Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

This Is Me - No Darkness Too DeepHere's a bit about Fiona's Autobiography"This is my story, a harrowing account of me as a young mixed up teenager going down many wrong paths, into the darkness of drug and alcohol addiction, prostitutution and surviving more than one life-or-death moment in the midst of the madness. The book also details my encounter with Christ and the journey of a baby Christian trying to find their feet in a church where not many had come from my background. One of the main factors I believe led me to head off down the paths I did is that I am adopted. I struggled greatly with the concept as a child, not really feeling like I fitted in anywhere, always looking for something to meet the need for connection in my life. "https://www.fionamylesauthor.com/bookshttps://www.facebook.com/fionamylesauthorhttps://www.instagram.com/fionamylesauthor/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Karen is the State Director for Pennsylvania at Children's ChoiceHere's a link to podcast mentioned in this episodehttps://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/unpacking-our-own-baggage-as-adoptive-parents-with-hollyann-petree-mom-executive-directorChildren’s Choice was founded on April 1st, 1982. By Reverend Doctor William and Doctor Carolyn Eberwein. Affectionately known as Doctor Bill and Doctor Carolyn. They had worked in a variety of Social Services fields including church ministries, juvenile justice prison systems, halfway houses, and had even done some fundraisers.Through their experience, they began to notice that the children of their clients were entering Social Services systems, repeating the pattern of their parents. The other ones felt that if they could reach out to people at an earlier age, as children, then perhaps they might be able to affect and potentially break the dependency, suffering and failure cycles that many of the children were facing. Since 1982, Children's Choice has expanded from its original Foster Care service to other services that include: Medical Foster Care, Treatment Level Foster Care, Respite Foster Care, and types of Adoption Services, as well as Kinship Care.https://www.facebook.com/childrens.choice.inchttps://www.childrenschoice.org/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Shaun Doyle comes to Adoption STAR with 20 years of experience working for not-for-profits in the area of developmental disability. After studying at SUNY Fredonia, Shaun moved to Orlando, Florida to work for Walt Disney World. There he learned to train not only Disney Cast Members, but also to train people from other organizations on Disney’s Approach to Quality Service and Disney’s Innovation in Action. Shaun also created and led youth programs at the Disney Institute.Prior to joining the STAR team as the Intake Manager, he was the Director of Training and Staff Development for Autism Services of WNY. In his time there, Shaun developed multiple training curricula in not only working with people on the spectrum, but in leadership, hands-free intervention and customer service.At the start of his career, Shaun traveled to Romania to help train staff in institutions and orphanages that were about to close, to ensure effective and humane treatment for the children that would be returning to their communities. In addition to training and staff development, Shaun also worked closely with the Quality Improvement department to investigate incidents that may have occurred in the programs.Shaun and his husband Eric adopted their son in 2015 with the help of Adoption STAR. Their second son was born in 2019 and was also adopted with the agency’s help. Adoption is part of his family’s story and he is passionate about connecting people, building relationships, and following up with other families looking to grow through adoption. He is a well skilled storyteller, a performer by nature and has an innate ability to be inclusive no matter the setting. Shaun is a volunteer Wish Granter at Make a Wish, teaches new member classes at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo and sang with the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus for over 10 years, serving as board president in 2012. Shaun is most proud of his role as daddy to his sons, Jackson and Frankie. Shaun is also so proud to come home every day, and tell his children that he spent the day working hard to help children find forever families.Connect with Shaun at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-doyle-jr-40831147Listen to the podcast he hosts here https://www.adoptionstar.com/resources/podcast/Adoption STAR is a non-profit New York State Authorized, Florida and Ohio Licensed Adoption Agency, and is a compassionate and unique organization. From the onset, Adoption STAR wished to utilize the words within their name: Support, Training, Advocacy and Resources (STAR) to provide wide-ranging services to all members of the adoption community. This commitment grew into developing several programs and services.Find out more athttps://www.facebook.com/adoptionstarhttps://www.adoptionstar.com/https://twitter.com/adoptionstarhttps://www.instagram.com/adoptionstar/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

“Adoption is my life and passion! I was adopted at birth, domestically. I have searched and found my birth family. I am also a mother of four children. I became the Executive Director of CHI in 1994, after adopting our daughter in 1991 in Romania, on our own. I have a Bachelor’s of Science in Social Work and have been blessed to have had the opportunity to work worldwide with CHI, developing programs and giving children who really need homes, a chance at having one of their own. A permanent, loving family is what children need. I’ve personally been in the adoption journey from several angles and I enjoy assisting others in theirs. I have traveled to over 40 countries in the past 20 years, developing a greater understanding of the cultures and how much adoption- permanency- is needed in the world for children.”https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-price-5987a222Children’s House International provides ethical adoption services, child-focused recruitment, and family support. We support disadvantaged children with humanitarian aid worldwide.https://www.facebook.com/CHI4Adoptionhttps://www.instagram.com/chi_adoptionshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC02zaJYyrk3BBCICQu1VElQ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Emily is a Care Leaver Mentor for Empower Change. Since graduating high school in 2016, Emily has completed her certificate four in community services. In 2015 she had her son, who has just started kindergarten. In 2016 pursued photography as a formal trade and experienced some of the most special moments between married couples and families but it still wasn't fulfilling her.After her care experiences from the age of nine, a foster family friend mentioned for a job as a residential staff worker for Youth in Out Of Home Care.Since then she has made a profession from her experiences. Fresh out of high school and only recently 18 she started to see from a staff members point of view what her childhood might have looked like to them. Her experiences quickly turned into an aggressive passion. She enrolled into her Certificate, and made a conscious effort to start making changes in her local area.She started networking with CREATE Foundations as a Residential Staff Member, bringing Young People to their events in her region. Within months she was doing Speak Up training and attending FACS facilitations. It didn't stop exceeding her expectations. She started making some life long friends in Advocacy. Attended Advocate for Children and Young People conferences, and assisted CREATE on a number of occasions and events as a Young Consultant.She now recognises her work as A National Advocate and Consultant for Children in Out of Home Care.Approached by Adopt Change in 2019, meeting them in 2020 and appearing in their National Conference held online. From there I was asked by their CEO to become a Brand Ambassador and appeared in their TV Commercial late last year.Also a Kindred Warrior for The Warrior Woman Foundation and have been short listed for The Advocate for Children and Young People 3 years running.Emily is assured that this is her life work. She is content in working with the Community Services Sector for years to come as a voice and representation for Youth in similar situations.https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-hikaiti-1494011ba/https://www.facebook.com/Emilyannelorrainepaulhttps://www.instagram.com/emily_hikaiti/?hl=enAdopt Change believe that every child has the right to grow up in a safe, nurturing and permanent family home, and that all families need the appropriate supports for children to thrive.Adopt Change work towards every child and young person having access to a safe, nurturing and stable family upbringing. They recognise the impact of childhood trauma, and provide a number of services and education so that children and families can be supported and thrive. They also work with government, sector and community to seek changes to legislation and policies to better provide for children and families.Find out more at:https://www.adoptchange.org.au/https://www.facebook.com/AdoptChangeAUhttps://www.instagram.com/adoptchangeau/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHbUn6jHDfCS3sHWhvJfsmwhttps://twitter.com/AdoptChangeAU Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Michele Fried is the founder of Adoption STAR. Though the “title” most special to her is “mom” ~ it was a long time ago, but the experiences of becoming an adoptive mother led Michele to enter the adoption field. Michele’s background as an educator complimented this path. Michele served as the agency’s chief executive officer for over 20 years and grew the staff from a tiny office with one person (just her!) to three states, more than 50 professionals including full time, part time and per diem assessors and conducted over 1,000 adoptions. Today, Michele holds an advisory role with the organization and continues to be a passionate advocate for children in need of permanency planningConnect with Michele at https://www.linkedin.com/in/adoptionstar/Listen to the interview with MIchele's son here https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/with-zack-fried-adoptee-associate-directorAdoption STAR is a non-profit New York State Authorized, Florida and Ohio Licensed Adoption Agency, and is a compassionate and unique organization. From the onset, Adoption STAR wished to utilize the words within their name: Support, Training, Advocacy and Resources (STAR) to provide wide-ranging services to all members of the adoption community. This commitment grew into developing several programs and services.Find out more athttps://www.adoptionstar.com/https://twitter.com/adoptionstarhttps://www.instagram.com/adoptionstar/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Skip joined the Lifeline team in August of 2018 and serves in the Birmingham office as the Assistant to the Executive Director. Skip comes from a family with 7 adopted siblings. She also lived in Zambia, Africa for 2 