It is very important for

adoptive families to feel

supported as they address

their children’s needs and

respond to changes in their

family system. However,

quite often the adoptive

parents need to be proac-

tive in seeking appropriate

mental health services.

According to the article,

Issues Facing Adoptive

Mothers of Children with

Special Needs, written by

Heather Forbes and Sophia

F. Dziegielewski, (http://

www.beyondconsequences.com/

articles1.html), “As adoptive

parents move through the

adoption experience, many

soon realize that the

‘honeymoon’ is over and that

the stress and tension in

their families are at a level

in which outside help is

warranted. However, adop-

tive mothers can perceive

asking for help as a fail-

ure.” The article mentions

that adoptive mothers turn

to friends, but then discov-

er that outsiders do not

understand their situation.

The article identifies three

types of post-adoption ser-

vices. “Educational and in-

formational services include

requesting more complete

information about the

child’s history; request for

literature (pamphlets, books,

articles) on adoption issues;

and lectures, seminars, work-

shops, and classes focusing

on adoption. Material ser-

vices include adoption subsi-

dies, medical care, and spe-

cial education options. Clini-

cal services include counsel-

ing for the child, couple, or

family, and respite care.”

The article explains that

material and clinical services

are the most important for

adoptive families. According

to this article, “Research

shows that finding qualified

therapeutic help for adopted

children is an extremely

(Continued to pg. 2)

Upon arriving at the

Shopneck Boys & Girls Club

in Brighton, you will see a

large variety of kids, from

ages 6 to 18. The youth

may use computers, receive

homework help, and enjoy

art time and fun with

friends. There is a sepa-

rate area for the

teens. They also have a

Garden Club where youth

have the chance to soil,

plant, and maintain the gar-

den until time to harvest.

Several sports are offered

throughout the year. The

Club can pick up children

after school at: North Ele-

mentary, Pennock Elemen-

tary, Overland Trails Mid-

dle School, South and

Southeast Elemen-

tary. During the school

year, the facility is open

from 2:30pm until

9:00pm. They offer after-

noon snacks and an early

dinner.

The Boys and Girls Club

branches in the Denver

Metro area offer similar

services for about $2 per

year for each child. Con-

tact your local branch to

get updated information. To

contact The Robert M.

Shopneck branch call 303-

637-7272.

Community Spotlight-

Robert M. Shopneck Boys & Girls Club

Is it Time for Therapy?

Issue 3, September 2012

Adoption Newsletter

Inside this issue:

Is it Time for Therapy? 1

Community Spotlight—

Boys & Girls Club

1

Is it Time for Therapy?

(Continued)

2

Children to Know 3

Getting Kids Up and Out 3

Adoptive Families’ Picnic 4

Culture Pass Program 4

Services for Children with

Developmental Disabilities

5

Top Ten List 5

Adams County Human

Services Department

Adoption Support Group

3rd Tuesday of each month,

5:30pm—7:30pm, CFC building, 7401

N. Broadway, Denver, 80221

Next meetings:

Sept. 18, 5:30-7:30pm Open Discus-

sion

Oct. 16, 5:30-7:30pm Open Discus-

sion

Please RSVP with Elizabeth Miller,

303-412-5118

difficult challenge itself.” Many

times adoptive parents determine

that “The therapists do not under-

stand how to treat adopted children

with complex histories and therapists

do not have a working knowledge of

the relationship between the adopted

child and the adoptive parents.”

The Adoption Exchange (http://

tae.convio.net/site/PageServer?

pagename=adoption_post_coparc_therapist)

has an article from

(www.adoptivefamilies.com), “Do We Need

a Therapist? How to Decide- and How

to Find One.” The article compiled by

Susan Freivalds, suggests some things

to consider or do prior to pursuing

therapy: 1) Learn about child develop-

ment to identify if your child’s behav-

iors are normal; 2) Consider if there

has been a change in the family that

may be triggering the behavior; 3)

“Seek out parenting classes or advice

from a parenting expert”; 4) Let your

child know that you are open to talk

about adoption; 5) Give your child op-

portunities to interact with other

children who have been adopted; and

6) Join a support group. The Adop-

tion Exchange website (http://

www.adoptex.org/site/PageServer?

pagename=adoption_post_coparc_main) has

links to search for adoptive parent

support groups and mental health pro-

fessionals with adoption training/

experience. The same article, “Do We

Need a Therapist? ...” also offers

situations when therapeutic profes-

sional help is needed, such as:

“inconsolable, persistent crying;

chronic worry; being made fun of at

school; significant change in tempera-

Center for Adoption Support and Ed-

ucation (C.A.S.E.), a non-profit adop-

tive family support center, “…has con-

vened a group of nationally recog-

nized experts, including parents, who

identified the specific knowledge,

skills, and values competencies that

mental health practitioners need...”

