the nonprofit Center for Adoption Support And eduCAtion since … · 2017-01-05 · the Center for...

the nonprofitCenter for Adoption Support And eduCAtion

since 1998

CounselingSupport GroupsTraining InstitutePublicationsParents, Children,Teens, Adults &Professionals

Foster CareAdoptionChildrenTeensParentsAdults

Adoptivethe ViSion of KAthleen dugAn

It takes an extraordinary woman to mother 12 children. It takes an extra-extraordinary woman to take what she learned from her mothering experience…combine that insight with a generous financial gift… and serve as the springboard to fill the needs of thousands of adoptive families. There are simply not enough “extras” to describe C.A.S.E.’s founder, Kathleen Dugan.

As a high school student volunteering in an orphanage, Kathleen knew she would one day adopt a child. What she didn’t imagine was that after giving birth to four daughters, she and her husband, Mike, would go on to adopt eight children.

Knowing that the longer a child remains in foster care, the less likely it is for them to find a permanent home, the Dugans reached out to older children. Many had a prior history of trauma. As these children matured, their troubled emotions often resulted in challenging behavior. Determined to help each child grow to their fullest potential, Kathleen set out to find the support her adoptive family needed. It wasn’t an easy search.

Kathleen believes that every child deserves a loving, permanent family and those families need qualified, adoption-competent mental health and family support services. Frustrated by the lack of availability, in 1998, Kathleen invested her own financial resources to establish the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.), one of the few non-profit organizations in the country concentrated on serving foster and adopted children, their families, and the network of people who assist them. To date, C.A.S.E. has served more than 4,000 families and has become a trusted national resource on adoptive life for families, communities, and professionals.

C.A.S.E. is here for you.

Every family needs support. But families who choose adoption often realize that the specialized support suited to their unique needs can be hard to find. C.A.S.E. is here to help.

Adoption issues are lifelong issues. No matter where you are in the adoption cycle—a birth parent, a foster or adoptive parent, an adult adoptee, a foster or adopted child—the Center for Adoption Support and Education offers sensitive, specialized, and effective services. Once the foundation is laid, C.A.S.E. provides integral, on-going support for the journey ahead.

Families Seek Support.

For more details, call 301.476.8525 or visit our website www.adoptionsupport.org.4 5

C.A.S.E. is not an adoption agency. We’re one of the few non-profit practices in the country that uses an adoption-centered therapeutic approach to enhance the well-being of children and families. Our clients include children and teens who have been adopted through agencies, private adoption, and international adoption, spanning the US, China, and everywhere in between. We serve children who were adopted at birth and children who were adopted when they were older…much older. Our award-winning programs include counseling, professional training, education, family forums and advocacy as well as a wide range of C.A.S.E. publications and resources designed to promote foster care and adoption competency. Studies show that the kind of early intervention and support that C.A.S.E. provides can make a huge difference in the lives, stability, and longevity of adoptive families.

Founded in 1998, C.A.S.E. has grown to become a national and international resource, not only for foster and adoptive families but also for the professionals who support them, such as teachers and school administrators, child welfare workers, and mental health professionals.

Over the years, C.A.S.E. has cultivated a staff and governing board of brilliant, energetic, adoption-competent experts. Their enthusiasm and dedication are the keys to our success. As a non-profit organization C.A.S.E. is grateful for our strategic partnerships with generous donors and program underwriters.

We hope this brochure gives you an overview of our services and programs for foster and adoptive families and adoption professionals. Further information can be found on our website: www.adoptionsupport.org. Better still, call us at 301.476.8525. We’d love to get to know you.

“Thank you again for the very special work

that you do. Adopting a child is an awesome experience, but the follow-up programs that you have initiated will have a powerful impact on our kids for the rest of their lives.”

—Cecilia, parent

Meet debbie b. riley, lCMft

Debbie B. Riley, the Chief Executive Officer of C.A.S.E., is a marriage and family therapist with more than 30 years’ experience in helping children, adolescents, and their families. Ms. Riley earned her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland. She began her work in post-adoption service in 1993, creating a continuum of innovative and best practice programs to address the complex needs of foster and adopted youth and their families. Through the vision and generosity of Kathleen Dugan, Debbie Riley co-founded the Center for Adoption Support and Education in 1998. A nationally-recognized adoption expert and sought-after speaker and trainer, Debbie is the co-author of Beneath the Mask: Understanding Adopted Teens. Additional information about Debbie Riley can be found on our website.

