“What Adoption Can Teach the World!”
*This page is subject to change.
Friday, November 9th
9:45 – 10:00am Welcome
10:00am – 12pm 2 hours CEU
Keynote: What Adoption Can Teach the World!, April Dinwoodie
Regardless of how it is formed and even when reminding us of our most embarrassing moments, for many of us, family is everything - the foundation of our humanity and the center of our gravity. On our best days, creating and preserving healthy family connections takes energy, fortitude, understanding, patience and love.
For too long, there has been a one-sided, one-dimensional conversation about adoption, foster care and family. The truth is, it is impossible to talk about adoption and foster care without talking about; sex, politics, identity, relationships, differences of race, class and culture, power, loss, secrets, religion, parenting, belonging and love. Through a rich and personal lens of adoption and foster care we will candidly explore the beauty and complexity of our closest, most powerful relationships with our families and ourselves and how those relationships impact our identity and place in the world.
Today, with families being formed and expanded in many ways, there is an opportunity to lean into what we already know about needed changes in adoption and foster care and spark a new and modern conversation about our collective experiences surrounding family. As we continue to move through the new millennium, faced with ever-increasing challenges in society, the many years of personal experiences, knowledge and research related to adoption can serve as a guide for evolving family forms.
12-1:00pm Lunch (on own)
1-1:15pm Networking
1:15-2:45pm 1.5 hours CEU
9:45 – 10:00am Welcome
10:00am – 12pm 2 hours CEU
Keynote: What Adoption Can Teach the World!, April Dinwoodie
Regardless of how it is formed and even when reminding us of our most embarrassing moments, for many of us, family is everything - the foundation of our humanity and the center of our gravity. On our best days, creating and preserving healthy family connections takes energy, fortitude, understanding, patience and love.
For too long, there has been a one-sided, one-dimensional conversation about adoption, foster care and family. The truth is, it is impossible to talk about adoption and foster care without talking about; sex, politics, identity, relationships, differences of race, class and culture, power, loss, secrets, religion, parenting, belonging and love. Through a rich and personal lens of adoption and foster care we will candidly explore the beauty and complexity of our closest, most powerful relationships with our families and ourselves and how those relationships impact our identity and place in the world.
Today, with families being formed and expanded in many ways, there is an opportunity to lean into what we already know about needed changes in adoption and foster care and spark a new and modern conversation about our collective experiences surrounding family. As we continue to move through the new millennium, faced with ever-increasing challenges in society, the many years of personal experiences, knowledge and research related to adoption can serve as a guide for evolving family forms.
12-1:00pm Lunch (on own)
1-1:15pm Networking
1:15-2:45pm 1.5 hours CEU
(A) 3 Shifts Parents Must Make to Help Their Kids Integrate Their Identities, Lori Holden, MA
With 3 simple shifts you’ll be able to develop a new mindset to guide you in parenting your child toward a life of wholeness and of integration between their biology and their biography. You’ll have a framework to leave behind an Either/Or mindset in favor of a Both/And heartset. Lastly, you’ll find out why openness in adoption is available to ALL adoptive families, even those who don’t have information on or contact with birth family.
(B) Self-care for Social Workers: An Interactive Dialogue, Latoya S. Hogg, MSW
Self-care is a concept that is often encouraged, but never really practiced by many in the social work field. During this presentation, participants will be re-introduced to signs of ‘burnout’, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma. Participants will also have an opportunity to dialogue with their fellow colleagues on how they utilize self-care, in addition, to being provided with interactive activities and ideas they can take back to their home agency.
(C) Resonating with Birth: Healing Early Trauma, Margery Segal, LPC, RSMT, IDME, PBAT
This is an introduction to this gentle way of processing birth trauma and early developmental trauma through the lens of pre and perinatal attachment. This workshop is for adults, parents, and all practitioners who are interested in learning about pre/perinatal psychology and being introduced to a compassionate way of thinking about the effects of early trauma and an experiential way of exploring and healing birth imprints. Our first dance of attachment happens in the womb, we will gather together to explore the early mind of the infant-self and movements of the evolving dance.
(D) How to Heal Adoption Trauma and Live YOUR Authentic Life, Leslie Pate McKinnon, LCSW & Lesli Johnson, MFT
Lesli and Leslie, an adoptee and first mother, will share ways adoptees, first parents and adoptive parents can heal. This presentation will include multiple ways to work through trauma including talk therapy, journaling, art, finding community, yoga practice, pet therapy, mindfulness, EMDR, Brainspotting and group therapy. Lesli and Leslie will also share professional cases of healing trauma and what has helped them personally in their journey to heal. The presentation will include an unrehearsed “session” of the cutting edge trauma therapy: Brainspotting.
2:45 – 3:15pm Networking Break (visit exhibit booths and book store)
3:15 – 4:45pm 1.5 hours CEU
(A) Implicit Bias in the Counseling Room: Addressing Race, Trauma, & Attachment, Melanie Chung-Sherman, LCSW-S, LCPAA, EMDR Therapist, Certified Theraplay Therapist
According to the American Psychiatric Association, racial and ethnic groups are at higher risk for mental health issues, yet most licensed professionals serving these groups do not necessarily reflect their racial and/or cultural make-up. With the rise of trauma-informed care, the integration of race and privilege is rarely discussed; however, for those who experience oppression these complex discussions are critical in creating a safe, therapeutic environment. Many times, implicit bias unintentionally creates a gap between awareness and purposeful discussion, which ultimately impacts trust-based relationship, outcomes, referrals, and retention. For those working within the field of child welfare, we will address how implicit bias connects with race, trauma, adoption, foster care, and attachment. Come join this interactive workshop to learn more about implicit bias and how we can actively work to sensitively engage, empower, and educate ourselves and those we serve.
