Post-Adoption Resources

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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.”

 

www.adoptconnect.com 

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.sitkneetoknee.com/birthmother  

“A space for birth parents and adoptees to gather, connect, gain support, share their stories, and find healing from community.”

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

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 for Little Feet
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.

www.styles4kidz.org

“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

“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

www.harlows-monkey.com

“An unapologetic look at transracial and transnational adoption.”

www.adoptionlcsw.com

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

Families Rising MN offers services for Minnesota’s adoptive, foster, and kinship families. They offer a variety of services including:
  •  Parent-to-parent support
  • Youth Support
  • Online and in Person Support groups
  • Family Activities
  • Retreats
  • Education Support

www.wearefamiliesrising.org/families-rising-mn/

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.”

www.familyattachment.com

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.

“A space for birth parents and adoptees to gather, connect, gain support, share their stories, and find healing from community.”

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

www.harlows-monkey.com

“An unapologetic look at transracial and transnational adoption.”

www.theadoptedlife.com

This blog by Transracial Adoptee, Angela Tucker, helps empower other transracial adoptees on their journey.

www.angelatucker.com/podcast

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.”

www.Aprildinwoodie.com

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.