CounselingTherapyEducationAdvocacyTrainingResources

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If you are an individual, couple, or family considering adoption, working with C.A.S.E. early in the process will help you identify and resolve initial questions and concerns. It’s an important preventive measure that helps prepare you for your new life. Our adoption-sensitive therapists help you navigate the decision-making process, explore options, and reconcile adoption-related differences between family members. We understand the unique concerns of single, older, and GLBTQ parents as well as those of complex blended families, including parents who also have children by birth.

Families who choose adoption make a commitment that lasts a lifetime. That commitment needs strong bonds to succeed. C.A.S.E. helps families form solid, healthy, long-lasting relationships…relationships that can weather the rocky patches that adoptive families may face.

AdoptiveC.A.S.E. strengthens relationships.

Families are Forever.

DecisionsSingle ParentsOptionsCommitmentGLBTQBlended FamiliesBirth SiblingsHarmony

“Where did I come from?” Mask-making is a creative, therapeutic outlet for children grappling with issues of identity and self-image.

For more details, call 301.476.8525 or visit our website www.adoptionsupport.org.


No matter whether a child is adopted in infancy or much later in life, their self-discovery always includes their adoption experience. Every adopted child is unique. So, too, are their adoption experiences and the ways they integrate those experiences into their lives as they mature. Developmental, emotional, and behavioral challenges stemming from pre- and post-adoption experiences can play a major role throughout a person’s lifetime.

We believe that early intervention aimed at helping a child heal—emotionally and physically—is key to ensuring the preservation of adoptive families. At C.A.S.E., we don’t pathologize adoption. Rather, we aim to understand the nature of challenging behaviors that might indicate underlying core issues about adoption. For some children these behaviors mask unresolved loss and grief, depression, anxiety, ADHD and attachment issues. The depth and breadth of our adoption-centered counseling, support groups, and related resources bolster children and parents alike. We facilitate the exploration and understanding of important issues such as adjusting to parenthood, adopting an older child, talking with children about adoption, relationships with birth families, and attachment issues.

“Our family was falling apart. Reaching out to C.A.S.E. was the first step in healing and bringing sanity back into our family.”

—Frank and Lloyd, parents

AdoptiveC.A.S.E. counselors help.

Families May Struggle

AdjustmentInterventionPreventionMental HealthSupportExplorationResolutionResiliencyRelationships

Teens at the K.A.N. Carnival, “Trek to Success,” use the image of feet to illustrate their journey towards self-discovery: “Where did I come from?” … “Who am I now?” … “Where am I heading?”


All kids ask tough questions. Those questions can be particularly hard to answer when they center upon a child’s adoption. As children grow and their identity evolves, the search for information can become painful—even alienating. C.A.S.E. knows that every child’s circumstances are unique. We open the door that leads to constructive conversation, understanding, and reassurance.

In addition to counseling and support groups for adopted children and teens, adoptive parents and siblings, we offer many different programs and resources that build young people’s self esteem and empower them to answer the tough questions from peers, such as “Why did your mother give you away?” and “Who are your real parents?”

As attentive listeners, the C.A.S.E. team takes the concerns they hear from adopted children and uses that knowledge to help create adoption-sensitive communities. We work with a variety of child-based organizations, including schools, church groups, and culture camps, to heighten awareness and enhance support around adoption-related issues.

“C.A.S.E. counseling saved our daughter. She was a self-destructive child and is now doing great. Her therapist established a strong commanding relationship, challenged her and gave her honesty in return.”

—Violet, parent

AdoptedC.A.S.E. has answers.

Children and Teens ask QuestionsWho am I Why don’t you look like your

Mom Should I find

my birth parents

Why was I given away


“When I began to think about searching for my birth family, I had so many mixed emotions.