(B) Behind Me / Before Me, Leslie Pate McKinnon, LCSW & Jennifer Fredericksen
Adoption: It is not just an occurrence in the life of one individual. Generations reverberate from the loss of a family member or the loss of a long-anticipated family member. There is a cycle of inherited family trauma to which both Freud and Jung referred. And as we’ve conquered new vistas in understanding the brain, we confirm yet another characteristic of humans, transmitted through DNA. Trauma is inherited, just like other traits and illnesses. Participants will learn to recognize the impact of generational trauma and be introduced to ways to put an end to it. Two first moms, one who whom is also an adoptee, will offer case evidence from their life experience.
(C) Birthmothers and Birthfathers Living with Adoption- Is Closed Adoption Ever Ethical?, Patricia Dorner, MA, LPC
We have learned a great deal about the realities and complexities of living with closed adoption. In spite of that, closed adoptions keep on happening. This workshop will examine the impact of closed adoptions and ethical avenues to address issues impacting birthparents and those who surround them.
With 3 simple shifts you’ll be able to develop a new mindset to guide you in parenting your child toward a life of wholeness and of integration between their biology and their biography. You’ll have a framework to leave behind an Either/Or mindset in favor of a Both/And heartset. Lastly, you’ll find out why openness in adoption is available to ALL adoptive families, even those who don’t have information on or contact with birth family.
(B) Self-care for Social Workers: An Interactive Dialogue, Latoya S. Hogg, MSW
Self-care is a concept that is often encouraged, but never really practiced by many in the social work field. During this presentation, participants will be re-introduced to signs of ‘burnout’, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma. Participants will also have an opportunity to dialogue with their fellow colleagues on how they utilize self-care, in addition, to being provided with interactive activities and ideas they can take back to their home agency.
(C) Resonating with Birth: Healing Early Trauma, Margery Segal, LPC, RSMT, IDME, PBAT
This is an introduction to this gentle way of processing birth trauma and early developmental trauma through the lens of pre and perinatal attachment. This workshop is for adults, parents, and all practitioners who are interested in learning about pre/perinatal psychology and being introduced to a compassionate way of thinking about the effects of early trauma and an experiential way of exploring and healing birth imprints. Our first dance of attachment happens in the womb, we will gather together to explore the early mind of the infant-self and movements of the evolving dance.
(D) How to Heal Adoption Trauma and Live YOUR Authentic Life, Leslie Pate McKinnon, LCSW & Lesli Johnson, MFT
Lesli and Leslie, an adoptee and first mother, will share ways adoptees, first parents and adoptive parents can heal. This presentation will include multiple ways to work through trauma including talk therapy, journaling, art, finding community, yoga practice, pet therapy, mindfulness, EMDR, Brainspotting and group therapy. Lesli and Leslie will also share professional cases of healing trauma and what has helped them personally in their journey to heal. The presentation will include an unrehearsed “session” of the cutting edge trauma therapy: Brainspotting.
2:45 – 3:15pm Networking Break (visit exhibit booths and book store)
3:15 – 4:45pm 1.5 hours CEU
(A) Implicit Bias in the Counseling Room: Addressing Race, Trauma, & Attachment, Melanie Chung-Sherman, LCSW-S, LCPAA, EMDR Therapist, Certified Theraplay Therapist
According to the American Psychiatric Association, racial and ethnic groups are at higher risk for mental health issues, yet most licensed professionals serving these groups do not necessarily reflect their racial and/or cultural make-up. With the rise of trauma-informed care, the integration of race and privilege is rarely discussed; however, for those who experience oppression these complex discussions are critical in creating a safe, therapeutic environment. Many times, implicit bias unintentionally creates a gap between awareness and purposeful discussion, which ultimately impacts trust-based relationship, outcomes, referrals, and retention. For those working within the field of child welfare, we will address how implicit bias connects with race, trauma, adoption, foster care, and attachment. Come join this interactive workshop to learn more about implicit bias and how we can actively work to sensitively engage, empower, and educate ourselves and those we serve.
(B) Behind Me / Before Me, Leslie Pate McKinnon, LCSW & Jennifer Fredericksen
Adoption: It is not just an occurrence in the life of one individual. Generations reverberate from the loss of a family member or the loss of a long-anticipated family member. There is a cycle of inherited family trauma to which both Freud and Jung referred. And as we’ve conquered new vistas in understanding the brain, we confirm yet another characteristic of humans, transmitted through DNA. Trauma is inherited, just like other traits and illnesses. Participants will learn to recognize the impact of generational trauma and be introduced to ways to put an end to it. Two first moms, one who whom is also an adoptee, will offer case evidence from their life experience.
(C) Birthmothers and Birthfathers Living with Adoption- Is Closed Adoption Ever Ethical?, Patricia Dorner, MA, LPC
We have learned a great deal about the realities and complexities of living with closed adoption. In spite of that, closed adoptions keep on happening. This workshop will examine the impact of closed adoptions and ethical avenues to address issues impacting birthparents and those who surround them.