years working with and counseling vulnerable children. She’s originally from Montgomery, AL and attended Covenant College where she studied Sociology: Social Work and Family Studies.Connect with her here:https://www.facebook.com/skportisHere's a summary from Lifeline's website "With a mission to equip the Body of Christ to manifest the gospel to vulnerable children, we know we cannot do this without one another. Whether through adoption, foster care, orphan care, or education and counseling, the mission is accomplished when churches live out James 1:27 in their communities and to the ends of the earth. Lifeline’s four decades of experience serves to assist families with international adoption in all 50 states, each of the U.S. territories and with U.S. citizens living abroad. Lifeline also serves women in unexpected pregnancies and families through domestic adoption."More at:https://www.facebook.com/lifelinechildhttps://lifelinechild.org/https://www.instagram.com/lifelinechild/https://twitter.com/lifelinechildhttps://vimeo.com/lifelinechild Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Connect with Kristine athttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinemoser/here's a bit about Bellis from their website:Our mission is to serve as an empowering voice for adoption that connects, inspires, and transforms.Our reach extends to all people with any adoption experience who seek peer-based support for ambiguous grief related to adoption. Often, participants work together to advocate for greater awareness and understanding of adoption in schools and communities.Our work is neutral – it is not affiliated with any political or religious agencies. Bellis does not receive funding from any entity involved in the child-placement process or the process leading to or including the termination of parental rights.While benefiting from the expertise of many throughout the adoption, foster care and social service sector, Bellis works independently as a provider of peer-based support and advocacy.While fully appreciating and acknowledging the trauma associated with the termination of parental rights, and many injustices within that process, our focus lies entirely on the phase of life following the termination, specifically on the long-ignored grief and loss needs of the mother.Bellis strives to refrain from judgment, understanding that each adoption is unique. As such, terms used to universally describe the impact of adoption, including “primal wound,” are not part of our organizational culture or language.We believe the stigma, stereotypes, shame, and myths attached to adoption over decades exasperate challenges related to the lived experience of adoption.https://www.mybellis.org/https://www.facebook.com/MyBellisCommunity/https://twitter.com/my_bellis Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Maris H. Blechner, M.Ed., LCSW is a well-known and well-respected educator, consultant, and motivational speaker. An adoptive parent, she spent many years in the child welfare field as Executive Director of an adoption agency, and is a wide-ranging speaker and trainer. She is now doing independent work, and has a great deal to offer. Whether teaching at a social work school, training foster and adoptive parents, helping agency staff navigate difficult cases, providing advanced training, or doing a lunch or dinner speech at a wide variety of venues, Maris is helping caregivers of all types learn to take care of themselves. Maris is ready to work.Connect with herhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/maris-h-blechner-8975503/https://www.marisblechner.com/Here's a little about the agency she founded from their website:Since its inception as an accredited non-profit agency in 1987, Family Focus has added its own unique voice to the adoption community with its pioneering philosophies, training and adoption practices. Family Focus's board and staff, many of whom are adoptive parents, share a belief that adoption transforms the lives of children and the families that adopt them.Our Training and Meeting Centers are located in Castleton (near Albany) and Little Neck, Queens - also the location of our Administrative Office. Our mailing address is in Melville, Long Island. We license families from the Capital District through Metropolitan New York City and Long Island to be able to adopt from the foster care system, and we place children from all over the United States. Our agency is also approved in New Jersey and Connecticut.More at:https://www.familyfocusadoption.org/https://www.facebook.com/FamilyFocusAdoption/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Lori is the founder, CEO and President of FosterAdopt Connect. Lori and her husband Randy have been foster/adoptive parents since 1985. Together they have cared for more than 400 foster children and adopted 23 children, in addition to their five biological children. Lori and Randy are currently also the proud grandparents of 17 children so far. Lori holds a degree in psychology which she completed Summa Cum Laude as an adult learner, and has completed thousands of hours of additional training in issues related to the special needs of abused and neglected children. Lori began her professional child welfare career working with the Missouri Children’s Division, and the Kansas Department for Children and Families as a teaching foster parent over 30 years ago. She worked with other families to help found FosterAdopt Connect in 1998 initially as a support group, and in 2000 as a nonprofit agency, and has served as the organization’s President and CEO since that time. Lori also worked with the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) as a consultant in their Community Champions Network, providing child welfare services in the states of Texas, Colorado and Ohio. Her reputation within the child welfare community is an invaluable asset to the organization, and has contributed to FosterAdopt Connect’s effective advocacy work on behalf of kids and families in Missouri, Kansas and nationally. Throughout her career, Lori has served on a variety of boards and task forces related to foster care and adoption, including serving as the chair of the Missouri Task Force on Children’s Justice for several years. She is currently the board chair for Voice for Adoption, a DC based national child welfare advocacy organization.FosterAdopt Connect’s mission is to provide foster and adoptive children a stable, loving and nurturing family environment by support and advocacy for abused and neglected children and the families caring for them.Find out more at:https://www.fosteradopt.org/https://www.facebook.com/fosteradoptconnect/https://twitter.com/fosteradopt_org/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Crystal Young is the founding director of Hope Center and has served in this capacity since 2018. Crystal is a 2006 graduate of Tennessee Technological University, and holds a Masters of Public Health from Liberty University.Prior to her role as Hope Center’s Executive Director, Crystal served for 5 years with Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services, and also as Vice President to Hope Center’s Executive Board. Crystal and her husband Jonathan are proud parents to their two daughters and one son, ranging in age from 13 years to 1 year.In her role as Executive Director, Crystal looks forward to seeing the hopes and dreams of parenting and adoption become reality for both birth and adoptive families here in the Upper Cumberland.Hope Center Adoption & Family Services is a Christian family adoptive services center. lhttps://www.facebook.com/hopecenteradoptionshttps://twitter.com/JamiThornsberryhttps://www.instagram.com/hopecenteradoptions/https://hopecenteradoption.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Connect with Celestina at:https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachcelestina/PullTogether is about enlisting parents, families, community members, and young people in the fight to make sure New Mexico's children are safe, cared for, and ready to succeed.Find out more at:https://pulltogether.org/The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department provides an array of prevention, intervention, rehabilitative and after-care services to New Mexico children and their families.Find out more at:https://cyfd.org Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

After successfully adopting 2 children in 2020, Eric and Marissa decided to work at helping other families achieve the same. In addition to a fulltime job as a lead pastor, Eric worked 20 additional hours a week on a side hustle making websites. Marissa got a part-time job in addition to homeschooling their two biological children. With these additional jobs, fundraisers, the generosity of friends, and a small grant from “Gift of Adoption”; Eric and Marissa adopted debt-free. They decided at the end, that something more had to be done to help other families cover the cost of their adoptions.In addition, God grew a passion within them to make a deeper and generational impact around the world by responding to the question, “Why don’t people in other countries take care of their own orphans?”After turning the leadership of their church plant over to a new partner church’s senior pastor, Eric and Marissa set out on their next journey to start Achieve Adoption.Admitting their strengths and acknowledging their weaknesses, Eric and Marissa decided that if the vision of “all countries adopting their orphans” is to be fulfilled, it will require leadership beyond their experience.Find out more at:https://achieveadoption.org/https://intransitstudios.