Net-Working: New Adoption Services
This is one segment of our ongoing Net-Working series which explores the way the adoption community continues to develop its presence on the Internet.
New services for members of the adoption community are springing up all over, so many that the
New York Times devoted an article to the lucrative peripheral businesses that now hover in the wings. And these services aren't just in offices and storefronts... they're building a growing online presence.
In this first exploration of
Net-Working, we'll look at some of the more common and uncommon: Web page developers for those seeking to adopt, financial products, and healing and counseling.
Internet IntroductionsWeb site designers and developers abound on the Net. Many offer a wide range of styles, looks, and complexity, and many are industry-specific. Why not for prospective adoptive parents?
- "Dear Parent" pages, showcasing families and couples seeking to adopt, introduce prospective parent(s), their families, and their lives to any surfing expectant parent(s) who may be considering an adoption plan.
For those without the knowledge and/or desire to design and display their own Web pages, Net-based companies will design and host Web pages for a fee.
Help With Adoption ExpensesThere's no doubt about it: adoption can be very expensive, and the financial community is taking advantage of its Web presence to introduce products designed to help alleviate some of the strain.
- Adoption cancellation insurance, such as that underwritten by Kemper Insurance, is available to help offset certain adoption expenses if the birth parent(s) change their minds, and options are available for coverage against other losses.
- Loans to help with adoption expenses are available from First Union Bank, according to an AP report in The Standard Times, which names the bank as a leader in this area, and MBNA, the credit card company, is said to make unsecured loans for adoption expenses.
Healing and CounselingIn their article, "Adoption: A Tapestry of Connections," adoptive parents David and Trina Osher say,
" Whatever the circumstances, adoption is about breaking bonds and making new connections. This is delicate and dangerous work, never to be undertaken lightly. It can never be done without doing some damage and leaving some scars." Not surprisingly, many members of our vast adoption constellation find that some form of emotional support and/or counseling is important to their well-being.
- Hello operator.... Adoption Search and Counseling Consultants offer post-adoption, and search and reunion counseling in the Seattle area. Nothing unusual about that... except that they also counsel by phone - locally and long distance!
- Weekend getaways. Healing Weekends are two full day retreats in a rural New York setting. Moderated by psychotherapist Joe Soll, the weekends - for adoptees and birth parents - are filled with "nurturing and healing, laughter and camaraderie."
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