Saturday, November 10th
9-9:15am Welcome
9:15 – 11:15 am 2 hours CEU
Keynote: The Urgency of Seeing Color in Adoption and Foster Care, April Dinwoodie
Given the current culture in America surrounding differences of race, class and culture we can no longer rest on the utopian idea of a “color-blind” society. It is more important than ever before that families are hyper-vigilant about the impact of these differences on transracially adopted people and their families regardless of adoption type. This discussion will outline key areas of focus for parents and professionals, including the need for ongoing conversations about race and diversity, needed behavior changes, and creating a culture where professionals and families embrace the transracial adoption experience as a whole. In addition we will open up a dialog about differences of class and the role money and power play in adoption today.
11:15 – 12:15 1 hour CEU Panel: Life After Family Separation by Erin Smith & Panelists
The effects of family separation can last a lifetime; just ask adoptees. This panel of adult transracial adoptees will compare and contrast the complexities of family separation at the border with the separations in adoption. They will discuss coercion, the savior narrative, and ways to prioritize family preservation within broken systems. Childhood trauma frequently is the catalyst for mental illness, addiction, alcoholism, incarceration, homelessness and even suicide. Panelists will share how the trauma of family separation plays out in their lives as adults and will offer advice on how to minimize the long-term effects for children through adoption.
12:15-1:15 Lunch (provided on property/Panel Q&A)
1:15 – 2:45 1.5 hour CEU
(A) "I didn't tell, he didn't know: The secret lives and lies around Adoption in the Black community", Joy Jones
I told no one but a few people in 30 years that I gave birth to a son and placed for adoption. He lived for 30 years not knowing he was adopted. How many more are living lives in secrecy and lies and what can we do to draw them out?
(B) The emotional highs and lows in navigating the Search and Reunion Process, Sabra Starnes, LICSW-C LCSW, M.Ed
This presentation will discuss the process of search and reunion from an adoptee perspective. The presenter was given up at birth and adopted at 5 months old in a closed adoption. She will share her personal story of search and reunion with her birth family, and share her challenges and emotion highs and lows with her birth and adoptive families. Every search and reunion process will be different and follows its own unique journey. Some end abruptly in “dead-ends’ when relatives wish for no contact, while others result in happy reunions and lasting ties. Most reunions can fall somewhere in between. Regardless of the outcome, engaging in a reunion typically involves challenges and emotional high and lows.
(C) What do prenatal exposures mean to your adopted baby?, Lori Wolfe, MS, CGC
Often pregnancies are exposed to many different substances including alcohol, cigarette and marijuana smoking, prescription medications and illegal drugs. All of these substances can have different effects on a pregnancy depending on the timing and dose of the exposure. This presentation will look at common pregnancy exposures and the possible risks to the unborn baby. Participants will be able to name the most common exposures during pregnancy and know the possible risks to the unborn baby. They will understand the difference between light to moderate exposures and heavy exposures, and the different effect of timing of exposures in pregnancy.
(D) Concern for Our Children Online: Cyberbullying, Family Finding, Internet Safety, Tina Feigal, MS, Ed.
The landscape of adoption has changed dramatically in the past decade, with devices in the hands of minors that don’t match their developmental level for good judgment. What should parents do to address these issues? It feels like lonely territory, but help is available. This session will address bullying, family finding (birth parents and family – both searches by children and by birth families), and overall Internet safety. A live demo will be included in this presentation.
2:45 – 3:00 Break & Networking
3:00 – 4:30 1.5 hour CEU
(A) Adoption and Birthparents – Ethical Lifetime Considerations, Patricia Dorner, MA, LPC
This workshop will examine critical ingredients for considering and living with an open adoption. Included will be the importance of realistic pre adoption counseling and education as well as the over time rights and responsibilities. Lifetime issues for birthmothers, birthfathers and others impacted by these decisions will be discussed. The ethics of this lifetime journey will be interwoven examining agreements made, kept and neglected.
(B) The Texas Legislature & Adoptee Rights; Yesterday, Today and 2019, Marci Purcell, President, Texas Adoptee Rights Board of Directors
This presentation will focus on efforts around restoring original birth certificate access to adult adoptees in Texas. It will begin with a working definition and quick synopsis of past legislative accomplishments and hurdles. Also discussed will be the current climate of the Texas legislature and how that relates to the goal of restoring access. You will leave with an understanding of the game changers - DNA and social media, and their impact on current legislation. Lastly, you will learn how you can get involved in the 2019 legislative session. You will learn what constituent efforts are most effective based on the time and/or resources you have available, and identify talents and skills you have to offer. There will be time built in for questions.
(C) Understanding the Nature of Protective Emotions, Marshall Lyles, LPC-S, LMFT-S, RPT-S
Relational wounds bring awareness of the need for self-protection and certain emotions are quite effective at that, especially when attachment relationships have not taught us that people are inherently safe. Addressing our relationships with these protective emotions in a self-compassionate manner can offer opportunities for deeper attachment work. This workshop will discuss this point-of-view and teach experiential methods for embracing these concepts.
(D) Overcoming the Odds, Oleg Lougheed
The goal of my presentation is to share the same principles I used to help myself overcome my odds as an orphan - and hopefully the audience can refer to some of these as well when the odds are against them. I will be using vivid storytelling as I introduce each of the four principles, including (1) Ways to be resourceful, (2) How to envision a better day, (3) Importance of believing in yourself, (4) Reason to become bigger than yourself. Examples will include physical and mental abuse suffered at the orphanage, adjustments that a 12-year old adoptee had to make when moving to a new country, and reasons why we decided to build a community for other adoptees and foster youth.