Reuniting with birth family is such an intense

experience and I am so grateful I have my therapist to guide me

through it. It is comforting to know that I can come back any time to “check

in” when I feel the need.” -Mia, adult adoptee

Adopted Adults have Questions too! C.A.S.E. is here when you need us.It is not uncommon for adoption-related issues to appear—or reappear—in adulthood. This is particularly true when an adopted adult faces significant life transitions: leaving home, marriage, pregnancy, parenthood, or loss of a parent. C.A.S.E. helps adopted adults with challenges involving self-esteem and identity, family and other relationships, career issues, and other concerns. We also support adopted adults through the uniquely complex process of search and reunion with their birth families.

IdentityGenealogyReunionMedical ProfileSearchingAdulthoodParentingAngerAcceptance


“Thank you for being there for me and helping me when I needed it. You have really told me things that have changed me in a big way! I will never forget you, man. You’ve been a great influence on my life.”

—Andre, age 14

Foster parenting is rewarding. But it can also be tough. It’s hard for the child who is placed in an unfamiliar household, often under traumatic circumstances. And it can be equally challenging for foster parents to provide a stable, loving environment. C.A.S.E. can help ease this transition for everyone involved.

Our team of trauma-informed therapists is uniquely attuned to the issues that can worry children in foster care. We’re trained to help children heal their feelings of loss and mistrust. We’re also adept in helping foster children—and the families who care for them—manage behavioral issues that can arise from heightened emotions. C.A.S.E. provides a lifeline for kids, incorporating individual and peer counseling with therapeutic activities to help youth in care identify their strengths and challenges and to recognize and appreciate the people who have helped them. Through intervention and understanding, C.A.S.E. provides a safe haven for grieving and coping. As a result, children are able to form stronger attachments, enabling foster families to establish stable, positive, and mutually enriching relationships.

The network of people who touch the lives of children living in foster care is large and complex. As part of our mission to support foster families, C.A.S.E. works with birth parents, prospective adoptive parents, social workers, attorneys, judges, and schools to promote greater foster care awareness and sensitivity through our valuable insights, strategies, and resources. Our collaboration with child welfare agencies enables C.A.S.E. to reach more than 250 individuals every year.

Children in care have demonstrated that the therapy and support C.A.S.E. provides leads to better adjustments, progress in healing, more secure attachments, stabilization of families, heightened academic and social success, and easier transitions from foster care to permanency.

FosterC.A.S.E. eases challenges.

Family Dynamics can be Difficult.

SeparationPlacementBirth parentsTraumaReassuranceGriefLossHealingActing-outStabilityTransitions

WedneSdAy’S Child The Freddie Mac Foundation’s Permanency Project

Sponsored by the Freddie Mac Foundation, Wednesday’s Child is a weekly television feature that helps find permanent, loving, adoptive families for children in foster care. In partnership with the Freddie Mac Foundation, C.A.S.E. offers free clinical services for children (and their adoptive parents) who have either been placed through the program or who are currently featured as a Wednesday’s Child on the Foundation’s website. These free services include consultations and counseling for individuals, families, and groups.


W.i.S.e. up!SM

When it comes to handling questions and comments about adoption and foster care, kids need to be empowered with answers. W.I.S.E. Up! gives children and teens the power to choose how to talk about their story. This program is an important tool that children can use as soon as they receive intrusive comments and questions about their experience. For children in trans-racial or trans-cultural families, these intrusive questions can begin as early as age three (“Why don’t you look like your mom?”) For others, the questions come later (“Why were you adopted?” “How long will you be living with this family?”). Whenever the questions begin, W.I.S.E. Up! has the answers!

Kids’ Adoption network groups (K.A.n.)

These popular 8-week group sessions encourage children from various adoptive backgrounds to engage in age-appropriate art, games,

and discussions that explore adoption issues such as identity, birth family, and their adoption story. Children, adolescents, and teens learn to manage the questions and comments from others. Concurrent sessions offer parents education and support around the same issues their children are experiencing.

