Becoming a parent is a life-changing event, and this holds for adoptive parents as well as biological parents. One difference is that adoptive parents must be approved by an adoption agency and meet all the legal requirements of their state. Negotiating all the red tape can be a stressful process. Parents and children will continue to face challenges unique to adoptive families throughout their lives.
Adoption counselors specialize in the legal, emotional, and practical issues that crop up in any adoption. For instance, an adoption counselor can help prospective parents come to terms with their own feelings about adopting, and walk them through the approval process. Adoption counselors also work with biological parents who decide to give up a child after an unwanted pregnancy. Families who adopt special needs children may need emotional and practical support. Counseling is often useful after an adopted child first meets a biological parent since all the parties involved—including the adoptive parents—might be overwhelmed by unanticipated fears, anxieties, guilt, and anger. In fact, adoptees may seek counseling to resolve issues that arise during their childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
Adoptive counseling is often offered through child adoption services. If you are interested in helping adoptive families successfully negotiate their particular challenges, then use these tips to get the education, training, and certification necessary for these careers.
Educational Requirements
Getting a license to practice counseling of any kind generally requires a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in an appropriate field, though these requirements are different depending on the state in which you work. A Bachelor’s Degree in psychology or social work is a good foundation for this career. Many adoption counselors get their Master’s Degree in social work, family therapy, or psychology before specializing in adoption. An adoption counselor must also be knowledgeable about federal and state adoption laws, adoption agency policies, and the rights of children, birth parents, and adoptive parents.
Training in Adoption Counseling
Some universities offer graduate-level courses in adoption counseling or therapy, either in the classroom or through distance learning. There are also non-profit organizations that sponsor seminars and training workshops in adoption and post-adoption counseling. Aspiring adoption counselors can also seek an internship or entry-level position at an adoption agency to gain training and experience.
License to Work as a Counselor
Most states require you to have a professional license to work as a counselor. Find out what the specific requirements are in the state where you want to practice by contacting the State Licensure Board. They will explain what educational background, clinical work experience, or other qualifications are necessary before you can sit for the licensing exam. You may be required to renew your license after a certain time period by demonstrating that you have taken a specified number of hours of continuing education classes.
Job Prospects
As an adoption counselor, you may have the choice of working for a public child welfare agency, which often deal with foster care adoptions, or a private adoption agency. Private agencies are licensed by the state, and can be non-profit or for-profit. Counselors are also employed at adoption and infertility counseling centers that provide support to couples who are unable to get pregnant or who have lost a child. Another option is to establish your own private practice. In addition to providing counseling to families, adoption counselors run group counseling sessions, lead educational seminars, and act as advocates for adoptees and their families.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts an increase in the number of family counseling jobs through 2018; therefore, it might be expected that adoption counseling would also be a promising career choice. The median annual wage for family counselors is $44,590. Self-employed counselors tend to make higher incomes.
Anyone who goes into the field of social work or counseling is motivated by the desire to help people come to terms with the emotional, psychological, and social problems that prevent them from living full, happy lives. Adoption has become more mainstream and less stigmatized, but adoptive families and their children often face issues that biological families don’t encounter. Adoption counselors offer support and solutions to these families at all stages of the adoption and post-adoption process.