt international are a Christian organization committed to a world where every child has a loving and secure home. They help strengthen vulnerable families, care for orphans, and find adoptive families for kids.

Find out more at

https://www.holtinternational.org/

https://www.facebook.com/HoltInternational

https://twitter.com/holtintl

https://www.linkedin.com/company/holt-international-children%27s-services/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Norman E. Thibault, PhD, LMFT graduated with his BS in Family and Human Development (FHD) in 1994. He went directly into his Master's program in FHD and Marriage and Family Therapy and graduated in 1998. He completed his PhD in Counseling Psychology in 2006. Norm has worked extensively in residential treatment, in his former private practice, and as the Clinical Director of At the Crossroads, an innovative young-adult transitional program in St. George. Throughout his nearly-20 years of clinical service, Norm has worked extensively with adopted persons and their families.

Norm is a Clinical Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. He is a former President of the Utah Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (UAMFT) and served on their Board of Directors for eight years. Norm received the “UAMFT Excellence in Leadership Award” in 2012 for his service to therapists in the state of Utah. He has studied extensively under world-renowned psychologist Dr. John Gottman and has presented to professional groups in Florida, Texas, Georgia, California, Michigan, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. He has served as an expert witness in Newark, NJ and Washington, DC. He was also appointed by Utah Governor Michael Leavitt to represent MFT’s on a state mental health financial board. Norm also served as a Field Trial Clinician in researching the validity of the current DSM-V.

Norm was also the Area Chair/Lead Faculty and Clinical Director for the St. George Learning Center of the University of Phoenix’ CACREP accredited Master’s Level Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, where he taught a number of local clinicians who now work in wilderness programs and residential treatment centers. In addition, he has supervised to licensure a number of local Marriage and Family Therapists and Clinical Mental Health Counselors. Norm's family, like many others, is touched by adoption and he would love to share their stories with you. He is married to the former Megan Anderson of Las Vegas and they have three wonderful children.

Connect with Norm at

https://www.linkedin.com/in/norm-thibault-phd-lmft-37604534/

Here's a summary from his Center's website:

‘Three Points Center”, was chosen to acknowledge the importance of the adoption triad—which connectively triangulates the relationship between the birth parent(s), adoptive parent(s), and adopted individual— and to utilize this triad as the solid foundation onto which we have built our entire approach.

However, acknowledging the adoption triad in our name was just the beginning. The founders of Three Points Center realized the importance and necessity of creating a nurturing residential treatment facility solely for adopted teens, geared to address the complex psychological, emotional, and social issues often encountered by adopted individuals and their families. Designed to be a critical resource for those families living the day-to-day joys and myriad of complex challenges resulting from the adoption triad, Three Points Center —and everything it encompasses—was long overdue.

Because adoption can oftentimes present specific attachment and trust issues, the creation of a supportive, safe and compassionate environment is essential. Our team can help adopted individuals journey with their families to build or regain trust, heal a fractured identity and ultimately find a sense of peace and wholeness. This is our daily mission and ultimate goal.

Find out more at:

https://www.threepointscenter.com/

https://www.facebook.com/3PointsCenter

https://twitter.com/3PointsCenter

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Find out more about Brian and his incredible work:

https://thebrianstanton.com/

https://www.facebook.com/brian.stanton3

https://www.atghostkingdom.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thebrianstanton/

https://www.facebook.com/ATghostkingdom

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-stanton-63141a24/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Darren received his bachelors degree in visual fine arts. Since university, he has worked varying graphic design and social media management positions. He's an imaginative foster/adoptive parent that can get children to go to bed by inventing a detailed story about small, friendly creatures living throughout the house that only come out at night. Darren helped co-found Community Kids, a resource and networking 501(c)3 created to assist foster/adoptive families.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenfink/

Transfiguring Adoption develops media, resources, and tools that nurture growth in foster and adoptive children – strategically we focus on resourcing foster and adoptive parents.

https://transfiguringadoption.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TransfigurAdopt/

https://twitter.com/transfiguradopt?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/transfiguradopt/?hl=en-gb

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Connect with Kerry

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-bocook-34261b83/

Heart to Home Adoption Agency, LLC (HTH) is a licensed Kentucky adoption agency that provides home studies, post placement visits, adoptive and foster parent education and referrals to other professional agencies to prospective adoptive/foster parents in Kentucky seeking to adopt domestically. We offer face to face meetings to support our adoptive families and our placing parents.
HTH also provides birth parent services such as pregnancy counseling and resource, medical and legal referrals. Heart to Home does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation.
“Heart to Home is an agency that believes everyone deserves love and is capable of giving it and receiving it. My family changed with adoption. Our goal is to offer a loving and dedicated service to children, placing parents, and adoptive parents”
– Leigh Shapiro, Founder & Executive Director, Heart to Home Adoption

Find out more about them at:

https://hearttohomeadoptions.net/

https://www.facebook.com/HeartToHomeAdoptionAgency/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Isaac Etter is an activist and social entrepreneur. Isaac was transracially adopted at the age of two. He recently founded Identity a startup focused on providing accessible, diverse, and ethical adoption and foster care education. Isaac also co-founded an education and advocacy organization, SafeHouse Lancaster, where he was the co-executive director. SafeHouse Lancaster merged with YWCA Lancaster in July of 2021 and Isaac went to found Identity. Isaac also serves on the board of directors for The Keystone Business Alliance and CHI St Joseph Children's Health. They are also a frequent speaker in many different settings, including colleges, adoption agencies, and conferences.

