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Internationally-known trainers, Sharon Kaplan Roszia, M.S. and Deborah N. Silverstein, M.S.W., invite you to take advantage of their combined 55 years of experience in the field of foster care, adoption, and kinship. Through the years, their reputations have grown as dynamic, caring,
thought-provoking, and humorous trainers. They have personally experienced much of what they teach. Sharon and Deborah each train independently and, since 1980, frequently have worked as a team.
All workshops can be presented in two hour to two day formats, depending upon depth of exploration desired.
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Audio tapes to hear presentation styles are also available.
THE FOLLOWING IS AN ABBREVIATED LIST OF THEIR WORKSHOPS.
Sharon and Deborah have a reputation for developing materials tailor-made to each audience.
Each workshop can be designed for professionals, families, or a mixture of each.
Please feel free to contact them to discuss the needs of your agency or organization.
LIFELONG ISSUES IN ADOPTION: THE SEVEN CORE ISSUES
Adoption is an institution based on loss. These losses are intergenerational in scope and create additional challenges with feelings of rejection, shame and guilt,
needs to grieve, identity confusion, intimacy fears, and needs for mastery and control.
LOSS IN ADOPTION
What are the losses in adoption and how do they impact the lives of adoptees, birth family and adoptive family members over time.
GRIEF, GROWTH AND GAIN IN ADOPTION
How does the normal process of grief unfold? How do people grieve in adoption when society sees adoption as a problem solving event that causes only joy and
relief? How do children grieve as they move through their growing years?
RITUALS: BRIDGES FOR HEALING
What purpose do rituals serve for the adoption triangle? What elements compose a ritual? What are some rituals people have developed as bridges for healing?
Experiential opportunities can be integrated into the workshops
MYTHS AND STEREOTYPESIN ADOPTION AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE ADOPTION TRIAD OVER TIME
TALKING TO CHILDRENABOUT ADOPTION AS THEY GROW
BONDING AND ATTACHMENT IN THE ADOPTIVE FAMILY
How do bonding and attachment differ? What positively & negatively affects attachment? How do adoptive parents increase attachment to their adopted children?
EFFECTS OF SEPARATION AND LOSSON CHILDREN AT VARIOUS STAGES OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT
WHY ARE ADOPTEES ANGRY?
Adoptees often seem angry at their birth parents, adoptive parents, even society at large. How can we help adoptees address their anger and move on?
ISSUES OF TRANSRACIAL AND TRANSCULTURAL ADOPTIONS
What do adoptees notice about color at various stages of development? How do families address the special needs of children who come from a different heritage
than their own? What attributes do successful families demonstrate in this form of adoption?
ADOPTION A TO Z
A tour of the alphabet will give us a chance to see how society views adoption in the 90s and which words trigger feelings of relief, sadness, confusion & anger
that need to be further examined.
GETTING STARTED IN ADOPTION
What issues of readiness and what facts need to be examined before starting on the road towards adoption? How can one stay out of trouble in the complex
world of adoption?
ADOLESCENT ADOPTEES
What are the particular issues for adolescent adoptees and how are the normal tasks of adolescence impacted by the adoption status?
SEARCH AND REUNION
Why do birth parents and adoptees search? What is the role of the adoptive family in the search? What is search aftermath? What is the difference between search
& reunion.
ADOPTIVE FAMILY DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
All families go through certain stages of development. Adoptive families, because of their unique roles and tasks have additional developmental concerns. This workshop will address how the adoptive family looks over time and in what ways they are similar/different than other families.
KINSHIP
There are various forms of kinship practiced in the world. A broad definition of kinship will be used in this workshop as we look at adoption and foster built families and the kinship systems that they provide for children.
ETHICS AND ADOPTION
In today's world of adoption ethics is a major issue. Children have become a commodity. This workshop will look at the ethical questions in adoption in the 90s.
INTERGENERATIONAL ISSUES OF ADOPTION
The extended families of both the birth parents and the adoptive parents are often left out of the equation, both in terms of service and lifelong connection to a
child. This workshop will explore extended family needs and concerns.
WHOSE RIGHTS ARE THESE ANYHOW?
This is an exercise that allows people to examine what rights they automatically have in adoption; which ones they get to choose to share, and which rights they do
not have. A playful and educating workshop
SEXUALITY IN ADOPTION
Sexuality is one of the main underpinnings of adoption. How do out of wedlock pregnancies, infertility and questions about one's history get played out over the
years in the sexuality of the family systems.
COPING SKILLS FOR ADOPTIVE FAMILIES
Discipline techniques, stress reduction, use of resources. .
PREPARATION AND ASSESSMENT OF THE ADOPTIVE FAMILY
THE OPEN ADOPTION EXPERIENCE
Many chapters from the book The Open Adoption Experience can be turned into an in-depth workshop. Open adoption with infant placements; open adoptions with special needs children; successful open adoptions; open adoptions over time; the development and use of support groups in open adoption; dealing with difficult people in open adoption; in-family open adoptions, and international open adoptions all address particular areas of concern for triad members. .
UNDERSTANDING THE BIRTHFAMILY
Broadening the perspective of foster and adoptive families
DEVELOPING AN OPEN ADOPTION
HELPING CHILDREN HANDLE SEPARATION AND LOSS
PUTTING THE PUZZLE TOGETHER
Integrating life experiences for adoptees
IMAGES OF ADOPTION
Utilizing visualization and guided imagery
OPEN ADOPTION OVER THE YEARS
CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS FOR CHILDREN
BONDING AND ATTACHMENT
ATTACHMENT DISORDERS
Diagnosis and treatment
TRANSRACIAL/TRANSCULTURAL PLACEMENTS
(Foster care/ adoption)
EXPANDING WAYS WE WORK WITH CHILDREN
(Non-verbal therapy techniques)
MOVING FROM INFERTILITY TO PARENTING
GETTING STARTED IN ADOPTION
HELPING FOSTER FAMILIES UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF NATURAL FAMILIES
ADOPTION TODAY
Demystifying the experience
THE MYTHS AND STEREOTYPES IN FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION
UNGRIEVED LOSSES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TIES
ADOPTION: AGES AND STAGES
DECIDING ABOUT THERAPY
When a child or family needs help
ABUSE AND ADOPTION
(& foster care)
OPEN ADOPTION WITH SPECIAL NEEDS FAMILIES
Keeping the ties that bind
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ADOPTION
HEALING THROUGH LAUGHTER AND PLAY
STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR THE ADOPTION TRIAD
(and/or foster family)
INTERVIEWING CHILDREN
PLAY THERAPY
ETHICS AND ADOPTION
COPING SKILLS FOR ADOPTIVE AND FOSTER FAMILIES
PREPARATION AND ASSESSMENT OF THE FOSTER AND ADOPTIVE FAMILIES
MEDIATING ADOPTION DILEMMAS
New presentations can be developed to meet the unique needs of a conference.
Most workshops can be presented in a short format, half day or full day presentation.
Yes I am interested. Contact Me.
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