Hope and Healing Through Adoption Competent Care
We all need support at times. When seeking mental health services, it’s essential to connect with a provider who understands your experiences and can offer meaningful, effective care.
This page is your starting point for learning how adoption competent mental health services can support you and your family, helping to promote healing, strengthen relationships, and build stability over time.
What is Adoption Competence?
Adoption competence refers to the skills, values, and knowledge needed to effectively support the adoption competent mental health needs of children and families impacted by child welfare.
Adoption competent therapists demonstrate a deep understanding of:
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Ongoing and complex experiences of grief and loss
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Attachment disruptions and the importance of secure, lasting relationships
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Identity development shaped by family background, life experiences, relationships, and communities
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The lifelong need for connection, belonging, and permanency
What Makes Adoption Competent Care Different?
Adoption competence goes beyond traditional therapy by addressing the unique and ongoing needs of children and families through adoption competent mental health care.
Adoption competent providers are uniquely trained to:
- Use a trauma-informed lens to understand and respond to children’s behavioral and emotional needs
- Prioritize the development of secure attachments between children and caregivers
- Support children and youth in exploring their story and developing a strong sense of identity
- Provide ongoing, family-centered care that evolves over time
- Focus on strengths, resilience, and long-term well-being rather than just challenges
Adoption Competence Resources
A Brief Introduction to Adoption Competency
Finding a Therapist Who Gets You: A Conversation Guide
Finding the Right Mental Health Therapist
NTI Training: A Family Perspective
Access the National Center Knowledge Hub for more Adoption Competence resources.
Research shows that families who work with adoption competent professionals build more trusting relationships with their therapist and feel more satisfied with services and outcomes.
Advocate for Care
Reach out to your provider encouraging them to take adoption competency training that understands your story, your family, and your needs.
Spread the Word
Share the National Center video with other families.
NTDC Training
Advocate for Care
Find an Adoption Competent Professional
Search our national directory for mental health professionals trained in adoption competency who understand the unique needs of the adoption, kinship and, foster care experience