Post-Adoption Resources
Please note that New Life Adoptions has not extensively reviewed every website or publication on this resource list. It is also not a comprehensive list of all the available adoption-related resources.
This list is given as a tool for you to use your own judgment and discretion in finding resources to encourage and educate you on your adoption journey. For more resources contact our Post-Adoption Social Worker.
For All Parties
Are you interested in connecting with other members of the adoption community? Bellis hosts a monthly Evening of Connection. These meetings are open to birth parents, adoptive parents, adopted persons, and birth or adoptive grandparents to have dedicated time for in-depth conversation and support. Through these gatherings, they’ve seen people – from all walks of life and many different perspectives on adoption – connect with each other in meaningful ways.
The mix of participants has included adoption experiences ranging from infant domestic, international, foster care, open, closed, recent and decades ago, etc. Across a wide spectrum of adoption backgrounds, conversations bring a sense of commonality that is affirming and encouraging.
To learn more check out their website or contact Bellis at info@mybellis.org or 952-944-0866.
Foster Adopt Minnesota (Previously MN Adopt) provides services to support all members of adoption relationships. They have up-to-date information about support groups and resources available by phone and on their website. They provide education through regularly scheduled trainings, workshops, and webinars. Check out their website for what is coming up soon.
The HELP phone line is an excellent resource for birth parents and adoptive parents who are looking for resources including therapists who understand adoption. Foster Adopt Minnesota has an extensive list of therapists across Minnesota who have experience working with adoption. You can search by area to find a therapist near you.
Learn more at www.fosteradoptmn.org or call the HELP line at 612-746-5137
“It is not every day you get to hear an open adoption story from the perspective of a birth mother and her biological daughter. Dimples & Adoption tells a unique story through the eyes of two strong women who were determined to be in each other’s lives. Not only will they uncover their emotional stories, but create a platform to share a variety of adoption stories from guest speakers.”
A safe and easy way for adoptive families and birth families to stay connected after an adoption.
“The Grief Club of Minnesota is a safe haven of support, compassion, education and hope. We provide services by licensed mental health counselors at no cost so that families can navigate grief in healthy ways.” Learn more at www.griefclubmn.org
Please note that this is not a faith-based organization, and the focus of general grief programs is usually grief related to the death of a loved one.
For Birth Parents
Stronger Together is a weekend retreat hosted by Bellis in September each year that offers birth mothers an opportunity to talk, reflect and learn together. Retreat programming is designed to offer new skills and perspectives that can be helpful on the journey as a birth mother. Along with classroom-type sessions, the agenda includes free time, activities, miles of walking trails, access to a beautiful dock in a quiet bay, canoes, etc., and home-cooked meals. Several social workers assist in guiding the programs. Of course, perhaps the greatest benefit is simply time with others who can relate to your unique experiences. This creates long-lasting friendships and a much-needed network of support.
Learn more about this retreat on their website at www.mybellis.org
New Life Adoptions is proud to be a partner agency of BraveLove, a non-profit pro-adoption movement that seeks to change the perception of adoption through honest, informative, and hopeful communication that conveys the heroism and bravery of birth moms. Read BraveLove’s blog for encouragement in your own journey. www.bravelove.org
“After years and years of grief, loss and depression, one woman started to write and share her experiences. Overtime a small community of birth mothers and friends gathered and started to share a voice.” Knee to Knee offers free online support groups for birth moms no matter where they are located. Find healing and support in a community of others who have similar lived experience.
www.postpartum.net/get-help/adoptive-and-birth-mothers/
Birth mothers struggling with post adoption depression can call Postpartum Support International’s HelpLine for support.
Call 1-800-944-4773 (4PPD)
#1 En Espanol or #2 English
Text in English: 800-944-4773
Text en Español: 971-203-7773
- It’s Ok That You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand by Megan Devine
- Revealing You: A Journal for Birthmothers by Michelle Thorne
- You Smile When You Show Me Grace by Michelle Thooft
- Those Three Words: A Birth Mother’s Story of Choice, Chance, and Motherhood by Christine Bauer
- To Have and Not to Hold: The Bonding of Two Mothers Through Adoption by Lorri Benson
New Life Adoptions host an annual Birth Mother Brunch to honor the loving and difficult decision that birth mothers made to place their child(ren) for adoption. This event is open to all birth mothers, no matter which agency they placed through. Learn more on our Birth Mother Brunch page.
Birth parents named on an Original Birth Record may submit a Birth Parent Contact Preference Form to the Minnesota Department of Health to indicate whether they would like to be contacted by the adopted person.
