How to Adopt? A Guide for Adoptive Parents

Adopting 

 

Open Adoption Specialists

Having been a licensee for over 35 years, I always hoped I would have the opportunity to educate people about open adoption relationships.  That time has come.  I am no longer a licensee.  This has given me the chance to connect with people who are experiencing open adoption challenges.

The term, “Open Adoption”, seems to have a multitude of definitions.  This often leads to confusion.  One person’s open adoption may be another person’s semi-closed adoption.  It is important for you to know what you mean by open adoption relationship. If you are experiencing some form of challenge in your open adoption relationship, I hope you would consider me a resource.

Since Covid, I have worked with people through Zoom and phone conversations.  This has allowed me to work with people in various parts of Canada. These sessions are usually 60 minutes in length.  

Open Adoption Sessions

To start, it is important for you to understand your open adoption relationship expectations and capabilities. These sessions do not try to convince you of the benefits of open adoption.  Instead, they teach you how to build and maintain an open adoption relationship with the birthparents and other members of the birth family.  These are “how to” sessions.  

To organize a session, please contact me.  You can email me at: jennie@openadoption.ca or phone me at my home office: 613-542-0275.

Homestudies

I am a licensed Adoption Practitioner.  Although I specialize in open adoption relationships, I work with people who may or may not embrace this concept.  To complete a homestudy, it usually takes 5 or 6 sessions.  One session is held in your home.  The pace of completing a homestudy is set by you.  Usually, however, there is one session per week.

When the homestudy sessions are completed, I will write the first draft of your homestudy.  This is sent to you for review and revision. 

Most people beginning a homestudy are eager to have the homestudy completed as quickly as possible.  They are often surprised when they find that they enjoy these sessions, learning more about themselves and their partner.  These sessions seem to be invaluable in and of themselves and not just as a means of adopting a child.

To find out more about homestudies, please contact me at: jennie@openadoption.ca or phone me at my home office: 613-542-0275.

Cost of your homestudy is a flat fee of $3500.00 + HST and disbursements.