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CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN ADOPTION & FOSTER CARE THERAPY |
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Clinicians who work with foster or adopted children and their families often find themselves involved with complex systems and dynamics, above and beyond what is typically encountered in many aspects of mental health care. Unless they are provided with adequate training and experience, providers can easily find themselves overwhelmed and confused. Increasingly, it is recognized that the kinds of issues raised in these cases requires specialized training and experience. Mental health professionals consistently express dismay that their graduate programs did not prepare them adequately for the challenges of doing clinical work with this population. Adoptive and foster parents also express frustration about the quality of services they receive for their families. In one study, 25% of the parents reported that the mental health professionals with whom they worked were not helpful or knowledgeable about the issues of most concern to them. Similarly, 41% of clinicians surveyed reported a desire to have better skills and training by which to work with this population. A developing trend in child welfare is to offer post graduate certificate programs in adoption and foster care therapy. In these programs, participants learn to work with all members affected by adoption and foster care, including birth parents; adoptive parents; the adopted person; siblings; and temporary (foster) families. Courses emphasize the development of a framework of understanding about the complexity of being a child or adult in a family impacted by adoption or foster care, as well as the therapeutic skills that will enable practitioners to work at the individual, couples, group, and family levels of clinical practice. Upon completion of the training, participants receive a certificate. Their names are then included in data bases that are made available to professionals and families seeking the services of adoption competent practitioners. In New Mexico, it is estimated that there are over 2,000 children in foster care at any given time. Each year, upwards of 500 adoptions are finalized, both privately and through State agencies. The average age of these children at the time of adoption is 6-years-old. With many countries restricting the number of adoptions they will permit by non-residents, families are increasingly turning to in-state options, thereby raising these numbers. In addition, it is estimated that 25,000 grandparents have primary responsibility for caring for their grandchildren in New Mexico. Studies suggest that 79% of adoptive parents have sought mental health counseling for their children or families, while 51% report active involvement in treatment at any given time. These numbers are often comparable or greater for children in foster placements. In many, if not most instances, families seek counsel from mental health providers before disrupting a placement, and families are obtaining pre-adoption counseling at greater rates than has been true historically. Too often, mental health professionals working in child welfare apply skills and knowledge about other kinds of cases in their efforts with foster and adopted children. While this is satisfactory in some instances, a good number of these professionals find themselves overwhelmed and confused by the myriad of issues and dynamics that present in these families. In turn, the families become frustrated, sometimes to the point of prematurely terminating the treatment. Increasingly, counseling with foster and adopted children and their families is being viewed as an area that requires specialized training, knowledge, and experience. There is great demand for clinicians with this background, both in private practice and in community-based agencies. In one survey, all of the mental health administrators reported that they would be very or somewhat interested in supporting a member of their staff in obtaining a professional certificate in adoption and foster care counseling. In addition, 77% would be somewhat likely to hire someone who has this certification versus someone without it. To address these issues, Christopher J. Alexander, Ph.D. & Associates, a Limited Liability Corporation in New Mexico will implement a certificate program in adoption and foster care therapy. Applications will be accepted for the 2008 2009 program from June through September 2008, when the programs begin. Late submissions will be reviewed on a space available basis. Applicants employed by public child welfare agencies and those from licensed foster care agencies in New Mexico will be given priority for admission. On average, 75% of all students will be from these constituencies. A total of 50 hours of coursework is required to complete the certificate program. The curriculum offers the latest information on techniques and trends, drawing upon presentations from legal, medical, and mental health professionals in the field, as well as foster and adoptive parents. The program is flexible, such that participants can enter at any time during the year, with up to two years to complete the training. Continuing education credit is provided for each workshop, to include 10 hours of law and ethics and 6 hours of cultural sensitivity. PROGRAM COST Participants pay a fee for each class, due at the time of enrollment. The fee covers all 6 weeks of training. The tuition for the program is $500 for employees of the public child welfare system and from licensed foster care agencies in New Mexico. Admission costs for New Mexico State Residents not employed by a child welfare agency is $700. Admissions costs for non-New Mexico State Residents is $800. This fee does not include the cost for the course reading materials. A number of scholarships will be made available. COURSEWORK A total of 50 hours of coursework is required to complete the certificate program. This