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Jenn is Co-Founder & Executive Director of UARE Utah Coalition for Adoption Reform & Education.She's been recognized nationally with Spokeo Search Angel Award 2015 for personally facilitating over 100 adoption reunions.She has also lead online support community for over 300 members of the adoption constellation and trained teams of volunteer DNA researchers to help adult adoptees find birth familiesConnect with Jenn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferajohnston/or [email protected] Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Marcie J. Keithley, Co founder and President, is a retired Vice President of Retail Bank Management and was also a licensed securities and insurance representative serving the financial community for over 32 years. Her background includes sales, management, operations, team development and leadership. She has served on a variety of boards during her career such as Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Kiwanis International and Executive Director for her local Chamber of Commerce.A birthmom in reunion since 2008, she co founded Indiana Adoptee Network and testified multiple times throughout the years in support of OBC access for the sister organization, H.E.A.R. Hoosiers for Equal Access to Records where she served as Vice President. She also hosts a weekly Friday night virtual event, Adoption Happy Hour, with global attendance from the adoption constellation.Keithley is the author of The ShoeBox Effect, Transforming Pain Into Fortitude and Purpose as well as the co author of Frankie and Friends Talk Adoption. She is a director for Women’s Writes Publishing and Author Services that gives voice to inspiring women authors and resides in southern Indiana along the banks of the Ohio River.Connect with herhttps://www.facebook.com/shoeboxeffecthttps://twitter.com/shoeboxeffecthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/marcie-j-keithley/https://www.instagram.com/theshoeboxeffect/The roots of the National Association of Adoptees & Parents began in 2009 when Pam Kroskie and Marcie Keithley joined forces in an effort to unseal Indiana’s closed adoption records.In 2015, Hoosiers for Equal Access to Records (HEAR) a 501(c)4 non-profit organization, was formed dedicated to educating legislators and the public about the importance of original birth certificate (OBC) access for adult adoptees, and mobilizing those touched by adoption to stand up for their rights.In 2016, upon the passage of SEA91, HEAR formed Indiana Adoptee Network, Inc. (IAN) a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization when it became clear that the education/awareness of state’s lawmakers and the general public around adult adoptee matters was limited.Over the course of four years, IAN was able to build a nationwide network allowing them to impact education, attitudes, and legislation through their alliance with other nonprofit organizations, annual conferences, newsletters, social media, and webinars.In 2021, IAN expanded its vision to educate, empower, and elevate adoptee voices when Marcie Keithley and Jennifer Fahlsing founded the National Association of Adoptees & Parents (NAAP), a 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization which is committed to building unity in our communityhttps://naapunited.org/https://www.instagram.com/naapunited/https://www.facebook.com/NAAPUnited/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChLlRoOseJEuSGz-Mitt9ow Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Born in India, adopted at 10 months, raised in Australia, Vin is a true one off. He runs a Facebook group where adoptees and adopters can learn from one another in a friendly and no conflict environment.Connect with him at:https://www.facebook.com/VinAdopteewarrior/https://www.instagram.com/vinadopteeHere's the link I mention in the show https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Neill/e/B0034PVSJ0 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Annalisa is mixed-race Welsh and Jamaican and was adopted at four years old by Jamaican parents. Annalisa is an award-winning cultural producer, communications and marketing consultant, and journalist whose work and research focus on racial identity, anti-racism, sustainable change, and developmental trauma. You can read more about Annalisa's adoption story here and her thoughts on why adult adoptees need to be heard here.Connect with her at:https://www.linkedin.com/in/annalisa-toccara/https://twitter.com/AnnaToccaraMore at:Adoptee Futures is the first UK adoption organisation made by adopted people, aimed at everyone involved in adoption with adoptees at the centre. Adoptee Futures aims to help create a better future for adoption by reclaiming the adoption narrative, reframing the world's view on adoption, and helping adult adoptees heal through their trauma to evolve into the best versions of themselves. Adoptee Futures is a registered mental health CIC and provides various training, workshops, support groups, coaching, and events. https://www.adopteefutures.org/https://twitter.com/AdopteeFutureshttps://www.instagram.com/adopteefutures/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Here's a bit about Taylor from his websiteMy name is Taylor and I was born in Cheboksarui, Russia in October 1986. I lived there for five years with my family. I had one brother who is four years older than me and one sister who is two years younger than me. At the age of five, I lost my dad. Since that point, my biological mom, my younger sister, and I began traveling all over Russia as a homeless family, which some considered “Gypsy”. We stayed in train stations, under bridges, in haystacks, and other places I don’t care to remember. For food, I had to jump over fences into other people’s gardens and take vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots... just to stay alive. Some days we ate nothing. During the winter, I had to beg people for a place to stay each night on behalf of my mother and sister.I wanted a chance to go to school as I realized that a life without education would offer us nothing. At an early age, I already knew that to have no education, would offer me a life of nothing later on. Because of our constant moves and homelessness, I had no friends. So, as simple as it sounds, I also wanted to have friends.At one point in my life, I lived with a family on the farm who decided to become my “foster family”. While not the ideal family: an alcoholic father who refused to come home and help on the farm, a mother who was constantly angry due to her husband’s absence, and an older brother who had severe mental problems and was also full of anger… this was a real family for me. They agreed to put me in school, so I realized one dream and began first grade at the age of 9. The school became my favorite place because, at home, I had to take care of the farm. In the morning, I took the cows to the city where a common caregiver watched them in the pasture, then, I fed the pigs, chickens, and other animals. Only after my chores were done, was I able to go to school. And, I knew once home in the afternoon, other farm chores would again take over such as cleaning pigsties, chicken coops, horse barns and spreading the manure onto the field and garden, cultivate the garden, cut and stack wood for the winter, plow the fields for other crops, sickle the grass to collect hay and store it for winter in the barn and finally feed all animals before dark. On a large farm, the work is never done. Only after all chores were done, was I able to complete homework with dim lights.​I lived with this family for 4 years, until the age of 12. At the end of the fourth year, I got transferred to another family and after, into a large regional hospital before settling in an orphanage.......These are some of my memories on paper that I have published.Thank you so much for reading my story "Wait For Me"I hope this inspires others to share your past with me and start a healing process. We all have a story to share and I am here to listen....Connect with him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorda/https://www.facebook.com/WaitForMeByTaylorDhttps://www.taylordakake.com/https://www.instagram.com/tdakake/https://twitter.com/wdakake Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Dr. Catherine Horvath is a registered psychologist with competencies in clinical work with children, adolescents, and families, as well as forensic work with adolescents.Dr. Horvath has experience in working with those struggling with disruptive behaviours, self-regulation, attachment, and sexual behaviour issues related to histories of adverse childhood experiences, complex developmental trauma, adoption related issues, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and involvement with the child welfare and/or criminal justice systems.Dr. Horvath has a particular interest in offering parenting interventions and family therapy whenever possible because parents are the most influential people in their children’s lives, and children and adolescents have a better chance of improvement if the whole family is supported.Connect with her athttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-catherine-horvath-c-psych-a53276b7/Her Center's mission is to champion the provision of accessible, effective, trauma-informed assessment and treatment of children, teens, and families impacted by experiences of adversity, trauma, and mental health difficulties.Find out more athttps://ocfr.ca/https://www.facebook.com/ocfr.ca/?fref=nfhttps://twitter.com/ocfresilience Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

David Schunk was born in Smolensk, Russia in 1994. He was adopted at a young age by an American family from New Hampshire. He was a resident of Bedford, New Hampshire since he could remember until he left for college in 2013. He studied Computer Networking and Cyber Security at Champlain College, located in Burlington Vermont.David currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Founder for the Russian Adoptees nonprofit organization. In addition, he served as a Board Member for the non profit group, Adopted For Good. Adopted For Good advocates for positive rights and positive policies for adopted children. David has traveled to Washington, D.C. many times to advocate for adopted children with local Congress members regarding adoption issues.Connect with David at:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dschunk/https://twitter.com/davidmschunkClaire was also born in Russia and adopted by parents in the USA.Connect with Claire at https://www.linkedin.com/in/claireives/Russian Adoptees is a coalition to support the unique needs of persons adopted from Russia and the former Soviet Union.Find out more at:www.facebook.com/RAnonprofitwww.russianadoptees.orghttps://www.instagram.com/russian_adopteeshttps://twitter.com/russianadoptees Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Melanie Scheetz and her husband are proud adoptive parents of two children. Melanie has 29 years of non-profit management experience in the areas of administration and development. She joined the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition as its Executive Director in 1999. Under her guidance, the agency developed the groundbreaking programs, Extreme Recruitment® and 30 Days to Family®. Melanie has been honored with the St. Louis Business Journal’s 50 Most Influential Business Women of 2019 award; North American Council on Adoptable Children’s “National Adoption Advocate” award; the Congressional “Angels in Adoption” award; and the “Women of the Well” award.Connect with her athttps://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-scheetz-622118a/The Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition strives to create permanency in foster children’s lives by recruiting and supporting foster and adoptive families in the metropolitan St. Louis region.Find out more athttps://www.foster-adopt.org/https://www.facebook.com/FosterAdopt/https://www.instagram.com/foster.adopt/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Tony, a former foster youth and adoptee, was adopted by a same sex couple in the mid 1990’s. He writes about his experiences growing up as both an interracial adoptee and as a child growing up in a same sex headed household in his memoir “The Son With Two Moms.”Connect with Tony:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-hynes-283aa941/C.A.S.E. offers mental health services and educational resources for all members of the adoption and foster community. They are committed to nurturing, inspiring and empowering children, teens, their families and the professionals who support them.https://adoptionsupport.org/https://twitter.com/CASEadopthttps://www.facebook.com/caseadopt/https://www.instagram.com/caseadopt/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Jenni