Helping Adopted Children Cope With Grief and Loss

Adoption involves loss. Resources in this section can help families understand and help their adopted children deal with the loss and grief associated with adoption.

Children and Adoption: The School Age Years (6–11) (PDF - 811 KB)
Singer (2016)
Center for Adoption Support and Education
Describes grief as a normal adaptive response in school-age children processing adoption.

Finding and Working with Adoption-Competent Therapists
Series Title Factsheets for Families
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
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Year Published 2018
Provides suggestions for finding an adoption-competent therapist and offers information about the types of therapy that can help adopted children and their families. Foster parents considering adoption could face similar issues and therefore also may find definitions and descriptions in this factsheet useful.

Helping Foster and Adoptive Families Cope With Trauma (PDF - 3,666 KB)
American Academy of Pediatrics (2013)
Presents a guide for pediatricians to help them identify traumatized children, educate families about the manifestation of early childhood trauma, and empower parents.

Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons
Series Title Factsheets for Families
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability View
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Versión para imprimir (PDF - 409KB)
Ordene (Gratis)
Year Published 2013
Discusses the impact of adoption on adopted persons who have reached adulthood. There are several themes that emerge from personal accounts and data from academic studies about issues that adopted persons may face. This factsheet addresses these themes, which include loss, the development of identity and self-esteem, interest in genetic information, and managing adoption issues.

Understanding Ambiguous Loss (PDF - 47 KB)
Fosterparentcollege.com (2016)
Defines ambiguous loss and examines the reasons why children may experience unresolved grief following adoption and suggests ways that parents can help children throughout their processing.

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