4:30 – 5:00 Closing Comments / Wrap-Up .5 hour CEU
9:15 – 11:15 am 2 hours CEU
Keynote: The Urgency of Seeing Color in Adoption and Foster Care, April Dinwoodie
Given the current culture in America surrounding differences of race, class and culture we can no longer rest on the utopian idea of a “color-blind” society. It is more important than ever before that families are hyper-vigilant about the impact of these differences on transracially adopted people and their families regardless of adoption type. This discussion will outline key areas of focus for parents and professionals, including the need for ongoing conversations about race and diversity, needed behavior changes, and creating a culture where professionals and families embrace the transracial adoption experience as a whole. In addition we will open up a dialog about differences of class and the role money and power play in adoption today.
11:15 – 12:15 1 hour CEU Panel: Life After Family Separation by Erin Smith & Panelists
The effects of family separation can last a lifetime; just ask adoptees. This panel of adult transracial adoptees will compare and contrast the complexities of family separation at the border with the separations in adoption. They will discuss coercion, the savior narrative, and ways to prioritize family preservation within broken systems. Childhood trauma frequently is the catalyst for mental illness, addiction, alcoholism, incarceration, homelessness and even suicide. Panelists will share how the trauma of family separation plays out in their lives as adults and will offer advice on how to minimize the long-term effects for children through adoption.
12:15-1:15 Lunch (provided on property/Panel Q&A)
1:15 – 2:45 1.5 hour CEU
(A) "I didn't tell, he didn't know: The secret lives and lies around Adoption in the Black community", Joy Jones
I told no one but a few people in 30 years that I gave birth to a son and placed for adoption. He lived for 30 years not knowing he was adopted. How many more are living lives in secrecy and lies and what can we do to draw them out?
(B) The emotional highs and lows in navigating the Search and Reunion Process, Sabra Starnes, LICSW-C LCSW, M.Ed
This presentation will discuss the process of search and reunion from an adoptee perspective. The presenter was given up at birth and adopted at 5 months old in a closed adoption. She will share her personal story of search and reunion with her birth family, and share her challenges and emotion highs and lows with her birth and adoptive families. Every search and reunion process will be different and follows its own unique journey. Some end abruptly in “dead-ends’ when relatives wish for no contact, while others result in happy reunions and lasting ties. Most reunions can fall somewhere in between. Regardless of the outcome, engaging in a reunion typically involves challenges and emotional high and lows.
(C) What do prenatal exposures mean to your adopted baby?, Lori Wolfe, MS, CGC
Often pregnancies are exposed to many different substances including alcohol, cigarette and marijuana smoking, prescription medications and illegal drugs. All of these substances can have different effects on a pregnancy depending on the timing and dose of the exposure. This presentation will look at common pregnancy exposures and the possible risks to the unborn baby. Participants will be able to name the most common exposures during pregnancy and know the possible risks to the unborn baby. They will understand the difference between light to moderate exposures and heavy exposures, and the different effect of timing of exposures in pregnancy.
(D) Concern for Our Children Online: Cyberbullying, Family Finding, Internet Safety, Tina Feigal, MS, Ed.
The landscape of adoption has changed dramatically in the past decade, with devices in the hands of minors that don’t match their developmental level for good judgment. What should parents do to address these issues? It feels like lonely territory, but help is available. This session will address bullying, family finding (birth parents and family – both searches by children and by birth families), and overall Internet safety. A live demo will be included in this presentation.
2:45 – 3:00 Break & Networking
3:00 – 4:30 1.5 hour CEU
(A) Adoption and Birthparents – Ethical Lifetime Considerations, Patricia Dorner, MA, LPC
This workshop will examine critical ingredients for considering and living with an open adoption. Included will be the importance of realistic pre adoption counseling and education as well as the over time rights and responsibilities. Lifetime issues for birthmothers, birthfathers and others impacted by these decisions will be discussed. The ethics of this lifetime journey will be interwoven examining agreements made, kept and neglected.
(B) The Texas Legislature & Adoptee Rights; Yesterday, Today and 2019, Marci Purcell, President, Texas Adoptee Rights Board of Directors
This presentation will focus on efforts around restoring original birth certificate access to adult adoptees in Texas. It will begin with a working definition and quick synopsis of past legislative accomplishments and hurdles. Also discussed will be the current climate of the Texas legislature and how that relates to the goal of restoring access. You will leave with an understanding of the game changers - DNA and social media, and their impact on current legislation. Lastly, you will learn how you can get involved in the 2019 legislative session. You will learn what constituent efforts are most effective based on the time and/or resources you have available, and identify talents and skills you have to offer. There will be time built in for questions.
(C) Understanding the Nature of Protective Emotions, Marshall Lyles, LPC-S, LMFT-S, RPT-S
Relational wounds bring awareness of the need for self-protection and certain emotions are quite effective at that, especially when attachment relationships have not taught us that people are inherently safe. Addressing our relationships with these protective emotions in a self-compassionate manner can offer opportunities for deeper attachment work. This workshop will discuss this point-of-view and teach experiential methods for embracing these concepts.
(D) Overcoming the Odds, Oleg Lougheed
The goal of my presentation is to share the same principles I used to help myself overcome my odds as an orphan - and hopefully the audience can refer to some of these as well when the odds are against them. I will be using vivid storytelling as I introduce each of the four principles, including (1) Ways to be resourceful, (2) How to envision a better day, (3) Importance of believing in yourself, (4) Reason to become bigger than yourself. Examples will include physical and mental abuse suffered at the orphanage, adjustments that a 12-year old adoptee had to make when moving to a new country, and reasons why we decided to build a community for other adoptees and foster youth.