first encountered the child welfare system in 1995 when her foster brother entered their family as a toddler. His story and five-year adoptive journey had a profound impact, and she has had a desire for systemic transformation since. After several years in the business sector, the road for professional advocacy opened up in 2008 when she had an idea of how to help children who needed loving and safe families. Subsequently, she founded Chosen.Jenni has a background in Communications, Psychology, and Counseling. She has extended her professional training with a Nonprofit Management Certification, along with certifications in Leadership and Fundraising. Part of her role is advocating for systemic policy reform, and she is active in both federal and state affairs.Chosen‘s mission has evolved with her at the helm to fulfill a unique need in the childcare welfare continuum. Jenni recognized that there is a real deficiency in long-term support of families impacted by the grief and loss associated with foster care and adoption. She is extremely passionate about children healing from the trauma of abuse, neglect, and abandonment, which is the agency’s primary focus today. Equally, she is dedicated to strengthening families as agents of healing for their children.https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenni-lord-498057105/Chosen’s mission is to help children heal from trauma by strengthening their families. Once a child is safely placed in a home, Chosen comes in with ourModel of Care, delivered by licensed care managers who do whatever it takes to equip families with tools to overcome trauma and thrive together.https://www.facebook.com/chosen.carehttps://www.instagram.com/chosen_care/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvAJKSmWGWYZqRWhNdMlFOAhttps://www.pinterest.com/chosencare/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Connect with Sandy at:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-pricer-566741107/RiseUP is a nonprofit that supports teens and at-risk youth (13-23 years old). By teaching life and leadership skills and by filling in service gaps, RiseUP is working to make sure that no child becomes a statistic. We believe every teen can learn the skills and principles needed to become responsible, independent, strong, empowered, upstanding, and productive adults with a positive mindset and self-esteem.RiseUP stands for Responsible Independent Strong Empowered Upstanding Productive in society!A desire to help all teens and at-risk youth have the same opportunities as our own children is what inspired us to create RiseUP. A teen’s future is vitally important, which is why we provide the tools and knowledge each individual needs in order to have a better tomorrow. Our volunteers bring their passion and experience to every life and leadership skills workshop they teach. We also offer workshops for adults, which give parents information they can use to help the teen(s) in their lives. We welcome all adults—those who work with teens, are raising teens, or just want to learn more about these valuable topics. This is one way RiseUP aims to help stop the generational cycle of poverty, trauma, and brokenness. Find more at:https://www.riseupcooperative.org/https://www.facebook.com/RiseUpcooperativehttps://www.instagram.com/rise_up_cooperative/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfXg7_TuJnpjyHU6SSAu8Rg Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

As Director of Adoption and Permanency Services, Erika is responsible for overseeing all functions of the full service Infant Adoption Program, State Wide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN) program, and county foster care placement services. She is a Management Team member at The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center, maintains all financial aspects of the program and is involved in strategic planning. Erika also works directly with clients providing infertility and pre-adoption counseling sessions and running a monthly infertility support group. Erika was integral in starting up the SWAN program and county foster care placement services at The Children’s Home, beginning in 2012. She also recently began expanding the program’s Counseling Services, which now includes counseling for donor conceived individuals, recipient parents, and those using artificial reproductive technology to conceive. Erika also serves as a trainer for the REACH training collaborative, training prospective foster and adoptive families on topics such as Parenting, Resources, Grief and Loss, Child Development, and Cultural Humility. She also trains families adopting through The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh’s infant adoption program on open adoption and has presented at seminars on open adoption and hospital adoption policy, as well as at SWAN statewide conferences. Erika was also co-author to an article published for the North American Council on Adoptable Children’s (NACAC) publication, Adoptalk, titled Innovative Family Preparation: Thinking Outside the Box for the Whole Family. Erika has been at The Children’s Home since 2006, working as a birthparent counselor, birthparent counseling services supervisor, and manager of the SWAN Program. Prior to her position at The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh, Erika worked for over 4 years as a Psychiatric Specialty Counselor for an adolescent drug and alcohol research program at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic and remained on staff as a Behavioral Health Counselor, conducting diagnostic interviews and performing program management duties on a casual basis until May of 2018. She earned both a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Master’s Degree in Social Work through The University of Pittsburgh and obtained her social work license in 2006.Here's a bit about the Home from their websiteAt The Children's Home & Lemieux Family Center, we're investing in a family today to secure a child's tomorrow.Our goal is to make sure every person who walks through our doors feels empowered whether it be to take care of their medically fragile child, or to make a life changing decision. We’re here to support the community; our family.Find out more at:https://www.childrenshomepgh.org/https://www.facebook.com/ChildrensHomePghhttps://twitter.com/ChildrensHomehttps://www.youtube.com/user/Chomepghhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/the-children%27s-home-of-pittsburgh-&-lemieux-family-center/https://www.instagram.com/childrenshomepgh/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Connect with Alejandro at:https://twitter.com/alejandro_caw?lang=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-quezada-caw/“CAW” is an organization realized for those adopted from Chile or even within the country borders in order to provide them with a platform they can relate to. In the 70s, 80s and 90s there has been a wave of children leaving the country and due to this phenomenon they are currently spread all over the world. These decades have known to be very difficult times for the countries history due to the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.Since some years however, it is known that many of these children have not been left by their mothers and/or families voluntarily. As a result, today there is an official investigations in progress that tries to identify those involved. The official complaints of families who have lost their children under the most strange circumstances are still coming in on a daily basis and official numbers have past the amount of 10.000 official declarations in the year 2018.Chilean Adoptees Worldwide (CAW) was founded in Chile in 2018 by Alejandro Quezada, Angélica Martínez and Jessica Pincheira who were adopted illegally and lived the biggest parts of their lifes in resp. The Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium. Alejandro went to live in Chile to investigate his own adoption in 2014 where he resides until today.Find out more at:https://chileanadoptees.org/https://www.facebook.com/chileanadoptees/https://twitter.com/chileanadoptees?lang=enhttps://www.instagram.com/chileanadoptees/?hl=en Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Here's a bit about Julie and her agency from their website:Julie VanHoose-Wells has worked at Greater Love Adoption Decision, Inc (GLAD) since 1997. She began as a Case Manager and became the Executive Director in 2014. Julie’s parents, Rick and Nancy VanHoose, founded GLAD after their own adoption experience. Julie waited 9 years to become a big sister, which was like “dog years” for an only child. The whole family celebrated the gift of adoption when Julie’s brother, Jeron, was placed with the family.As the agency grew, Rick and Nancy housed many young women who had been kicked out from their homes or just felt uncomfortable living in their hometowns while pregnant. Living with women who were pregnant, sometimes afraid, and considering adoption was a powerful experience for Julie as an adolescent. She saw many of these women as “big sisters” and enjoyed spending time with them. She also witnessed the agony that they experienced when trying to consider what was best for their baby. This was a type of education that could not come from any textbook. This was an up-close, personal look into many unique adoptions and it developed a love and deep concern for all people who are touched by adoption.In 1995, Julie graduated from the University of Evansville with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She chose to further her education at the University of Southern Indiana, and graduated in 1997 with a Master’s Degree in Social Work. Julie is a Licensed Social Worker in the State of Indiana. She has been trained in Play Therapy and Trauma Informed Care. Julie is able to provide individual, family and group therapies. Her passion is to work with women who have suffered traumas and have encountered crisis. In addition to working in adoption, Julie has worked periodically as a Psychiatric Mental Health Therapist at the Evansville Psychiatric Children’s Center, which is the children’s division of the Indiana State Hospital. As a therapist, Julie worked to provide mental health services to children who received inpatient care for approximately 8 months while providing family therapy to re-stabilize the home. Julie has been a volunteer with EPCC since 1999, and by participating on the Patient Right’s Committee since 2016.GLAD has been meeting the immediate need since 1985. We are licensed by the State of Indiana and we have uniquely qualified professionals to help you decide if adoption could be right for you. Our founder, Nancy VanHoose, chose the name of this agency as inspiration from John 15:13 where Jesus said this: "Greater Love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."This is what we witness when we work with birth parents who choose adoption. We see love. We see sacrifice. We see a good mom trying to make a loving decision that is best for her baby. That’s why we are GLAD to be called Greater Love Adoption Decision.Find out more at:http://www.gladadoption.com/https://www.facebook.com/gladadoptionhttps://twitter.com/gladadoptionhttps://www.instagram.com/glad_adoption Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Bryan