For Adoptive Parents
Pathways offers “financial support for those who need adoption-competent and trauma-informed counseling.” Their counseling and therapy grants also support “valuable training, such as parent coaching.” Additionally, they offer scholarships for adoptive parents to attend conferences and retreats in order to “assist you in gaining educational resources, rest, and connecting with others on a similar journey.”
Styles 4 Kids offers online trainings, virtual consultations, and a podcast to support adoptive parents and children in transracial adoption.
“Bien Aimé means “well loved” in French. The farm is a special place for adoptive families to bond. We want everyone who enters the farm property to feel deeply that they are “well loved” by God and their families. All activities are offered free of charge, as we seek to provide affordable services to adoptive families.”
Learn more on their website www.bienaimefarm.org
The Hope for the Journey Conference is a one day event presented by Show Hope. Experience practical teaching in a safe and supportive community as we work to equip families, churches, and professionals to better serve children impacted by adoption and foster care. Featuring Trust-Based Relational Intervention® methods developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross from the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, this conference helps bring attachment and connection in families.
This conference is typically held each spring. See our Adoption Conferences page or visit Show Hope’s website for more information.
Adoption Learning Partners is an online adoption education community. For a fee, you can complete an online seminar to gain education on a wide variety of adoption topics including many post adoption matters. Some adoptive parents may be familiar with them or used them as a part of their home study education. They add webinars often, so there may be something new there just for you!
Please visit www.adoptionlearningpartners.org for more information.
The Adoptive Families magazine has a website full of resources as well as an online community of other adoptive families. They offer support to families at every stage in the adoption process and beyond.
Check them out at: www.AdoptiveFamilies.com
Creating a Family is the national adoption & infertility education organization. Their mission is to strengthen families through unbiased education and support for infertility patients, adoptive parents, and allied professionals. They have an extensive collection of resources for those struggling with infertility and for pre and post adoptive families.
Check out their website at www.creatingafamily.org
- Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency by Sharon Roszia and Allison Davis Maxon
- The Seven Core Issues Workbook for Parents of Traumatized Children and Teens by Sharon Roszia and Allison Davis Maxon
- The Connected Child: Bringing Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross
- The Connected Parent by Dr. Karen Purvis and Lisa Qualls with Emmelie Pickett
- Inside Transracial Adoption: Strength-based, Culture-sensitizing Parenting Strategies for Inter-country or Domestic Adoptive Families That Don’t “Match” by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg
- The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption: Helping Your Child Grow Up Whole by Lori Holden with Crystal Hass
- Come Rain or Come Shine: A White Parent’s Guide to Adopting and Parenting Black Children by Rachel Garlinghouse
- Parenting in the Eye of the Storm: The Adoptive Parent’s Guide to Navigating the Teen Years by Katie Naftzger
- Beneath the Mask: Understanding Adopted Teens by Debbie Riley, LCMFT, with John Meeks, M.D.
- It Takes More Than Love: A Christian Guide to Navigating the Complexities of Cross-Cultural Adoption by Brittany Salmon
- “You Should be Grateful”: Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker
“Pour a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and join in the conversation as we dive deep into topics and issues that foster and adoptive caregivers worldwide are talking about. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you may nod feverishly but, most importantly, you’ll discover new insights and a fresh perspective every single week.”
Listen to their podcast online at www.resilientcaregiver.org/podcast
“Dads… you don’t have to journey alone! We created Road Trip to be safe space for you to be open, honest, and transparent in without the fear of judgement or criticism. Road Trip is way more than a men’s retreat. It’s an experience, a brotherhood. This fall, you’re invited to disconnect from your world and enter into camaraderie and connection with fellow men who understand and support you.”
To learn more, watch their video, subscribe to updates, or register check out their website at www.resilientcaregiver.org/roadtriproadtripdads.com
- Identity Matters: Becoming a Multi-Racial Family
- Strategies for Success: Parenting you Child/Teen with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
- What Prospective and Adoptive Families Should Know about FASD
- Beneath the Mask: Understanding Adopted Teens
- Beneath the Mask: Teens and Young Adults Share Their Stories
- W.I.S.E. UP! for Parents: Empowering Children to Handle Questions/Comments About Adoption
- Impacts of DNA Testing on Adoption Search and Reunion
“An unapologetic look at transracial and transnational adoption.”