Kids’ Adoption network Conference

Since 1998, the annual Kids’ Adoption Conference has provided a fun-filled but instructive experience for adopted children to normalize their experience…and for adoptive parents looking for new ways to enhance their families’ wellbeing. Through creative activities and social interaction, children are able to make friends and see that their feelings and experiences are shared by others. Parents participate in workshops designed to help them foster self-esteem and confidence in their children. Held in November, in celebration of National Adoption Month, this full-day opportunity to

share thoughts and feelings leaves children and parents with the reassurance that they are not alone. You do not need to be a participant of the Kids’ Adoption Network (K.A.N.) groups to attend the conference.

leAp/youth empowerment program

A comprehensive youth development and leadership empowerment program, supported by a collaborative community partnership, LEAP targets middle school youth who have been adopted or are living in a pre-adoptive home. These Saturday sessions, which meet throughout the school year, combine life skills, health, recreation, and community service activities while bolstering kids’ understanding and comfort around key adoption issues. LEAP gives youth the opportunity to enjoy camaraderie, gain support in a peer environment, and hone traits of leadership and self-reliance. Original funding for LEAP was provided through the generosity of the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation.

AdoptionC.A.S.E. programs empower and inspire.

Issues are Complex. In addition to our counseling and support groups, C.A.S.E. provides a wealth of resources designed to enhance foster care and adoption sensitivity and competency. Our workshops, programs, recommended reading lists, consultations, training, publications, and advocacy initiatives have helped make C.A.S.E. one of the leading national—and international—experts for families, professionals, and communities on issues of adoption.

Some of our key programs and resources are described here. More details—and more programs—can be found on our website:

www.adoptionsupport.org.

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C.A.S.e. provides parent and professional training for a wide range of national and international clients, including: Adoption Rhode IslandAdoptive Families Association of British Columbia, CanadaAdoptive Parents Committee of New YorkAmerican Association for Marriage and Family TherapyAttorneys and Judges for the State of MarylandBethany Christian Adoption AgencyColorado Communities for Adoptive FamiliesD.C. Child and Family Services AgencyDave Thomas FoundationEthiopian Heritage and Culture CampFairfax County Child Welfare AgencyFamilies for Private AdoptionFamilies with Children from China, AustraliaGeorgia Association of Licensed Adoption AgenciesJoint Council for International Children’s ServicesMaryland Independent School AssociationMontgomery County Public SchoolsNational Education AssociationNorth American Council on Adoptable ChildrenOregon Post-Adoption Resource CenterOverseas Adoption Information Support and Adoptive Parents, United KingdomPrince George’s County Child Welfare AgencyRudd Adoption Research Program, University of Massachusetts, AmherstThe Kinship Center, CAThe Lab School of WashingtonTherapeutic Foster Parent AssociationUCLA Center on Child WelfareUniversity of Connecticut School of Social WorkUniversity of Maryland, School of Social Work

C.A.S.E. Training ProgramsC.A.S.e. offers training programs for parents and professionals. Content can be customized to fit your needs. Sample topics include:

Adoption through the Eyes of Children: A Developmental Perspective

Beneath the Mask: Adoption through the Eyes of Adolescents

Disruption and Dissolution: Prevention and Intervention

Healing Through Lifebooks

The Importance of Birth Parents in the Lives of Adopted and Foster Children

Lifelines for Kids: Strengthening Children and Teens Moving Through Concurrent Planning

The Overlooked Key to Adoption Success: Educators and Adoption Professionals in Partnership

Second Choice is Not Second Best: Making the Decision to Adopt

Talking with Children about Adoption

Too Many Losses, Too Soon: Loss and Grief among Foster and Adopted Children

The Value of Post-Adoption Services

W.I.S.E. Up! for Parents: Empowering Your Children to Answer Questions about Adoption

the training institute

Sixty percent of all households in America are touched by adoption. Yet most adoptive families don’t have an easy time finding adoption-competent professionals to help with their questions, decisions, and unique challenges. C.A.S.E. helps fill that gap through the numerous parent and professional programs offered by the C.A.S.E. Training Institute.

Our goal is to widen the network of people who can have a positive impact on the lives of adoptive children and their families. We provide education and training for mental health professionals and pediatricians, adoption agency staff, child welfare workers, members of the legal community, and educators through one-on-one or group consultation, seminars, workshops, and webinars.

The training you receive through C.A.S.E. integrates theory, research, best practices, and innovative strategies with content that can be customized to suit your specific needs or those of your organization. Whether you’re across the country or across the world, the C.A.S.E. team welcomes the opportunity to bring our experience and expertise to you.