According to the survey, the adoption

competent therapist “… understands

the nature of adoption as a form of

family formation and the different

types of adoption; the clinical issues

that are associated with separation

and loss and attachment; the common

developmental challenges in the expe-

rience of adoption; and the charac-

teristics and skills that make adop-

tive families successful.” “An adop-

tion competent mental health profes-

sional is skilled in using a range of

therapies to effectively en-

gage...families toward the mutual goal

of helping individuals to heal, empow-

ering parents to assume parental en-

titlement and authority, and assisting

adoptive families to strengthen or

develop and practice parenting skills

that support healthy family relation-

ships.” These findings are part of a

multi-year initiative that C.A.S.E. has

spear headed “…to expand the ac-

cess...to adoption competent mental

health professionals; to provide adop-

tive families with the mental health

services they need to be stable and

healthy and reduce rates of disrup-

tion and dissolution; and to strength-

en the post adoption services offered

by the mental health and child wel-

fare systems nationwide.”

Page 2 Adoption Newsletter

Is it Time for Therapy? (Continued) ment, personality; persistent malaise or

apathy; risk-taking behaviors; dramatic

drop in school performance; suicidal

thoughts; difficulty sustaining relation-

ships.”

If therapy seems to be the next step,

you should work directly with the Be-

havioral Health Organization (BHO) in

your area to identify an adoption com-

petent therapist who is a good fit with

your family. The link to the BHO cus-

tomer service lines and the Office of

Member and Family Affairs for each

service area is: (http://www.colorado.gov/

cs/Satellite/HCPF/HCPF/1212398231156).

For further assistance in accessing ser-

vices, contact the Medicaid Ombudsman

for Managed Care at 303-830-3560 or

1-877-435-7123 outside metro Denver.

Family Voices Colorado (1-877-731-

6017) can also advocate for your family.

The article: “Do We Need a Thera-

pist?...” has questions for choosing a

therapist: “What is your experience

with adoption?” What issues do you be-

lieve may affect adoptees and can be

helped by therapy?; What experience

do you have in dealing with similar situa-

tions?; Does the therapist “…appear to

know how children think about adoption

at different developmental levels?”;

What information about our family do

you need to know?. Helpful information

should include: (“what led the parents

to adopt;” how the family talks about

adoption; and what impact the parents

believe adoption has on their child’s be-

havior);”

According to the article WHAT DOES

ADOPTION COMPETENCY MEAN?, the

Michelle (10 yrs.), Jaelyn (6

1/2 yrs.) and Levi (4 1/2 yrs.)

These three siblings need a loving

adoptive family who will commit to

them permanently. Michelle enjoys

listening to music

and pretending to

be a famous singer.

Michelle is outgoing

and likes to strike

up conversations.

She has fun playing

with her friends and siblings.

Michelle is excelling in school and

talks often about new things she has

learned.

Jaelyn enjoys playing games and swim-

ming. She likes fashion and choosing

fun outfits for the

upcoming week. Ja-

elyn enjoys being

around other chil-

dren, but can also

entertain herself.

She has an easy-

going personality.

Levi is an active child who

enjoys physical play such

as kicking and jumping

and is interested in play-

ing sports. He seems to

engage well with adults

and would benefit from gaining social-

ization skills with his peers.

Michelle, Jaelyn and Levi would bene-

fit from a two-parent family who

could focus on their individual needs

and promote a safe family environ-

ment. Their family should offer good

supervision and consistency to help

them develop personal boundaries.

If you have an approved home study

please contact Nikole Ordway, 303-

412-5167.

Jovan (11 yrs.)

Jovan is an active guy with many in-

terests. He enjoys playing outdoors,

camping, fishing, reading, putting to-

gether puzzles, and watching movies.

Jovan has a large collection of Star

Wars action figures that he values.

Jovan is bright and he likes to learn.

He is independent and enjoys being a

leader. His social skills continue to

improve and he is learning to maintain

friendships.

Jovan would do best in a patient, lov-

ing adoptive family where he would

receive a good deal of individual at-

tention, structure and supervision.