4:30 – 5:00 Closing Comments / Wrap-Up .5 hour CEU
Speakers
April Dinwoodie As a transracially adopted person (I am brown and adopted into a white family), I have lived a life where it was imperative I learn how to gracefully and effectively navigate complex circumstances and situations that many can’t imagine or maybe even recognize. My life experiences have created a rare blend of warmth and grit. I make it my business to understand my identity and work to authentically master maneuvering through encounters with everyone from all walks of life.
Part of my personal mission is to address how differences of race, class, and culture impact adoption and foster care systematically and individually. Inspired by my personal narrative, I interweave my transracial adoption journey into broader themes that everyone can identify with, via my podcast Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World!, and my writings on HuffPo and Medium. Everyday, I continue to build my capacity to authentically communicate my experiences to any audience.
From creating a mentoring program for youth in foster care to becoming the CEO of the Donaldson Adoption Institute (DAI), I am fiercely dedicated to bettering the lives of children and families everywhere by creating connections and insisting on a more transparent conversation about identity and today’s families. For over fifteen years my specialized mentoring program Adoptment has been creating lifelong bonds with adopted adults and young people in foster care. During my tenure at DAI, I lead a team that launched “Let’s Adopt Reform”, an initiative to spark a national conversation about adoption that included a Town Hall Tour, a large-scale public opinion survey and a comprehensive professional qualitative report.
For more about April please visit www.AprileDinwoodie.com.
Melanie Chung-Sherman, LCSW-S, LCPAA, is the founder and president of a private practice specializing in adoption-focused therapy in Dallas, Texas. She has worked professionally in the field of adoption and foster care since 1999. She is a licensed clinical social worker, TSBSWE Board-certified clinical supervisor as well as a licensed child placing administrator through the State of Texas. She trained under Drs. Erik Hesse, Ph.D. and Mary Main, Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley for the Adult Attachment Interview Institute. She is a CertifiedTheraplay® Therapist and EMDR Therapist. She is an adjunct professor of Social Work at Collin College in Plano, Texas and formally trained in TBRI® through Texas Christian University. She has been featured in the Washington Post, Reuters, and Dan Rather's documentary on rehoming, "Unwanted in America." She is a contributing columnist for Adoption Today. She graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with her Master of Science in Social Work. She is a firm believe that it is never too late to make a difference in the world.
Patricia Martinez Dorner, MA, LPC, is a pioneer in open adoption and search practices and has been a relentless advocate of adoption reform since the late 70's. She has adoption focused practice including counseling, search assistance & the opening of adoptions involving minors. She is a frequent conference speaker and is also the author of many adoption related books. Patricia is an adoptive mom of two adult daughters (ages 37 & 39) in open adoptions.
Jennifer Fredericksen is a family member that has been affected by adoption. Surrounded and immersed by adoption loss, she has recognized the pattern of trauma passed down through generations in her family. She speaks from a unique perspective within the family constellation and it's effect on all. She is a strong advocate of family preservation and currently serves on the Board of Saving Our Sisters.
Latoya S. Hogg, Master of Social Work, Child Placement Management Staff. Since beginning her career in child welfare in 2011, Ms. Hogg has worked in various capacities in the Foster Care field, and has transitioned into International/Domestic Adoptions. She is also an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington. Ms. Hogg continues to work toward educating her colleagues and students on effective management of stress within the work place.
Lori Holden, M.A (author, speaker, and longtime blogger/conversationalist on adoption issues) is mom to a teen daughter and teen son. She writes from Denver at LavenderLuz.com. and is author of “The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption: Helping Your Child Grow Up Whole," on required reading lists at adoption agencies around the country. She has written for Adoptive Families and Pathway 2 Family magazine and speaks around the country about what parents can do to heal the split between biology and biography. Her work was included in the User Guide for the Donaldson Adoption Institute's initiative "Openness in Adoption."
Joy Jones who holds a B.S. in Psychology and a Master’s in Leadership & Management, combined her experience as a birth mother and corporate trainer to found Black Adoption Story, where she proudly calls herself “Chief Storyteller” for Adoption in the Black Community.
Tina Feigal is the Director of Family Engagement at Anu Family Services/Center for the Challenging Child in St. Paul, MN. A former school psychologist, Tina’s passion is bringing peace to homes, helping adults heal challenging child behavior. Her book “Present Moment Parenting: The Guide to a Peaceful Life with Your Intense Child” serves to support Tina’s coach trainees and parents.
Jennifer Fredericksen (panelist) is a family member that has been affected by adoption. Surrounded and immersed by adoption loss, she has recognized the pattern of trauma passed down through generations in her family. She speaks from a unique perspective within the family constellation and it's effect on all. She is a strong advocate of family preservation and currently serves on the Board of Saving Our Sisters.
Lesli Johnson, an adult adoptee, works as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Los Angeles, specializing in adoption and related issues. Her clients include all members of the adoption and foster care community: adoptees, adoptive parents, waiting parents, birth/first parents, foster parents and families. Lesli offers a variety of groups both in-person and virtually. She also provides coaching for adoptive parents worldwide. Lesli is a certified EMDR therapist, and trained in Brainspotting and the Trauma Resiliency Model. You can read her articles and learn more about Lesli's work at www.yourmindfulbrain.com.