Post is one of America’s foremost child behavior experts and founder of the Post Institute for Family-Centered Therapy. The Post Institute works with adults, children and families struggling with early life trauma and the impact on the development of the mind/body system. A renowned clinician, lecturer, and author, Bryan has traveled throughout the world providing expert treatment and consultation. An internationally recognized specialist in the treatment of emotional and behavioral disturbance, he specializes in a holistic family-based treatment approach that addresses the underlying interactive dynamics of the entire family.Bryan has been researching child behavior and finding solutions for a small niche of kids “with whom nothing works”. He has worked in the trenches for the last 15 years with children in the last resort category, as well as training parents and professionals in a new paradigm of parenting which he calls The Stress Model. This new model is in direct opposition to traditional parenting and societal behavior modification programming, which he considers as beyond consequences, logic and control.A maverick in the mental health field, Bryan broke from traditional teachings in the late 1990s and developed a theoretical model of behavior which he coined the Stress Model. When fully understood and applied, this can reveal underlying unconscious expressive states which can transform relationship dynamics. From the Stress Model theory he has gone on to develop both Family-Centered Regulatory Parenting and Regulatory Therapy which both have been taught at the university level. These rapid results programs have been changing the lives of struggling adults, parents, and families for over fifteen years.He holds three degrees in the field of social work: a Bachelors of Social Work degree from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma; a Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Texas at Arlington; and a Doctoral degree in Social Work from Columbus University School of Public Administration.A retired Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Bryan continues spreading his loved based parenting message through his lecturing and writing. He lives with his family in Oklahoma. He also enjoys starting new business ventures.Get the book at https://www.feartolovebook.com/misc-28687180Connect with Bryan at:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanpost1/The Post Institute was founded in 1999 by Bryan Post and Kristi Saul. The Post Institute has published over 100 books, DVD’s, CD’s, MP3’s, Webinar’s, and articles on the topic of parenting children who have experienced pre-birth and early life trauma. The founders of the Post Institute are passionate about helping parents create healing from the wounds created by trauma, by providing parents an understanding of the impact of trauma and a proven effective, unique model of parenting. The Post Institute model of parenting has been put to the test by parents across the globe, as well as foster care agencies, adoption agencies, group homes, and treatment centers.Bryan Post and Kristi Saul, are unique in that they have chosen to not only teach and train parents and professionals, but they also have been in the trenches implementing the model of love based parenting in group home settings, therapeutic foster homes, and their own home. Their trauma informed model and understanding has been used by numerous agencies in training foster and adoptive parents as well as direct care staff in treatment settings. They understand the challenges of parenting traumatized children, not just from an intellectual perspective but through firsthand experience.The Post Institute continues to create unique opportunities for understanding and support for parents and professionals invested in the lives of children, through an online community, The Parenting Inner Circle, personal family coaching, parenting groups, and professional training and consultation.Find out more at:facebook.com/postinstitute youtube.com/postinstitutehttps://postinstitute.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Connect with Kate at:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-patel-3569a3170Diagrama Adoption is an independent, voluntary adoption agency rated GOOD by Ofsted. Their friendly and professional team members are dedicated to finding loving and nurturing families for vulnerable children waiting to be adopted.For more about Diagrama Adoption visit:https://www.diagramaadoption.org.uk/https://twitter.com/diagramaukkidshttps://www.youtube.com/user/DiagramaFoundationhttps://www.facebook.com/Diagramafosteringadoption/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Jill Crewes, MSW has over 23 years experience working within child welfare and the foster/adoption community. She is the Vice President of Colorado Programs at Raise the Future where she manages program development and critically examines issues and trends in the public child welfare and adoption arenas to determine the most effective avenues to recruit families for waiting youth and support those connections long term. She also Co-founded Emerge Family Connections in 2013.Connect with Jill herehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-crewes-45522532/Raise the Future has designed and implemented evidence-based, wraparound services that reduce the amount of time youth in foster care live without a permanent family. Our programs increase the likelihood of forming and sustaining positive connections that help to transform their futures.Find out more at:https://www.raisethefuture.org/https://www.facebook.com/RaiseFuturehttps://twitter.com/raisefuturehttps://www.instagram.com/raise.the.future/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

To find out more at her work check out:https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-h-murray-174521157/https://aliceinwonderingland.wordpress.com/https://www.facebook.com/alicemurraywriterhttps://www.instagram.com/alice.h.murray/https://www.facebook.com/alice.h.murray Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Here's a bit about New Family Social from their website. "We're a UK charity, led by LGBT+ adopters and foster carers. New Family Social exists to help you decide if adoption or fostering is right for you and then support you on your journey to becoming parents and carers. We also work with agencies to develop their services to be as LGBT+ inclusive and friendly as possible. We aim to make the pool of available parents as wide as possible for the many children in care."Find out more at:https://newfamilysocial.org.uk/https://www.facebook.com/newfamilysocial/https://twitter.com/lgbtadoptfosterhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJJCBmz-H22rlhO75__IauQ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Amy is passionate about helping others heal their hearts from past hurts - through the use of research and evidence based practices infused with the latest neuroscience research. She has personal and professional experience with adoption, developmental trauma and other developmental disabilities. She is a self-proclaimed "brain geek" and continuously finds fun ways to incorporate the latest neuroscience research into evidence-based practices specializing in the effects of early trauma or neglect on the brain and the best ways to help children and teenagers heal. She is the author of "Toby the Tiger Tamer" and the developer of the Tame Your Tiger Brain Training Program.​ Amy is the 2021 Play Therapist of the Year for the state of Virginia. Additionally, Amy will hold a 2021 Endorsement from The Virginia Association for Infant Mental Health; Category III Infant Mental Health Specialist (IMHS).Amy is not currently taking new clients. She is supervising the Heart & Mind team, providing workshops, adoptive parent coaching, and supervision for therapists for licensure as a MFT in VA, play therapist and consultations.Here are links to her book:https://www.amazon.com/Toby-Tiger-Tamer-Johnson-Reamer/dp/1484099885https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toby-Tiger-Tamer-Johnson-Reamer/dp/1484099885Connect with her here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-reamer-lmft-rpt-s-b9502825/Heart & Mind is a group mental health therapy practice in Richmond, VA, founded to bring true long-lasting healing to the core foundational needs of children, adults, parents and families impacted by adoption, early trauma, neglect and attachment challenges. Heart & Mind empowers connections through mental health counseling, brain training, neuro-informed services and education. Our staff has extensive training and experience in adoption counseling, developmental trauma, play therapy, Safe and Sound Protocol and EMDR.Find out more about her organisation:https://www.heartmindrva.comhttps://www.facebook.com/Heartmindrva/https://www.instagram.com/heartmindrva/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Cynthia K. Jensen is a Certified Social Worker in the State of Wisconsin. Cindy graduated Cum Laude from Milton College in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. From 1990 to 2009 she was employed by another Wisconsin child placing agency. During that time Cindy placed more than 550 children with adoptive families. Cindy keeps current on adoption practice by obtaining an additional 30 hours (or more) of continuing education every two years as required to maintain state certification. In addition, over the past 28 years Cindy formed strong professional relationships throughout the adoption community as well as with numerous other referral resources. She has excellent working relationships with the various professionals involved in the adoption process in Wisconsin as well as several other states. Cindy served on a legislative task force to create legislation for a birth father registry in the State of Wisconsin. She also spoke at the national convention for the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and has been a presenter regarding the adoption process in many different forums. Cindy is also a past member of the National Association of Social Workers.https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.jensenhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-jensen-a2b55555/Adoption Avenues, Inc. strives to provide environments of love and stability for children in need. Education and support is offered for everyone in the adoption process, from the person giving up parental rights to the new loving family. We are a Wisconsin licensed child placing agency offering a full range of adoption services. Our social workers have years of experience. Adoption can be difficult and confusing. We are here to help navigate the process for birth parents who are placing a child for adoption and for adoptive parents trying to choose the best avenue for building a family.The services we offer include birth parent counseling for women experiencing unplanned or crisis pregnancies, home studies for all types of adoption, step-parent screenings, pre-adoptive preparation, foster home licensing and post-placement supervision services. Wisconsin is an "agency" state, thus a private adoption agency must be involved in every adoption.https://www.adoptionave.com/https://www.facebook.com/adoptionave/https://www.instagram.com/adoption_avenues/?hl=en-gb Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Connect with Kerryhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-bocook-34261b83/Heart to Home Adoption Agency, LLC (HTH) is a licensed Kentucky adoption agency that provides home studies, post placement visits, adoptive and foster parent education and referrals to other professional agencies to prospective adoptive/foster parents in Kentucky seeking to adopt domestically. We offer face to face meetings to support our adoptive families and our placing parents.HTH also provides birth parent services such as pregnancy counseling and resource, medical and legal referrals. Heart to Home does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation.“Heart to Home is an agency that believes everyone deserves love and is capable of giving it and receiving it. My family changed with adoption. Our goal is to offer a loving and dedicated service to children, placing parents, and adoptive parents”– Leigh Shapiro, Founder & Executive Director, Heart to Home AdoptionFind out more about them at:https://hearttohomeadoptions.net/https://www.facebook.com/HeartToHomeAdoptionAgency/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Open Arms Adoption Agency has been Sam’s vision for many years. Since reuniting with his birth mother 15 years ago, he has been developing a service to support and educate women when they are in a time of need. His birth mother was 15 years old and not prepared to raise a child when he was born, so adoption was the most loving decision for both her and Sam. Their adoption was originally closed, but as an adult Sam was able to locate his birth mom and now he feels fortunate to have a great relationship with both of his birth parents.Sam has had his own successful financial services firm for 21 years, he is a Washington State native, and has two WSU Cougar alumni children. His entire family feels blessed that 50 years ago one adoption laid the foundation for their strong family today.OpenArmsAdoptionAgency.comhttps://www.instagram.com/openarmsadoption/https://www.facebook.com/openarmsadoptionnwhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-barnes-8a5551200/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Terry has worked in the field of children’s social care for over 38 years. He began his career in the Voluntary Sector, working for the then Catholic Rescue Society as a residential child care officer, before moving to work within a local authority setting in 1983.For several years he again worked in a residential setting, helping to manage a “fostering preparation unit”, as a qualified social worker, he was enlisted to conduct fostering and adoption assessments too and so the passion for family placement work began.From 1989 until 2013 Terry managed family placement services for the council and specifically managed the adoption service there for over 24 years. In that time Terry helped steer the service through successive outstanding inspection results and established the service as one of the best performing in the country.He has built up an expertise in early permanence planning and has routinely been enlisted to support other adoption agencies as they strive to develop fostering for adoption and concurrent placements.As Director of ARC Adoption Terry’s career has come full circle with a return to the Voluntary Sector. It is now Terry’s hope that he and the team at ARC Adoption can use their skills to make a major contribution to children’s lives on a national level.Outside of work Terry is a Vice Chair of governors for a local school, acts as a child protection representative for the Catholic Diocese and is chair of a parish council. He is married to Lesley, has a son John, and grandson Oliver, who alongside Sunderland Football Club and two Golden Retrievers called Sadie and Tara, is his pride and joy.Connect with Terry https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-fitzpatrick-116155100/ARC Adoption North East is an Outstanding Independent Voluntary Adoption Agency located in the North East of England.For all of us in our Sunderland based team, it is a privilege to work in the field of adoption. We use our extensive knowledge and skills to increase the opportunities for children to experience a positive family life. As a prospective adopter, we will take you through the process and help you feel valued and supported. Registered and rated Outstanding by Ofsted, we work in partnership with Local Authorities and Regional Adoption Agencies to help them deliver high quality services to some of the most vulnerable children in their care.We are fortunate to have a dedicated team of experienced, multi-disciplinary, practitioners here at ARC Adoption who help us deliver a wide range of services aimed at supporting adopted children and their families to feel secure. This has enabled us to be one of the most successful agencies in our region for recruiting families and placing children.Through our memberships of The Northern Consortium of Adoption Agencies; CoramBAAF Adoption and Fostering Academy; the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA); New Family Social and Adoption UK, we make a major contribution to the adoption process nationally and to seek continuous improvement in all that we do.ARC Adoption North East believes that every child deserves the right to grow up in a nurturing and loving family who will support them through childhood and prepare them for adult life.Our primary mission is to increase the number of nurturing, loving adoptive families available to the many vulnerable children in our society who are unable to live within their birth families.We aim to recruit at least 40 families per year in order to offer a range of placement opportunities to local authorities who are unable to find adopters to meet the individual needs of the children in their care. We intend to increase the number of ‘foster to adopt’ placements available in order to minimise placement moves for children, thereby improving their attachment experience; increase the number of adopters able to consider a ‘concurrent’ placement supporting best outcomes for individual children and increase the number of adoptive families able to consider sibling placements.https://www.arcadoptionne.org.uk/https://twitter.com/arcadoptionnehttps://www.facebook.com/arcadoptionne/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Here's some information about Nugent from their website:Nugent Adoption is a registered and approved Independent Adoption Agency located in the North West of England. Nugent became a Registered Adoption Agency in 1943; therefore we have been involved in placing children for adoption for 75 years.We provide a welcoming team of professional and dedicated social work staff who are experienced in all areas of adoption. Our aim is to increase the opportunities for children who have experienced a difficult start, to enjoy a positive, safe and secure family life.We pride ourselves on providing a friendly, responsive service and on guiding our prospective adopters through the adoption process making them feel valued and supported. We are pleased to hear from potential adopters regardless of their gender, age, sexuality, disability, ethnicity, religion or marital status. We are Ofsted registered and we work in partnership with Local Authorities across England, Wales and Scotland to help them deliver services to some of the most vulnerable children in their care.We also have many years of experience in assessing prospective adopters who wish to adopt a child from overseas. As well as this we offer on-going support to all those affected by adoption such as adult adoptees who wish to access their adoption records, as well as birth family members wishing to trace their adopted relatives.We are members of Adoption 22; CoramBAAF; the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA) and Adoption UK.Find out more at:https://wearenugent.org/https://www.instagram.com/wearenugent/https://www.facebook.com/wearenugenthttps://twitter.com/wearenugent Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Dominic is an ambassador for IAC - The Centre for Adoption - the UK's only dedicated intercountry adoption charity.Connect with Dominic athttps://www.instagram.com/dominicpaul91/IAC’s mission is to place children from all parts of the world, both in the UK and overseas, in loving families and to work in a fair, transparent and professional manner with all individuals who need our services.Find out more athttps://www.icacentre.org.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/iacadoptionhttps://twitter.com/AdoptAbroad Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Here's the link we discuss in the podcast:https://voice-for-adoption.org/family-portrait-projectSchylar, a Montanan, joined Voice for Adoption in May 2016. Schylar has dedicated his professional and volunteer life to the belief that children and youth in the child welfare system need respect, support, and family. Schylar has a bachelor’s in professional and technical communications from Montana Tech and a master’s in public administration from the University of Montana.He has served as president of the board of Montana Court Appointed Special Advocates, secretary of the boards of ChildWise Institute, and FosterClub, and as a commissioner on the governor appointed Protect Montana’s Kids Commission. Schylar is a nationally recognized leader; in 2008, he received FosterClub. Inc’s Outstanding Young Leader award for his work with the Kids Are Waiting Campaign and the passage the Fostering Connections to Success and Increased Adoptions Act. In 2018, Schylar was selected as an American Express NGEN Fellow. That same year, during his time at Voice for Adoption, Schylar was recognized in the congressional record for his work with the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act.Schylar’s commitment to improving the futures of children and youth in care is due, in large part, to his own life experiences. He spent 11 years in foster care before aging out without a family. When he was 25, his mentor and sixth-grade teacher adopted him. Schylar explained, “I always longed for a place to call my own and, at one point, was told that I was too old to be adopted.” Schylar remembers the stigma and trauma from his years in foster care and fights for his peers, believing that no child should be told that they are unadoptable.As the executive director of Voice for Adoption, Schylar continues his life’s work of serving vulnerable—but resilient—young people. “I am blessed with the opportunity to be a voice for children in foster care that are often feeling alone the dark, feel that no one hears them, feel that no cares and that no one is on their side. I believe every child needs the benefit of a permanent and loving place to call home.”https://www.linkedin.com/in/schylar-baber/Voice for Adoption advocates, educates, and collaborates to advance federal policies that promote and sustain permanence for children and youth in foster care. Here's more from their website:Our Vision of SuccessAll children and youth in foster care in the U.S. will have a safe, loving, supported and permanent