Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “open adoption”
Posted by | Last updated March 9, 2022
By Gabrielle LaFrank, Open Adoptee. I was in first grade when I understood that my reality was foreign to nearly everyone around me. Diversity was everywhere, but it didn’t include me. In school we read books about children of other religions, ethnicities, and genders, but adoption was almost never represented. When it was, it was usually in the context of …
Posted by | Last updated January 18, 2024
By Shari Levine: What are the core components of a genuine and fulfilling open adoption? I set out to identify and explore the unique ingredients that birth parents and adoptive parents bring to the table to create not just a good open adoption, but a great open adoption. I wanted to learn more about how we as an agency can …
Posted by | Last updated May 17, 2019
by Shari Levine: Josh and Matt are natural stewards of open adoption; the core tenets of compassion and respect are reflected in their relationships. It’s a worldview that is deeply meaningful to them. When asked what inspired this philosophy, Josh said, “My own struggles with my family – we had a pretty significant falling out over the whole gay thing. …
Posted by | Last updated March 9, 2022
By Courtney Moscariello, MSW. The seminar, waiting family gatherings, annual picnics and holiday parties all provide opportunities to connect with other adoptive families in a more formal setting. We love helping our adoptive families get to know one another and have seen firsthand how valuable these relationships can be in the long run. We’ve noticed that most times however, and …
Posted by | Last updated March 9, 2022
By Katie R. Stallman, LICSW, CGE. People who are part of a close and loving open adoption seem to have a little something extra in their back pockets that makes their relationship work no matter what. What is that something extra? How do those people do it? We’ve seen participants in a successful open adoption develop an unflinching ability to …
Posted by | Last updated March 9, 2022
By Jan Jamieson, OA&FS Counselor. Some adoptive and birth parents find conversations about adoption daunting. Even with openness, regular visits, and pictures hanging on the wall of one another, some families somehow miss starting these conversations. Immediately after an adoption, parents are immersed in diapers and feedings, parenting groups and parenting books as well as sleepless nights with fussy babies. …
Posted by | Last updated June 16, 2017
By Lindsey Martin, Counselor, LCSW. All relationships create opportunities to enhance our communication skills, but perhaps none more so than open adoption. Despite the trend in adoption towards openness, we have all encountered concerns about and arguments against open adoption. These arguments tend to be based on common myths and misconceptions and fueled by people’s fears. It can be difficult …
Posted by | Last updated March 9, 2022
By Shari Levine. “Hospitious Adoption”, Jim Gritter’s book has given our agency a new paradigm for exploring open adoption in greater depth. It has served as a beacon of hope, a light in the distance guiding us forward. Is his vision too idealistic? Not at all. We see these hospitious acts every day. In fact we’ve interviewed adoptive parents Michele …
Posted by | Last updated May 5, 2017
By Shari Levine. Nathan is a believer. He believes in himself, his birth and adoptive parents and in open adoption. Nathan, a 16-year-old OA&FS open adoptee, came to me with a question: can I give back to the agency by volunteering? As a student at the Oregon Episcopal School (OES), he was asked to complete a community service project. For …
Posted by | Last updated April 18, 2017
By Bethany, OA&FS Birthmother. As a birthmother, my life has gone through several milestones and changes since my daughter Claire’s open adoption in 2009. Open adoption is a wonderful alternative to closed adoption and foster care. It’s also very beneficial for those who are already parenting and don’t have the means to parent another child. Being part of the open …