Working with Adoptive Parents

Reviews / Votes

"This book makes a significant contribution to both a greaterunderstanding of adoption and its complex dynamic constellations aswell as to serving those who are or come across adoption families,many of whom count on us adoption-informed mental healthprofessionals to clarify and facilitate the challenges theyface." --From the Foreword by Henri Parens, MD, Professor ofPsychiatry, Thomas Jefferson University, Training & SupervisingAnalyst, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia "What most people don't know about adoption could fill a book- and this is the book. Finally sorting myth from science,Working with Adoptive Parents will give therapists, and quite a fewnonprofessionals considering adoption, the real story of what itmeans to make this momentous choice. Better yet, it does so withoutletting the data speak in place of the parents themselves, in alltheir fear, doubt, and joy." --Jesse Green, author of The Velveteen Father: AnUnexpected Journey to Parenthood "With adoption, including those that across internationalboundaries, on the rise, the salutary impact of human kindness aswell the tragic potential for developmental complications hasgreatly increased. Brabender and Fallon, the editors of thiswell-organized volume, are keenly aware of this. They have casttheir net wide and brought together the perspectives of attachmenttheory, empirical research, and clinical experiences to deepen ourunderstanding of the challenges faced by adoptive parents.Conceptually rich and yet unabashedly pragmatic, their bookaddresses the issues of parent-child bonding, the subjectivedilemmas of adoptive mothers, the role of adoptive fathers, andparenting children with special health care needs. Attention isalso given to the specific tasks involving the adoption of veryyoung children as well as to the resurgence of difficulties duringadopted children's adolescence. This wide-ranging discourseconsistently maintains a tone of respect, concern, and sharedhumanity of all of us. A most impressive contribution to theadoption literature indeed!" --Salman Akhtar, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, JeffersonMedical College, Training and Supervising Analyst, PsychoanalyticCenter of Philadelphia "This book is a tour de force, a must read for all involved inthe world of adoption. A comprehensive history of adoption,including current controversies, sets the stage. Every chapter is agem, but contributions on research to inform best practices, therole of the adoptive father, diversity, and adoption of childrenwith special health care needs, help fill significant gaps in theadoption literature. Rich clinical material and the practicalpoints summarized throughout, demonstrate the wisdom of seasonedpractitioners." --Jennifer Bonovitz, PhD, Supervising and TrainingAnalyst, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia "This volume is a major contribution to our understanding ofadoptive parenting. The book is thorough, full of helpful insights,case studies, and perspectives on the complicated dance involvedfor adoptive parents and their children. The portrait of adoptiveparenting is both hopeful and realistic, and is framed withthoughtful attention to what we actually know from carefulresearch. This book should be a helpful guide and resource for bothmental health professionals and adoptive parents." --Sam Osherson, PhD, Professor of Psychology, FieldingGraduate University, Cambridge, MA