family.What We DoWe work with members of congress, policy makers, partner organizations, and agencies to encourage sound policies that are in the best interest of our nation’s waiting foster children.Voice for Adoption (VFA) advocates for the safety and well-being of children in foster care.VFA holds briefings on foster and adoption issues on Capitol Hill.VFA works on special projects focused on raising awareness around the needs of foster and adoptive youth, and the families that adopt them.VFA strives to ensure the foster care and adoption issues remain at the forefront our policy maker's attention.Our HistoryVoice for Adoption was established in 1996 to provide a permanent mechanism to shape the public debate regarding:the needs of children who are growing up without families of their own;the lifelong consequences for the development of these children and their later functioning as adults when they continue to be forgotten;the positive potential of adoption to meet the needs of these children; andthe benefits to the community of providing ongoing support for families who adopt the childrenVFA is a bi-partisan force, which shapes the future by providing accurate information on adoption issues, encouraging prompt adoption of waiting children, and supporting sound public policy in adoption.Find out more at:https://voice-for-adoption.org/https://www.facebook.com/Voice4Adoptionhttps://twitter.com/Voice4Adoptionhttps://www.instagram.com/voiceforadoption/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Get the picture of the Family Wellness House Kristin talks about herehttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hc5YKcrj0XJuIr1IvVW-z6W7QqaYO9OB/view?usp=sharingConnect with Kristin herehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-orphan-5b2a8113a/Finally Home is a non-profit whose mission since 2008 is to equip foster, adoptive and kinship families to build healthy homes where kids can heal. Over the years all kinds of families have benefited from Finally Home's programs and products which are designed to give parents the tools they need to help their kids and families thrive. Whether through an encouraging children’s story book, a therapeutic toolkit, or an educational training, Finally Home’s resources reinforce time tested skills and characteristics found in healthy families.https://www.finallyhome.net/https://www.facebook.com/FinallyHome.nethttps://www.instagram.com/teamfinallyhome/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Here's a bit about Kaycee and her family from their website"With a love for Jesus, kids, and stories, Kaycee and her husband Pete had always planned to adopt. In 2016, while Kaycee was working as a youth pastor, they began dreaming about how to change the narrative around foster care adoption, especially within faith communities. Five months later, The Reel Hope Project was born and they began telling the stories of Minnesota’s waiting kids. In 2019, they adopted their son, whom Kaycee met through a Reel Hope video shoot. As Executive Director and Founder, Kaycee leads the organization and her team in the pursuit of The Reel Hope Project’s mission: A forever family for every child.Our vision is to mobilize the faith community in Minnesota to bring foster kids into forever families. We strive to be a bridge between church and state, partnering on both sides to see an end to kids waiting for families. We work to equip social workers with an invaluable tool to share their kids’ stories, and we empower families to meet Minnesota kids."Find out more athttps://www.thereelhopeproject.org/https://www.facebook.com/thereelhopeproject/https://www.instagram.com/reel_hope/https://twitter.com/ReelHopeProject Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Here's a bit about Eric from his team's website:"Trisha and I have been married since June 26, 1999. We have six kids Madison, Isaac, Robert, Kale, Kelsey, and Halle Jo. We had the joy of serving full time in student ministry from 2000 to 2012. We served for two years in the Dallas/Fort Worth area as youth pastors. Then we moved to Ozark, Missouri, and served as the junior high directors at James River Church for almost 10 years. In September of 2011, God called us out of local church ministry to become orphan care missionaries to equip churches to care for orphans. We moved back to the DFW area in August of 2012 to help create an orphan care strategy to take throughout Texas, the nation, and the world. From August 2012 until August 2017 we served as the assistant directors of The Keep. We are now the founders and presidents of Backyard Orphans. Backyard Orphans is a 501c3 interdenominational ministry focused on engaging and equipping the church to care for hurting children in their own backyard. "Find out more athttp://porterteam.org/https://m.facebook.com/ericporter76https://twitter.com/ericporter10https://www.instagram.com/ericporter10/Backyard Orphans guides church leaders to develop a foster care, adoption, and support ministry to find families for children.Find out more at:https://backyardorphans.org/https://www.facebook.com/backyardorphanshttps://twitter.com/backyardorphanshttps://www.instagram.com/backyardorphans/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Il5GlpafqcQxa9lHnzCHw Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Pam and her husband Dan are the adoptive parents of two children, a daughter who was born in Korea in 1986 and a son who was born in India in 1989. Her children catapulted Pam into life and career interests she never imagined. Pam’s position as Executive Director has evolved over the past 20 years as she was a volunteer Executive Director for the first 7 years, then the only part-​time paid staff person, then a full-​time paid position, and finally to overseeing with the Board of Directors the addition of two more part-​time paid staff. Pam and Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families have been the recipient of the Minoru Yasui Volunteer Service Award, Asian Education Advisory Council Community Service Award, Channel 7 Everyday Hero, Asian Pacific Bar Association Minoru Yasui Community Award, and the Korean American Coalition of the U.S., Bridge Builder Award Pam has been appointed to the Denver Asian Pacific American Commission, and is on the capital campaign committee of the Asian Pacific Development Center. This “labor of love” at Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families has truly become a life’s work for Pam, one that never would have happened without her own wonderful children.https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-sweetser-419b8011/Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families, Inc. (HCAF) serves as a post-​adoption resource and advocate for children, adults, and families with diverse heritages here's what they say about themselves:We accomplish our mission by facilitating events which provide culturally relevant and family-​centered experiences for every member of the family.These events provide individuals and families with both a deeper sense of community and an individual identity. It is our goal that all adoptees will develop a knowledge of themselves and their culture of origin and that families will have a better awareness of, and sense of pride in, their adopted family member’s birth heritage. HCAF assists children, adults, and families in becoming a part of a larger community “just like themselves,” with shared experiences, challenges, and opportunities.We focus on supporting international and domestic adoptive families, including adopted children, parents, non-adopted siblings, and extended family. Additionally, our camps are a resource for foster parents and waiting parents.Adult adoptees are an essential part of the HCAF community. We believe in the importance of being guided by the experiences and perspectives of adoptees, and work to ensure that our programming amplifies their voices.HCAF began in 1991 when 40 families with children adopted from Korea came together for a short weekend of Korean cultural immersion. From there, Korean Heritage Camp expanded to four days and many more families. Just four years later, we incorporated as a nonprofit organization, and have grown to serve over 1,000 adoptive families annually from across the nation at our nine camps, serving children born in over 40 countries.Since our incorporation in 1995, HCAF’s Executive Director, Pam Sweetser, has provided vital leadership and management to the organization, initially on a volunteer basis. With eight other adoptive parents, Pam served on the first Board of Directors, and was the sole HCAF staff member from her appointment as Executive Director in 1995 until 2005, when the first part-​time support employee was hired.HCAF’s staff is comprised of four staff members, but the bulk of the organization’s extensive operations has always been handled by volunteers. HCAF’s team of volunteers includes camp parents, community members, and camp alumni — totaling 2,500+ individuals contributing over 650,000 volunteer hours each year.With a strong history of smart growth, financial stability, and volunteer investment – plus the passionate involvement of our camp families – HCAF has made a difference in the lives of thousands of children and their families for 27 years.https://www.heritagecamps.org/https://www.facebook.com/HCAFpage/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Here's a bit about Suzy from her websiteHello, I’m Suzy creator of We Made a Wish. I’m an adoptive mum to two beautiful girls who crept into our hearts four years apart. We Made a Wish grew from my desire to create beautiful things to celebrate adoption and families. It brings together my love for adoption, shopping and writing.MagazineWe Made a Wish is a free digital adoption magazine, which raises awareness about adoption and shares experiences from all sides of the triangle. I created a blog not long after our eldest daughter came home because I struggled to find anything online written by adopters about the realities of adoption.The blog has evolved into a magazine where I publish interviews and articles from adopters, adoptees and birth parents about their experience of different aspects of the process. There’s also book reviews, articles from agencies and experts about some of the issues that adopted children may face.Please note that book reviews and articles recommending products may contain affiliate links. This means that I receive a fee if you buy a product when you click on a link to it from one of the articles. All reviews and recommendations are either of products I’ve used myself, or have been used and recommended by other adopters.Please get in touch if you’d like to contribute to the magazine. ShopWhen we adopted our eldest daughter, I struggled to find cards and gifts for her foster family and our social worker, that let them know how grateful we were for keeping her safe until we met her. I decided to make cards for them myself and We Made a Wish shop was born.I sell prints, record books and clothing keepsakes to families and to help you capture some of your special memories.I wanted to create clothing keepsakes to help preserve the special memories items of clothing hold. We have blankets made from the clothes our daughters