Isaac has used his story of being adopted and growing up in a white world to curate deep conversations about race in America. With his unique insight on racial tensions between the white and black communities, they have been able to curate impactful conversations where everyone learns to value each other and their experience, while learning about systemic racism, privilege and their role in it.

https://isaacetter.com/

https://identity-learning.teachable.com/p/learningcommunity

https://twitter.com/_identityco

https://twitter.com/etter_isaac/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrPxVJcXBCUjmYpVKdpR8pg

https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaac-etter-/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Herbie is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. He holds a Master’s of Business Administration in Accounting from Samford University. He worked with WAKM Companies, LLC, a prominent accounting firm, for several years as an independent auditor before being led to Lifeline in 2003 as Executive Director. From January 2004 to December 2008, he served as the president of the Alabama Adoption Coalition and was chosen as a Hague Intercountry Adoption evaluator and team leader by the Council of Accreditation. Under Herbie’s leadership, Lifeline has increased international outreach to 25 countries through adoption and strategic orphan care, obtained licensure in 12 states, attained membership into the ECFA (Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability), and established the foster care arm at Lifeline. Herbie has spoken at many events concerning adoption and the Church’s response to orphan care, including the National Council for Adoption, Christian Alliance for Orphans, Together for Adoption, Care Net and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

Having witnessed the plight of older orphans on many international trips, Herbie’s burden for the fatherless was a catalyst for forming (un)adopted in 2009, Lifeline’s strategic orphan care ministry focused on equipping orphaned and vulnerable children with life skills needed to bring about community transformation. During Summer 2013, Herbie and his family traveled for seven weeks throughout China, working with (un)adopted and orphanage partners. In Summer 2018, he and his family served for five weeks in Colombia with Lifeline’s adoption and orphan care partners.

Herbie and his wife, Ashley, live in Birmingham, Alabama, and are parents to son, Caleb, and daughters, Adelynn and Emily. Following her graduation from Samford, Ashley worked as Assistant Director of Sav-A-life, a Birmingham-based crisis pregnancy center, where she counseled hundreds of women on life-giving options for their babies.

Herbie and Ashley share a passion for the unborn, life, and adoption and desire to spend their lives advocating for the least of these.

Connect with Herbie at:

https://twitter.com/Hmnewell

https://www.linkedin.com/in/herbienewell/

Here's a summary from Lifeline's website 

"With a mission to equip the Body of Christ to manifest the gospel to vulnerable children, we know we cannot do this without one another. Whether through adoption, foster care, orphan care, or education and counseling, the mission is accomplished when churches live out James 1:27 in their communities and to the ends of the earth. Lifeline’s four decades of experience serves to assist families with international adoption in all 50 states, each of the U.S. territories and with U.S. citizens living abroad. Lifeline also serves women in unexpected pregnancies and families through domestic adoption."

More at:

https://www.facebook.com/lifelinechild

https://lifelinechild.org/

https://www.instagram.com/lifelinechild/

https://twitter.com/lifelinechild

https://vimeo.com/lifelinechild

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Sarah works as a therapist with foster and adoptive families in a private practice in Manhattan.  She was formerly the Executive Director of the Coalition, the Associate Director of AdoptUsKids, and a Senior Policy Analyst at Children’s Rights. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University. Her child welfare policy and practice experience includes research and publication on a range of foster care and adoption issues as well as presentations at national and international conferences. Sarah’s most recent book is Another Mother: Co-Parenting with the Foster Care System

Sarah has been a foster and kinship parent and one of her three children was adopted from the New York City foster care system. She and her husband support three additional siblings who were also in the foster care system and are now grown.

Find out more about Sarah at

http://www.sarahgerstenzang.com/

The Coalition unites foster, adoptive and kinship care families, giving them a voice and providing support, information and advocacy.  By fostering communication and collaboration between families, agencies and concerned citizens, we seek to ensure the stability, well-being and permanency of all children.

No foster, adoptive or kinship care family in New York State will feel alone or unsupported and that all such families will have the tools, support and community they need to nurture their children and be role models for others. Goal:

• Educate and support foster/kinship care/adoptive parents and the professionals who serve them by utilizing information-sharing, services, peer support and referral.
• Improve services available to children and families.
• Increase citizen involvement in local service planning and delivery.
• Educate leaders and stakeholders about the realities, challenges and rewards of foster/kinship care/adoptive parenting.
• Advocate for greater support of foster/kinship care/adoptive families by federal, state and local agencies.

To learn more, read our history, learn about our current programs, join us at an event and meet our team.

https://affcny.org

https://www.facebook.com/affcny/

https://twitter.com/AFFCNY

https://www.instagram.com/affcny/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.