In addition to the Training Institute, C.A.S.E. has developed Training for Adoption Competency (TAC), a post master’s curriculum in adoption competency. To find an agency or university in your community or to enroll at C.A.S.E., please call us at: 301.476.8525.

AdoptionC.A.S.E. fills the need.

Calls for Competent Professionals and Educated Parents

ParentsTherapistsSocial WorkersAdoption AgenciesLawyers & JudgesTeachersPediatriciansGALs

W.i.S.e up!SM train the trainer programDeveloped by C.A.S.E., W.I.S.E. Up! is a nationally-acclaimed program that teaches adopted and foster children to comfortably handle difficult—and often insensitive—questions and comments that peers, extended family members, even strangers raise about adoption and foster care. Participants will learn how to teach W.I.S.E. Up!, in a way that preserves the integrity of the program and ensures that it empowers adoptive and foster families to successfully respond to challenging—and sometimes intrusive—comments and questions. Upon successful completion of this highly interactive course, you’ll receive certification to present our W.I.S.E. Up! program to adoptive and foster families.

19For more details, call 301.476.8525.


PublicationsParents, children, social workers, counselors, educators—no matter your role in the adoption or foster care community, you’ll find C.A.S.E publications uniquely helpful.

beneath the Mask: understanding Adopted teensUncover common adoption “stuck spots” and find out why adopted teens and their families face unique issues during adolescence.

“I found the case studies particularly illuminating (and heartwarming and heart wrenching, too). Even if your adopted teen is sailing through adolescence, it is important to understand the kind of thoughts they may be reluctant to share with you.” ~Charlotte, mother

the Whole Me Using beautiful illustrations, this story about a child adopted from foster care expresses his feelings of loss on his journey to permanency, helping others handle similar challenges.

W.i.S.e. up!SM This workbook empowers children, 6–12 years, to confidently answer a range of questions about adoption and decide when, if and how to share their story.

W.i.S.e. up! for Children in foster Care This workbook gives children in foster care the tool they need to comfortably respond to questions about foster families and if and how to share their story.

“W.I.S.E. Up! was a megahit. Our support group introduced it and we’ve heard reports back already about kids using it and instructing other adopted friends about it. Please accept our thanks for developing something so empowering.”

—Bradley, adoption support group leader

S.A.f.e.at SchoolSM: Support for Adoptive Families by EducatorsOver 5,000 teachers and counselors have participated in our S.A.F.E. workshops. Based on our experience and insight working with foster and adoptive families, this program provides five proactive strategies for helping dispel negativity and misunderstanding about adoption in the classroom and on the playground. Educators complete the workshop better able to help ALL children grow and learn in adoption-friendly schools. In addition to the workshops C.A.S.E. serves a wider audience through our popular S.A.F.E. at School manual.

Here’s what educators have to say about the program:

“We wrote a small paragraph in our PTA newsletter about the S.A.F.E. at School training we had received. We added that we wished them a Happy National Adoption Month! Several parents thanked us and two of them were NOT adoptive parents!”

~Eloise, school counselor

“The most important part was having the words to use when I overhear something— I wouldn’t know where to begin unless I had attended the S.A.F.E. training.”

~Matthew, teacher

Online Workshops and WebinarsOur adoption-sensitive workshops are valuable for parents and professionals. New topics are added frequently, but common subjects include:

Building Self Esteem & Racial Identity in Trans-racial Adopted Children

Making the Decision to Adopt

Taking the Fear out of Open Adoption

Search and Reunion

The Strengths and Challenges of LGBT Families

Beneath the Mask: Understanding Adopted Teens

Talking with Your Children about Adoption

Understanding Loss and Grief

Fact SheetsC.A.S.E. fact sheets support parents in conversations with their adopted children. Some of our fact sheets are free of charge and can be downloaded in PDF format. To see topics or to order, please visit our website.

Publications Workshops Newsletters Conferences Speakers Games Factsheets Webinars Workbooks

S.A.f.e. at SchoolSM: A Manual for teachers, educators & School Counselors Five proactive strategies teachers and school counselors can apply to create a positive, adoption-sensitive environment at school.

