No matter which route of adoption you’ve taken to bring your child into your home, the transition will be layered with needs. In New York, there is a mandated post-adoption supervision timeframe when your adoption worker visits your home and family to check in. This is a great, invaluable time to seek advice, guidance, and referrals.
Often, though, as a child grows up and the family works to grow together, new struggles present themselves whether that be a year, five years, or a decade from the adoption date. Sometimes we all need a little extra help to navigate life! It’s a sign of strength and love for a child when parents seek support from community resources.
When adoption is what creates a family, there are unique challenges that can present immediately and in the long run. Thus, it’s important to find adoption-competent support at times. Besides the Adoption Team at Monroe County DHS, here are a few good starting points in the Rochester area to consider for finding the right help for your family later on down the road.
Permanency Resource Centers (PRCs)
PRCs help to strengthen families made through adoption, legal guardianship of a relative’s child, and formal or informal custody situations. Assistance is provided to these types of families to prevent dissolutions or disruptions. This can look like parent training, counseling, mentoring, advocacy, youth support groups, help with navigating multiple systems, referrals for therapeutic services, respite care, and more.
Here are two Rochester area PRCs to reach out to for support:
Online Support and Connections
Families made through adoption complete education related to adoption, loss, trauma, and parenting prior to placement. However, questions and issues often come up within parenthood for all of us. There are so many post-adoption resources out there for reminders of previous training and to gain new guidance when new struggles arise.
For seasons of life in which online support may be more feasible than going in person, check out these three highly recommended online resources and communities to delve into for insight and direction.
- Adoptive & Foster Family Coalition of New York (AFFCNY)
AFFCNY offers countless ways to support families post-adoption. Check their Family Resources and Supports page for a wide variety of topics to receive education and connections! Some of their helpful connections are to national organizations, agencies and assistance specific to New York, online support groups, and in-depth information on many topics related to adoption throughout life. - Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE)
CASE offers free, LIVE, monthly webinars on an array of topics applicable to families made through adoption, foster care, and kinship placements. There are further training opportunities for professionals working with families, but parents can also glean insight from these! CASE offers online support groups as well. - National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster and Adoptive Parents
Start with the self-assessment on their website. Free, flexible, and interactive courses share information and experiences by child welfare professionals, foster and adoptive parents, and young adults with lived expertise.
Adoption-Competent Therapy
Understanding adoption and the challenges faced by all parties involved is an important specialty to find in a therapy setting. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find adoption-competent professionals.
Here are some therapists serving the Rochester area who know how to approach the needs and challenges, and are attuned to the ways adoption impacts individuals and families throughout life.
- Lisa Maynard, LMSW, ACSW, TCTSY-F: primarily sees adults/parents at the Tree of Hope Counseling office in the Brighton area. Contact Lisa through the Tree of Hope website, or via email.
- John Sobraske, LMHC, LMFT: an affiliate of Tree of Hope Counseling, John practices in Pittsford. His primary focus is on family work and parent training. To contact John, reach out via email.
- Karen Rabish, LCSWR: provides therapy, primarily for adults and teenagers, among many other adoption-related services. Her private practice is at Tree of Hope, but she also visits clients in their homes in many adoption situations. Contact Karen via email or by phone: (585)737-1797.
- Stacey Kulik, LCSW: works with kids and parents through Play Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and (for kids through age five, along with caregivers) Child-Parent Psychotherapy. Stacey practices at the Tree of Hope office in Brighton, and is best reachable by phone: (585)613-1736.
- Dena Adler, B. ED, M.A., ATR, CMBM: works with children, youth, and adults (with a specialty in families). In addition to talk therapy with cognitive behavioral techniques and mindfulness for resiliency and healing, Dena utilizes Art and Expressive Therapy, which includes the use of play, puppets, and strategic mindful games. She practices at Tree of Hope’s Carriage House in Brighton. Contact Dena via email.
- Elizabeth Emen, LMHC: Emen Counseling Services provides telehealth/virtual therapy to residents of New York. Parents and children alike are included in her services to help find the best support she can offer for each family. Contact Elizabeth through her website for a free consultation.
Financial Support
Post-adoption financial support is available to some families in New York, depending on eligibility. For an adoption that’s just been completed, look into the Adoption Tax Credit for some adoption expenses.
Monthly Adoption Subsidies could also be available for financial support if your child qualifies — usually for adopted children with certain medical needs and/or children who are difficult to place. Typically subsidies need to be approved before the adoption is completed. However, it could become available after an adoption is finalized if there were unknown pre-existing conditions of the child.
In this day and age, there is so much more support available to families created through adoption. We don’t need to feel like we are floundering on our own after the initial post-adoption supervision! Expect that learning how to best support our families after adoption is a lifetime journey that will change through each milestone and stage we grow into. By seeking adoption-competent resources at any time, you are making the right choice to put love and care into action!
