encyclopedia of adoption

counseling

Advice and discussion provided to adopting parents, birthparents or adopted persons.

One of the primary advantages of an adoption arranged by a good, ethical agency is the counseling services offered. Caseworkers assist both birthparents and prospective adoptive parents in working through a variety of issues, for example, the grief and pain associated with infertility and felt by most adopting parents. The grief associated with placing a child for adoption is another issue that the birthparents and particularly the birthmother must face.

Although nonagency adoptions traditionally did not include any form of counseling and adoptive parents and birthparents were often not ready or able to cope with the myriad of feelings associated with an adoption, counseling of some sort is being increasingly provided. (See also PREGNANCY COUNSELING.)

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