Oleg Lougheed Uncertainty, guided him during a time of tragedy and pain. Opportunity, found him a new home halfway across the world and gave him a reason to believe that there was more in life to gain. Rejection, affirmed his thoughts and feelings of the change that needed to take place. Fear, gave Oleg Lougheed the confidence to create the much needed adoptee/foster care space. For more details, please visit: https://www.overcomingodds.today/founder-story.
Marshall Lyles, LPC-S, LMFT-S, RPT-S, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, has 15 years of practice in family and play therapy. He has extensive speaking and training experience and has worked in a variety of mental health settings. Most of Marshall’s clinical practice has focused on attachment trauma and its effect on family relationships. Marshall conducts supervision and consultation sessions with counseling professionals and leads training in both parenting and professional settings; much of his consultation and training focuses on the use of sandtray therapy within a trauma-informed context. He is EMDR-certified and TBRI-trained and uses these with foster and adoptive families. To hear more about how Marshall's trauma therapy career has been shaped into its present state, click here. As Marshall is nearing the completion of his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy, more writing opportunities are emerging and this has become a passionate point of interest for him. If you are interested in engaging in clinical services with Marshall, go to Nurture Family Counseling's site for more information.
Leslie Pate McKinnon is a therapist who presents nationally and internationally on issues that impact families conceived through adoption and third-party reproduction. She was led to the field after placing her two firstborn sons for adoption and led to this specialty following reunion. Today her passion is educating therapists to this verifiably complex field. She’s served on the board of CUB & Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute. She’s been on GOOD MORNING AMERICA w/ Robin Roberts, and on CNN discussing the impact of the internet on adoption. She was featured in DAN RATHER’s investigative report; ADOPTION OR ABDUCTION and was most recently on the Katie Couric show along with her oldest son Pete. Leslie’s story is included in the book; The Girls Who Went Away, and the documentary A GIRL LIKE HER. For more information please visit www.lesliepatemackinnon.com.
Marci Purcell is a writer and staunch advocate for adoptee rights, current president of Texas Adoptee Rights, and past president of AKA. She holds a degree in psychology and is certified in psychological first aide. She has spent the bulk of her professional life working with and advocating for underserved and underrepresented populations.
Lilly Schmaltz (panelist) was adopted in 1995 from Nanning, China. She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and is now pursuing a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at UT Austin. She was among the first Chinese adoptees to be brought to the USA and always wished she had older Chinese adoptees to learn from. She now posts blogs and educational videos advocating for adoptees and encouraging connections. In her spare time, she loves dance and exploring Austin with her fiancé and Border Collie. Follow Lilly’s journey here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCDR80SruJ6QyGJzvX5CmcA.
Margery Segal LPC, RSMT, IDME, PBAT, is the founder of the Whole Movement Center. She is teaching this embodied approach to pre/perinatal psychology and attachment and bonding in Brasil, Australia, Canada and Austin, Texas. Margery Segal is a Birth trauma, Birth Processing and Birth Psychology Specialist who is also an Embodied Attachment and Bonding expert. She works with couples, infants, children, and people of all ages on early developmental attachment trauma and the art of creating fulfilling relationships. She is integrates Dance & Theater, Body-Mind Centering®, Somatic Experiencing, Developmental Movement , and Prenatal Birth Attachment Therapy into experiential moving and learning workshops. Her workshops provide a fun moving therapeutic experiential approach to a depth of neurobiological and body-mind concepts that help students transform and grow.
Erin Smith was adopted from an orphanage in Kerala, India in 1987 when she was 20 months old. She is a transracial adoptee, raised by her adoptive parents in Snellville, GA. She is the Director of Adoption Services at Adoption Advocates, Inc. and has worked with birth parents for 10 years. She enjoys hosting, cooking for the people she loves, and exploring Austin’s ever-evolving culinary scene with her boyfriend. She has submitted her DNA and has been fortunate enough to connect with distant relatives but remains hopeful that she may one day find her immediate birth family.
Sabra Starnes, LICSW-C LCSW, M.Ed (Transracial Adoptee, Adoptive mom, Clinical Social Worker) Sabra and her twin were adopted as infants in a closed adoption. Growing up in a transracial family in the Midwest had many joys and challenges. Sabra and her family experienced racism and discrimination as a transracial family. Sabra learned to persevere and be a strong advocate for herself. She provides adoption counseling using attachment-based therapies connected with expressive therapies. She facilitates a monthly foster and adoptive support group. As an expert adoption therapist for the past 20 years, she has the personal experience and professional training to work with families who have been touched by adoption and foster care. She is a strong advocate for children who are in care to have permanency or reunify with their birth families.
Lori Wolfe is a national board-certified genetic counselor specializing in the areas of teratogen and pre-adoption pregnancy exposure counseling. Ms. Wolfe graduated with her Master’s degree in Biology and Genetic Counseling from the University of North Texas, where she has been the Director of the Texas Teratogen Information Service, MotherToBaby North Texas, for the past 27 years. In addition to providing counseling, Lori also enjoys providing workshops and seminars for health care providers and adoptive parents, and also teaches educational seminars for students regarding teratogen education. Ms. Wolfe has been a member of MotherToBaby, a service of the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) since 1991, is a Past President of OTIS, and is currently serving as the Co-Chair of the Website and Marketing Committee.MotherToBaby and OTIS are suggested resources by many agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC0 and the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Women’s Health. If you have questions about medications, vaccines, diseases, alcohol, smoking or other exposures, call MotherToBaby toll-free at 866-626-6847, call Lori directly at 800-733-4727, text us at 855-999-2595, or visit our library of fact sheets and baby blogs at mothertobaby.org. Lori can also be reached by email at lwolfe@unt.edu.