wore during introductions. Seeing them takes me right back to the wonderful memories I have of when we met our precious girls for the first time.The record books are printed sheets to help you create a record of your journey to meeting your little one. They come in four designs in either physical or digital formats. WritingI’ve written a guide to adoption from an adopter’s point of view. When we started the process, I couldn’t find any books or blogs written by adopters about the process. The agency websites told me the basics about what the process involved, but I wanted to know the nitty gritty.An Adopter’s Guide to Adoption is a step-by-step guide starting with hoe to prepare to start the process, things to consider when choosing your agency, the assessment, Panel, matching and beyond. It’s the book I wish had been available when we were first thinking about adoption.You can buy the paperback version from Amazon here and the digital version from Etsy here.Work with meI love to write and find it therapeutic to let words take me away from the realities of everyday life. My book “Running Scared” was started on our honeymoon and I self-published it through Amazon the week before we met our eldest daughter.https://wemadeawish.co.ukhttps://www.instagram.com/wemadeawishadoptionmagazine/https://www.facebook.com/wemadeawish Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Joanna Ivey is an adoptee and adoptive parent and has been working in the field of adoption for 16 years. In her work with adoptive families, she meets couples/singles early in their adoption journey and is privileged to get to know them and learn about what brought them to adoption.She writes, “I often read hopeful adoptive parents write “We feel called to adopt,” and while I’m not here to judge anyone’s faith or how they came to choose adoption, I will share with you why this, as an adoptee, is problematic. If you’ve said the words “I feel called to adopt,” “adoption is about saving a child” or “the child that is meant for you will come to you” I’m going to challenge you to reconsider your perspective, and to do that I’ll speak bluntly about my perspective. I believe you’ve come to this place with all the good intentions in the world. I understand you’re grappling with whatever loss brought you to adoption, and I honor how deeply you want to be a parent. The emotions you’re having are completely normal, but I encourage you to let those be a starting place from which you grow, not your destination. It’s OK to begin here, but don’t end here. Don’t parent from this place because it will impact the child you will be adopting.” In addition to her work with clients as the owner of Our Chosen Child, Adoption Profile Design she presents and speaks at national conferences, author of The Essential Guide to Adoption Outreach and sits on several national adoption/ethics committees.https://www.ourchosenchild.com/https://www.instagram.com/ourchosenchild/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Hillary Merryfield, M.S.W., L.S.C.S.W., L.C.S.W., Founder, and Director, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Kansas and Missouri. She is a Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work and approved Mediator in the core and parent/adolescent areas as well as a Clinical Hypnotherapist. In addition to her adoption services and counselling, she has a general psychotherapy practice offering services to individuals, couples, and families.https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillary-merryfield-13821750/Here's how she describes her agency:Adoption Option, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is a licensed child placing agency in Missouri and Kansas. It has assisted in placing over 900 children with adoptive families in numerous states and many foreign countries.Adoption Option believes birth parents are among the most selfless people in the world. We have worked with hundreds of birth parents through the years and have never met one who did not want to parent their baby. They make adoption plans for their child out of unconditional love putting their child s needs before their own. At Adoption Option we believe there are three ways to build a family birth, marriage, and adoption. Adoption is a natural way to build a family. We believe the child is special because of who he or she is, not because they are adopted.https://www.adoptionoptionkc.com/https://www.facebook.com/adoptionoptionkc Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Candy McVicar is an author, inspirational speaker, and devoted advocate for families who are grieving a baby or child. Candy and her husband Stephen have been married and serving in ministry together for twenty-one years. After the stillbirth of their daughter Grace in 2001, they founded Missing GRACE Foundation which provides support, resources and a place of healing for families grieving a pregnancy or infant loss, infertility or adoption challenges. Candy serves as the Executive Director. Candy has extensive experience working with bereaved families and within healthcare systems. Candy facilitates grief support groups for parents and grandparents and provides facilitator training courses. Candy volunteered in hospital birthing rooms and NICUs, supporting hundreds of perinatal loss families for ten years. She provided them with birth support, professional photography and videography and assisted with their funeral services.In 2003, Candy spearheaded legislation to help parents of a stillborn in Minnesota to receive their baby’s birth certificate. The bill was signed into law and enacted August 1, 2005, bringing rightful recognition and dignity to stillborn babies.Candy organized and hosted annual GRACE conferences where she brought in speakers from around the nation to provide care professionals with CME and CEU classes along with a wide array of resources, support and education for families who have experienced a pregnancy or infant loss, infertility or adoption challenges. Candy has lectured at hospitals, clinics, universities, churches and conferences, capturing the hearts of many with her engaging and personable style. She is a grief and trauma specialist on a mission to help couples and families grow closer together, heal and find hope.Candy is a lover of homemade fresh squeezed juice, hiking along the coast, photographing the light dancing on the water, snuggles with her favorite man and two amazing daughters and time with all the littles in her life: her two happy dogs (Tico and Sozo), and talkative cat (LuLu).https://candymcvicar.comhttps://twitter.com/CandyMcvicarhttps://www.instagram.com/candymcvicar/https://www.facebook.com/CandyMcVicarOfficial/https://www.linkedin.com/in/candy-mcvicar-00602314/Grace McVicar was stillborn on December 20, 2001. She was the first-born child of Candy and Stephen McVicar. It was through their grieving and feelings of missing their daughter and missing the chance to hold, love and raise their baby Grace, that the inspiration for the name “Missing GRACE” was realized.Additionally, the name is an acronym with a meaning which is central to the heart of the mission of Missing GRACE Foundation. It stands for:Grieve, Restore, Arise, Commemorate and Educate.Missing GRACE Foundation provides help to: Grieve in healthy ways by giving comfort, support and resources while validating the significance of the baby’s life and the right to grieve for the childRestore holistically in a person’s emotional, relational, physical and spiritual health, which can each be affected through the trauma of the grief experienceArise from the ashes – the dark place of deep sorrow and discover there is hope for a brighter dayCommemorate their loved onesEducate others through sharing their own stories of loss and by providing education for families and professionals that will help bring babies into the world safelyhttp://www.missinggrace.org/https://www.facebook.com/MGFCenterforGRACE/https://twitter.com/missinggraceorg Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Holly Marlow is a British author and parent to biological and adopted children. Holly strives for a gentle/therapeutic parenting style and this has led her to create stories to help children to understand some of the emotional and practical complexities of adoption.https://hollymarlow.com/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holly-Marlow/e/B099V6HQ1Khttps://www.amazon.com/Delly-Duck-adoption-children-therapeutic/dp/1739916808/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=delly+duck&qid=1632817752&sr=8-1https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58693662-delly-duckhttps://twitter.com/hmarlowauthorhttps://www.facebook.com/HollyMarlowAuthorhttps://www.instagram.com/hollymarlowauthor/https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollymarlow/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

In 2008 Zara finished directing and producing an adoption documentary entitled “ROOTS: UNKNOWN” This educational and informative film focuses on the emotional influence adoption has on the adoptee and their families. Interviews and sound bites with adult adoptees, their families and children are mixed with artistic images of their art and creative expression. The film won Best Homegrown Documentary at The Garden State Film festival in New Jersey.In addition, Zara is also an author. Her book, ‘Mother Me’ is about Zara’s personal journey to motherhood from an adoptee’s point of view. ‘Mother Me’ was published by BAAF (British Association for Adoption and Fostering) in the UK and was released on March 3rd 2008. This is an intensely personal and compelling memoir in which Zara describes her feelings as an adopted person and explores her relationships with her adoptive and birthmothers, and invites the reader to join her in her own journey to becoming a Mother. “It seems that birthing my children was also a birth for my whole self.”“Mother Me’ was picked up by Gemma media and an updated version was released on February 14th 2011 in the U.S.A.Zara and Ted Perlman got back together to record a new album “You, Me and Us” that feature’s ‘I’m Legit’ a song Zara wrote with another adopted person Darryl Macdaniels of DMC. The record, digitally released in 2011, has been a big hit within the adoption community. Songs from this album can be heard on Passions and Hollywood Heights.This album is a collection of thought provoking songs with an acoustic and raw feel. The album ‘You, Me and Us” is available now.“Beneath My Fathers’s Sky“, a one woman show that Zara wrote and performs in, is the winner of Best Direction at NYC United Solo festival in 2014 was also performed in LA, San Francisco, Connecticut, and in London in 2016 “upstairs at The Gate.”In the past, Zara has facilitated adoption /addiction workshops with adopted families and the mental health professionals. She engages the teens to create songs about their experience.Zara’s book “Somebody’s Daughter”, published by John Blake/Bonnier Publishers, was released February 2018 in the UK and August 2018 in the USA.https://www.facebook.com/zaraphillipshttp://www.zaraphillips.net/writing/books-authored-by-zara-phillips-somebodys-daughter/https://www.linkedin.com/in/zara-phillips-a01a926/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.