He would benefit from a mom and dad

able to model and teach him to be a

strong and nurturing

young man. His

adoptive parents

should be skilled in

attachment and

should participate in

family therapy with

him. Jovan would do best in a home

with no other children or one older

child. If you have an approved home

study, please contact Cathy Padilla,

303-412-5257.

al nights prior to get him prepared

for the events of the morning.

The Night Before: Plan for an early

bedtime. Children need approximately

nine full hours of sleep, depending on

their age, to feel rested. Provide a

protein rich bed time snack. This will

help sleep come quickly and keep them

full so they do not wake up due to

hunger at night. Examples would be

cheese, pumpkin or sunflower seeds,

or peanut butter and crackers. Get

backpacks and lunches ready the

night before .

School has started and the morning

routine can be stressful. Here are a

few ideas to start the day well. The

following guidelines were provided

from an article on

www.attitudemag.com entitled “

Morning Routines for Children with

ADHD: Rise and Shine for School”.

While this article is for a specific

population the rules seem to be useful

for all children.

Long Term Planning: Establish and go

over the morning routine with your

child over the weekend and for sever-

Waking Up: Using an alarm clock may

help your child with starting his own

routine. Another way to wake your

child would be to let light into the

room and give your child time to wake

up before beginning the morning rou-

tine.

From Bed to Door: Have your child

eat a healthy breakfast to help her

focus longer and to be more prepared

for the stresses of the morning. Re-

ward your child and give her good

feedback for a good morning.

Issue 3, September 2012

Getting Kids Up and Out the Door

Children to Know

Page 3

On June 15, 2012, adoptive families gathered for a picnic at E.B. Rains Park in Northglenn. There was food, face paint-

ing, and socializing. It was a wonderful turn out of approximately 30 people. The focus of the party was for adoptive

parents to network, provide support for each other, and have fun. The hope is that the party will be an annual event

organized for and by the Adams County adoptive parent community.

Due to the success of the picnic, families may want to gather again in October or November, for a more low-key event.

Please let Liz Miller (EMiller@adcogov.org) know if you would like to help organize this event or if you have ideas of a

location that would be inexpensive and fun. There is no funding available, so it could be families meeting for an activity:

bowling, hay ride, pumpkin patch, etc.

Page 4 Adoption Newsletter

Adoptive Families’ Picnic

Culture Pass Program

The Jefferson County Public Library Culture Pass Program

For those of you with a Jeffco Library card, we recommend you look into this program. You can get passes to: Denver

Firefighters Museum, Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys, Dinosaur Ridge, Foothills Art Center, Golden Histo-

ry Museums, MCA Denver, Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, The Hudson Gardens & Event Center (which, this time of year,

is currently free admission).

You can get the passes up to 30 days in advance, with a max of two passes booked per 30 day period. You can do this

from your own computer or visit the library for more information. You will need your library card to make the reserva-

tion.

Drawing by John M.

A Community Center Board (CCB) is an organization designed to help with long-term services and support systems to

people with developmental disabilities. Although there is likely to be a very long wait-list, it’s important to get your

child on the list if they qualify. Services are provided for children from birth and last throughout their lives and

vary based on the child’s needs. When a child is in foster care, they are not included on the waitlist. Even if a child

was on the list prior to being in foster care, their name is dropped from the list as soon as the biological parent loses

custody. That is why it is extremely important that you contact your local CCB as soon as you finalize. There will be

children who have been on the list since birth.

Some services offered through the CCB’s include case management, referral assistance, therapy and educational sup-

ports, financial resources, services for families with children who have intensive behavioral and/or medical needs,

and for families who have children at risk of being hospitalized or admitted to a nursing facility. There may also be

special services for children with Autism. If you think your child may qualify, contact your local CCB (http://

www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDHS-VetDis/CBON/1251586997819).

For Adams County, contact North Metro Community Services at (303) 252-7199, or visit their website at http://

www.nmetro.org/index.php.

10. In the back yard from a dog taking them out

9. In the hamper

8. Under their sibling’s bed

7. In the dog’s water bowl

6. Under the child’s spaghetti plate

5. In the garbage

4. Under a planter, in the water tray

3. In a hamster’s cage

2. In the fish tank

And the #1 most unusual place a shoe has been found:

In the foot of the pajamas while he was wearing them.

Thank you for the feedback. Our next topic will be: Top Ten: Places to Celebrate Fall with your Children.

Please forward responses to nordway@adcogov.org. I look forward to your responses.

Issue 3, September 2012

Top Ten: Most Unusual Places Your Child’s Shoes

Were Found

Services for Children with

Developmental Disabilities

Page 5