Part of my personal mission is to address how differences of race, class, and culture impact adoption and foster care systematically and individually. Inspired by my personal narrative, I interweave my transracial adoption journey into broader themes that everyone can identify with, via my podcast Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World!, and my writings on HuffPo and Medium. Everyday, I continue to build my capacity to authentically communicate my experiences to any audience.
From creating a mentoring program for youth in foster care to becoming the CEO of the Donaldson Adoption Institute (DAI), I am fiercely dedicated to bettering the lives of children and families everywhere by creating connections and insisting on a more transparent conversation about identity and today’s families. For over fifteen years my specialized mentoring program Adoptment has been creating lifelong bonds with adopted adults and young people in foster care. During my tenure at DAI, I lead a team that launched “Let’s Adopt Reform”, an initiative to spark a national conversation about adoption that included a Town Hall Tour, a large-scale public opinion survey and a comprehensive professional qualitative report.
For more about April please visit www.AprileDinwoodie.com.
Melanie Chung-Sherman, LCSW-S, LCPAA, is the founder and president of a private practice specializing in adoption-focused therapy in Dallas, Texas. She has worked professionally in the field of adoption and foster care since 1999. She is a licensed clinical social worker, TSBSWE Board-certified clinical supervisor as well as a licensed child placing administrator through the State of Texas. She trained under Drs. Erik Hesse, Ph.D. and Mary Main, Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley for the Adult Attachment Interview Institute. She is a CertifiedTheraplay® Therapist and EMDR Therapist. She is an adjunct professor of Social Work at Collin College in Plano, Texas and formally trained in TBRI® through Texas Christian University. She has been featured in the Washington Post, Reuters, and Dan Rather's documentary on rehoming, "Unwanted in America." She is a contributing columnist for Adoption Today. She graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with her Master of Science in Social Work. She is a firm believe that it is never too late to make a difference in the world.
Patricia Martinez Dorner, MA, LPC, is a pioneer in open adoption and search practices and has been a relentless advocate of adoption reform since the late 70's. She has adoption focused practice including counseling, search assistance & the opening of adoptions involving minors. She is a frequent conference speaker and is also the author of many adoption related books. Patricia is an adoptive mom of two adult daughters (ages 37 & 39) in open adoptions.
Jennifer Fredericksen is a family member that has been affected by adoption. Surrounded and immersed by adoption loss, she has recognized the pattern of trauma passed down through generations in her family. She speaks from a unique perspective within the family constellation and it's effect on all. She is a strong advocate of family preservation and currently serves on the Board of Saving Our Sisters.
Latoya S. Hogg, Master of Social Work, Child Placement Management Staff. Since beginning her career in child welfare in 2011, Ms. Hogg has worked in various capacities in the Foster Care field, and has transitioned into International/Domestic Adoptions. She is also an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington. Ms. Hogg continues to work toward educating her colleagues and students on effective management of stress within the work place.
Lori Holden, M.A (author, speaker, and longtime blogger/conversationalist on adoption issues) is mom to a teen daughter and teen son. She writes from Denver at LavenderLuz.com. and is author of “The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption: Helping Your Child Grow Up Whole," on required reading lists at adoption agencies around the country. She has written for Adoptive Families and Pathway 2 Family magazine and speaks around the country about what parents can do to heal the split between biology and biography. Her work was included in the User Guide for the Donaldson Adoption Institute's initiative "Openness in Adoption."
Joy Jones who holds a B.S. in Psychology and a Master’s in Leadership & Management, combined her experience as a birth mother and corporate trainer to found Black Adoption Story, where she proudly calls herself “Chief Storyteller” for Adoption in the Black Community.
Tina Feigal is the Director of Family Engagement at Anu Family Services/Center for the Challenging Child in St. Paul, MN. A former school psychologist, Tina’s passion is bringing peace to homes, helping adults heal challenging child behavior. Her book “Present Moment Parenting: The Guide to a Peaceful Life with Your Intense Child” serves to support Tina’s coach trainees and parents.
Jennifer Fredericksen (panelist) is a family member that has been affected by adoption. Surrounded and immersed by adoption loss, she has recognized the pattern of trauma passed down through generations in her family. She speaks from a unique perspective within the family constellation and it's effect on all. She is a strong advocate of family preservation and currently serves on the Board of Saving Our Sisters.
Lesli Johnson, an adult adoptee, works as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Los Angeles, specializing in adoption and related issues. Her clients include all members of the adoption and foster care community: adoptees, adoptive parents, waiting parents, birth/first parents, foster parents and families. Lesli offers a variety of groups both in-person and virtually. She also provides coaching for adoptive parents worldwide. Lesli is a certified EMDR therapist, and trained in Brainspotting and the Trauma Resiliency Model. You can read her articles and learn more about Lesli's work at www.yourmindfulbrain.com.
Oleg Lougheed Uncertainty, guided him during a time of tragedy and pain. Opportunity, found him a new home halfway across the world and gave him a reason to believe that there was more in life to gain. Rejection, affirmed his thoughts and feelings of the change that needed to take place. Fear, gave Oleg Lougheed the confidence to create the much needed adoptee/foster care space. For more details, please visit: https://www.overcomingodds.today/founder-story.