This website offers movie reviews and discussion guides for movies that have adoption related themes. This helps adoptive parents know what to expect when they watch these movies as each child may react to adoption related contend in a different way. It also helps spark conversations about adoption related issues.
www.postpartum.net/get-help/adoptive-and-birth-mothers/
Adoptive parents struggling with post adoption depression can call Postpartum Support International’s HelpLine for support.
Call 1-800-944-4773 (4PPD)
#1 En Espanol or #2 English
Text in English: 800-944-4773
Text en Español: 971-203-7773
- Parent-to-parent support
- Youth Support
- Online and in Person Support groups
- Family Activities
- Retreats
- Education Support
The Family Attachment and Counseling Center’s mission is “to promote the growth and healthy functioning of individuals and families through professional guidance. We offer a full range of mental health services, with a special emphasis on services for children.” They are committed to incorporating their Christian values throughout all the services that they provide, and they share, “We are best known for our specialized services for adopted children and adolescents and their families.”
- Caring for Your Adopted Child: An Essential Guide for Parents by Elaine E. Schulte and Robin L. Michaelson
- Adoption Medicine: Caring for Children and Families by Council on Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship Care
- Adoption Medicine Clinic
For Adopted Children and Adults
Gazillion Voices is a website designed to give voice to the adoptee experience. It allows those who were adopted to share about adoption topics that are important to them.
Ages 2-6
I Wished for You: An Adoption Story by Marianne Richmond
A Blessing from Above by Patti Henderson
The Day We Met You by Phoebe Koehler
A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza
Is That Your Sister? A True Story of Adoption by Catherine and Sherry Bunin
Ages 4-10
Adopted Like Me: My Book of Adopted Heroes by Ann Angel
ABC, Adoption and Me – A Multicultural Picture Book for Adoptive Families by Gayle H. Swift and Casey Anne Swift
Who Are My Real Parents? by D.L. Fuller
God Found Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren
How I Became a Big Sister by Dave Moore
Red in the Flower Bed: An Illustrated Children’s Story about Interracial Adoption by Andrea Nepa
Forever Fingerprints: An Amazing Discovery for Adopted Children by Sherrie Eldridge
My Adopted Child, There’s No One Like You by Dr. Kevin Lehman and Kevin Lehman II
Welcoming Babies by Margy Burns Knight
Brown Like Me by Noelle Lamperti
Tell Me Again about the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis
How I was Adopted by Joanna Cole
Who Am I? And Other Questions of Adopted Kids by Charlene C. Gianetti
The Mulberry Bird: An Adoption Story by Anne Braff Brodzinsky
Did My First Mother Love Me?: A Story for an Adopted Child by Kathryn Ann Miller
Steven’s Baseball Mitt: A Book About Being Adopted by Kathy Stinson
Adopting a Second Child
Pinky and Rex and the New Baby by James Howe
Families with Biological and Adopted Children
Can I Tell You About Adoption: A Guide for Friends, Family and Professionals by Anne Braff Brodzinsky
Rosie’s Family: An Adoption Story by Lori Rosove
Lucy’s Feet by Stephanie Stein
William is My Brother by Jane Schnitter
Open Adoption
Megan’s Birthday Tree: A Story about Open Adoption by Laurie Lears
Pugnose has Two Special Families by Karis Kruzel
My Special Family: A Children’s Book about Open Adoption by Kathleen Silber and Debra Marks Parelskin
- Beneath the Mask: For Teen Adoptees – Teens and Young Adults Share Their Stories (A companion book to Beneath the Mask: Understanding Adopted Teens)
- Black Anthology: Adult Adoptees Claim Their Space, a Diverse Exploration of the Black Adoptee Journey edited and compiled by Susan Harris O’Connor, Diane René Christian, Mei-Mei Akwai Ellerman
- Dear Wonderful You, Letters to Adopted & Foster Youth by Diane René Christian
- “You Should Be Grateful”: Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker
- The Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency Workbook for Children and Teens: A Trauma-Informed Resource by Allison Davis Maxon
“An unapologetic look at transracial and transnational adoption.”
This blog by Transracial Adoptee, Angela Tucker, helps empower other transracial adoptees on their journey.
In addition to her blog, Angela Tucker has created a podcast where she interviews other adoptees from many different backgrounds to help “shift societal perceptions about adoption.”
April Dinwoodie offers her take on adoption as a transracially adopted woman through her website, blog, and podcast.
An adopted person 18 or older can request a copy of their Original Birth Record from the Minnesota Department of Health. New Life Adoptions cannot release an Original Birth Record.