will be a 6-month program designed to help providers develop the clinical sensitivity and competency needed to treat the mental health problems of children who come from a background of abuse and neglect and who are being raised in a family other than the birth family. Each session will cover a specific subject relevant to the emotional and behavioral needs of adopted children, youth, and affected families. Each workshop is offered one Friday each month for 6 months, 9:00 AM 4:00 PM in Albuquerque. The curriculum will offer the latest information on techniques and trends. Presenters will include: Adoption/foster care professionals; District Court Judges; Childrens Court Attorneys; Court Appointed Special Advocates; Counselors and Psychologists; Foster/Treatment Foster Parents; Physicians; Psychiatrists; Child Development Specialists; Birth Parents; and others who are actively involved in rendering services to this population. The curriculum will include lecture, videos, group discussions, role play, and extensive case presentation. END PRODUCT This training is designed to help therapists and allied health professionals develop the clinical sensitivity and competency needed to treat the mental health needs of children and families impacted by foster care or adoption. The goal is to create not only certified practitioners, but eventually, trainers who can extend the certification program and to provide foster-adopt agencies in New Mexico with specialized skills or training. At the conclusion of the training, each participant will receive a certificate of completion. The names of each participant will be registered with numerous public and private foster care and adoption agencies in New Mexico. The list is shared with adoptive families and case workers statewide who request therapy resources such as counseling, training, supervision, or consultation. Families will also have access to the list through various websites established for foster and adopted children. WEEK 1 The State of Child Welfare in New Mexico Historical perspectives on adoption, locally and nationally Adoption and Safe Families Act Current trends in foster care and adoption Mental health and adoption systems, nationally and in New Mexico Introduction to the adoption triad Birth parent decision-making on keeping or relinquishing a child Deciding to adopt a child Grief and loss as a result of infertility Legal perspectives on out-of-home care Introduction to the treatment needs of birth, foster, and adoptive families Guest speakers include: Social workers, Childrens Court Attorney, adoption attorney, private adoption agency, birth parent, adoptive parents. Child Development Prenatal development Fetal Alcohol Effects and Syndromes Neurological development Physical trauma and the developing brain Genetic influences on personality and behavior Bonding and attachment Guest speaker includes: Pediatrician. WEEK 2 Clinical Issues in Adoption The interplay of child development and out-of-home care Family therapy with children in foster care Adjustment stages in adoptive families Preparing children for adoption Behavior problems as a coping strategy The effect of multiple placements on child development Treating children before they have permanency Guest speakers include: foster and adoptive parents Assessment and Diagnosis New perspectives on trauma In-depth discussion of reactive attachment, oppositional defiant, bipolar, conduct, attention-deficit/hyperactivity, and other DSM disorders Assessment and treatment planning Ethical considerations Pharmacological approaches Guest speakers include: child psychiatrist WEEK 3 Complex Issues in Foster and Adoptive Counseling Sibling relations Broader influences on foster/adoptive families Adjustment reactions v. chronic mental health conditions Educational issues and concerns Promoting positive sexual development after abuse and neglect Adolescence Substance abuse Serving rural communities Post-placement contact with birth family members Search and reunion issues Testifying in court Guest speakers include: Foster/adoptive parents, District Court Judge Clinical Practice Therapeutic strategies and approaches Working collaboratively with other providers Neurofeedback Guest speakers include: panel of therapists, provider of neurofeedback, executive director of treatment foster agency WEEK 4 Birth and Extended Families Trends in open adoption Pros and cons of open adoption Grandparent and other kinship arrangements When children search for birth families Telling children the truth about their past Guest speakers: Operation Identity, Outcomes Inc. WEEK 5 Parenting Styles Getting away from one-size-fits-all approaches to parenting Preparing parents and families for a foster-adopt child Single parent adoptions and clinical implications Parenting support groups Guest speakers: Parents, parenting support group facilitator Special Needs Considerations Racial, ethnic, and religious influences on child adaptation Developmental disabilities Coping with life-long physical or mental limitations Aging-out of the system Guest speakers: Multicultural adoption alliance, DD-Waiver program WEEK 6 Pulling it All Together Refining therapeutic approaches Key components of successful mental health treatment Legal and ethical considerations in foster-adopt treatment Working with agencies: Training, supervision, and consultation Continuing education opportunities Starting and promoting a specialty practice REQUIRED TEXTS Handbook of Adoption. (2007). Javier, Baden, Biafora, & Camacho-Gingerich. Sage Publications Child Welfare for the 21st Century. (2005). Mallon & Hess. Columbia University Press. Check back to this website for course and registration information. You may also phone Dr. Alexander at 505-898-1117 Click here to download | Return Home | CE Independent Study | Events Schedule | My Services | Recent Articles | Psychological Evaluations | Bonding Assessments | Contact Us | CERTIFICATE IN ADOPTION THERAPY | |
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