52 Ways to Talk About AdoptionThis unique card game encourages adoptive families to open lines of communication in a fun, interactive forum.


It’s a fact: when asked how important it is for a therapist to have specialized training or certification to provide services to adoptive families, 80% responded “very important.” Less than 1% responded “not important.” Adoptive families are eager for the skills, sensitivity, and competency that their unique concerns command.

If you’re a professional looking to enhance your adoption-competency or are eager to refocus your career in a meaningful and growing field, look to C.A.S.E. for advanced training. The C.A.S.E. Training Institute provides the requisite competencies you need to serve foster and adoptive families sensitively and effectively. Licensed mental health practitioners and child welfare workers with a post-masters degree and at least five years of clinical experience will receive a certificate upon successful completion of the program. C.A.S.E. is currently exploring the feasibility of a certification for adoption-competent therapists.

Our 13-session (78 hours) training program includes a 6-month clinical consultation series, based on coursework designed to help you transfer your learning to practice. It also, prepares you with the clinical knowledge and applicable skills needed to provide pre- and post-adoption services to prospective adoptive parents, birth parents, adopted persons, and adoptive and kinship families. Defined by a panel of national experts, the curriculum is based on adoption knowledge, values and skill competencies. Through information sharing, written resources, experiential learning, case studies, role playing, and introspective work, you’ll develop the competencies you need to enhance your career and enrich the lives of your clients.

AdoptionC.A.S.E. trains tomorrow’s leaders.

is a Growing Field.

KnowledgeSkillsCompetenceTrainingCertification

AWArdS & reCognition

National Association of Counties, 2011 Achievement Award

Association of Community Services: Audrey Robbins 2010 Humanitarian Award (Kathleen Dugan)

Bank of America Local Hero, 2009 (Kathleen Dugan)

Catalogue for Philanthropy, DC Selected Charity, 2008–09

C.A.S.E. trains therapists to become adoption-competent through signature programs such as W.I.S.E. UP—just one of our many professional resources.

Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute “Angels in Adoption Award,” 2007 (Madeleine Krebs)

United States Department of Health and Human Services Adoption Excellence Award, 2005

Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute “Angels in Adoption Award,” 2005

Nancy Dworkin Award for Outstanding Service to Youth

in Child Advocacy, 2005 (Madeleine Krebs, LCSW-C)

Governor’s Council on Child Abuse and Neglect Award for Outstanding Advocate of 2003 (Debbie Riley, Executive Director)

Adoption Activist Award, 2002 (Kathleen Dugan)

Montgomery Co. Dept. of Health and Human Services Public/Private Partnership Award, 2001

For more details, call 301.476.852524

www.adoptionsupport.orgThe picture featured on the front cover of this brochure was painted by Tudorache, an adopted child from Romania.

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Families Need Friends Who Care. C.A.S.E. welcomes partners.

The vision of one woman, Kathleen Dugan, made C.A.S.E. a reality. The vision of many has made C.A.S.E. successful.

We are grateful to the countless friends and volunteers, collaborators, municipalities, universities, and individual and corporate donors whose time, energy, and financial resources allow C.A.S.E. to continue to expand and evolve.

Whether you’re a member of an adoptive family, have been touched by adoption or foster care, or simply believe that our work is vital, we’d love to count you among our friends. For more information on how you can support C.A.S.E., please contact our Development Office at 301.476.8525. Or donate online by visiting: www.adoptionsupport.org.

We are honored to count the Abell Foundation, Dave Thomas Foundation, Freddie Mac Foundation, Jockey International (Jockey Being Family), and the Trawick Foundation among our key partners. For a complete list of supporters, please visit our website.

Main Office:4000 Blackburn Lane, Suite 260

Burtonsville, MD 20866301.476.8525

fax 301.476.8526

Bethesda, MD 301.476.8525

Frederick, MD301.360.9665

Prince George’s County, MD301.476.8525

Springdale Professional Center5101-H Backlick RoadAnnandale,VA 22003

703.256.3820 fax 703.256.3821

the nonprofitCenter for Adoption Support And eduCAtion

since 1998

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