Creating partnerships between people who are involved in supporting a child or family is an important part of excellent therapy. Finding new ways to help families create the best solutions and approaches to problems they or their children face can be challenging.  Working with an individual child, parents, or a combination of both, can be key to generating a solution. Working with groups is an effective and positive experience for children and parents. It does “take a village to raise a child.”  That translates into building positive relationships and establishing on-going communication with children’s schools, pediatricians and other professionals or people who play an important role in a family or child’s life.

Adoption Associates has built an array of services to suit the variety of people with whom we work. We understand that children explore and express their feelings in many ways, both verbally and behaviorally, so we choose to incorporate the use of art and play therapy to help children understand and integrate these feelings. We have designed groups geared to the special interests and concerns that often arise with adopted children. Words do come into play, but the opportunity to nonverbally communicate is a powerful therapeutic tool.

Our newest Partners in Parenting groups, for parents of adopted adolescents, and parents of adopted school age children, are good examples of how it does “take a community to raise our children.” These groups, like many others, have given support to the participants in pursuing their common dilemmas, questions, and interests. Time and again, adoptive parents have expressed their desire to see more sensitivity, understanding, and support regarding the impact of adoption on the lives of their children, families and communities. The groups provide parents with the confidence, support, impetus, and tools to advocate for better services and responses to their unique needs. This results in positive changes that impact the adoption community and the community at large.

Some of the topics discussed in parent groups include:

• Understanding how being an adoptive family is different from being a non-adoptive family,
• Discussing disciplinary methods related to adoption,
• Distinguishing and differentiating between what is or is not an adoption issue,
• Exploring feelings about birth parents and other birth relatives,
• Integrating the child’s origins within the family

Adoption Associates is excited to facilitate groups like these for adults and children. It is always a delight and honor to be in the presence of concerned and thoughtful parents and children.

If you are interested and would like to participate in one of our Partners in Parenting groups, please contact Adoption Associates at 617-965-9369 or www.adoptionassociates@yahoo.com.