Marshall Lyles, LPC-S, LMFT-S, RPT-S, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, has 15 years of practice in family and play therapy. He has extensive speaking and training experience and has worked in a variety of mental health settings. Most of Marshall’s clinical practice has focused on attachment trauma and its effect on family relationships. Marshall conducts supervision and consultation sessions with counseling professionals and leads training in both parenting and professional settings; much of his consultation and training focuses on the use of sandtray therapy within a trauma-informed context. He is EMDR-certified and TBRI-trained and uses these with foster and adoptive families. To hear more about how Marshall's trauma therapy career has been shaped into its present state, click here. As Marshall is nearing the completion of his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy, more writing opportunities are emerging and this has become a passionate point of interest for him. If you are interested in engaging in clinical services with Marshall, go to Nurture Family Counseling's site for more information.
Leslie Pate McKinnon is a therapist who presents nationally and internationally on issues that impact families conceived through adoption and third-party reproduction. She was led to the field after placing her two firstborn sons for adoption and led to this specialty following reunion. Today her passion is educating therapists to this verifiably complex field. She’s served on the board of CUB & Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute. She’s been on GOOD MORNING AMERICA w/ Robin Roberts, and on CNN discussing the impact of the internet on adoption. She was featured in DAN RATHER’s investigative report; ADOPTION OR ABDUCTION and was most recently on the Katie Couric show along with her oldest son Pete. Leslie’s story is included in the book; The Girls Who Went Away, and the documentary A GIRL LIKE HER. For more information please visit www.lesliepatemackinnon.com.
Marci Purcell is a writer and staunch advocate for adoptee rights, current president of Texas Adoptee Rights, and past president of AKA. She holds a degree in psychology and is certified in psychological first aide. She has spent the bulk of her professional life working with and advocating for underserved and underrepresented populations.
Lilly Schmaltz (panelist) was adopted in 1995 from Nanning, China. She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and is now pursuing a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at UT Austin. She was among the first Chinese adoptees to be brought to the USA and always wished she had older Chinese adoptees to learn from. She now posts blogs and educational videos advocating for adoptees and encouraging connections. In her spare time, she loves dance and exploring Austin with her fiancé and Border Collie. Follow Lilly’s journey here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCDR80SruJ6QyGJzvX5CmcA.
Margery Segal LPC, RSMT, IDME, PBAT, is the founder of the Whole Movement Center. She is teaching this embodied approach to pre/perinatal psychology and attachment and bonding in Brasil, Australia, Canada and Austin, Texas. Margery Segal is a Birth trauma, Birth Processing and Birth Psychology Specialist who is also an Embodied Attachment and Bonding expert. She works with couples, infants, children, and people of all ages on early developmental attachment trauma and the art of creating fulfilling relationships. She is integrates Dance & Theater, Body-Mind Centering®, Somatic Experiencing, Developmental Movement , and Prenatal Birth Attachment Therapy into experiential moving and learning workshops. Her workshops provide a fun moving therapeutic experiential approach to a depth of neurobiological and body-mind concepts that help students transform and grow.
Erin Smith was adopted from an orphanage in Kerala, India in 1987 when she was 20 months old. She is a transracial adoptee, raised by her adoptive parents in Snellville, GA. She is the Director of Adoption Services at Adoption Advocates, Inc. and has worked with birth parents for 10 years. She enjoys hosting, cooking for the people she loves, and exploring Austin’s ever-evolving culinary scene with her boyfriend. She has submitted her DNA and has been fortunate enough to connect with distant relatives but remains hopeful that she may one day find her immediate birth family.
Sabra Starnes, LICSW-C LCSW, M.Ed (Transracial Adoptee, Adoptive mom, Clinical Social Worker) Sabra and her twin were adopted as infants in a closed adoption. Growing up in a transracial family in the Midwest had many joys and challenges. Sabra and her family experienced racism and discrimination as a transracial family. Sabra learned to persevere and be a strong advocate for herself. She provides adoption counseling using attachment-based therapies connected with expressive therapies. She facilitates a monthly foster and adoptive support group. As an expert adoption therapist for the past 20 years, she has the personal experience and professional training to work with families who have been touched by adoption and foster care. She is a strong advocate for children who are in care to have permanency or reunify with their birth families.
Lori Wolfe is a national board-certified genetic counselor specializing in the areas of teratogen and pre-adoption pregnancy exposure counseling. Ms. Wolfe graduated with her Master’s degree in Biology and Genetic Counseling from the University of North Texas, where she has been the Director of the Texas Teratogen Information Service, MotherToBaby North Texas, for the past 27 years. In addition to providing counseling, Lori also enjoys providing workshops and seminars for health care providers and adoptive parents, and also teaches educational seminars for students regarding teratogen education. Ms. Wolfe has been a member of MotherToBaby, a service of the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) since 1991, is a Past President of OTIS, and is currently serving as the Co-Chair of the Website and Marketing Committee.MotherToBaby and OTIS are suggested resources by many agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC0 and the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Women’s Health. If you have questions about medications, vaccines, diseases, alcohol, smoking or other exposures, call MotherToBaby toll-free at 866-626-6847, call Lori directly at 800-733-4727, text us at 855-999-2595, or visit our library of fact sheets and baby blogs at mothertobaby.org. Lori can also be reached by email at lwolfe@unt.edu.
