Courses

This course guides parents through a series of adoptee stories giving a unique view into the hearts, minds and souls of the adopted person experience.

Adopting an older child presents a unique set of joy and challenges. From knowing what kind of information is important to have to anticipating potential stumbling blocks to a smooth transition, this course serves as a guide to anyone considering adopting a child older than an infant (whether internationally or from the US public welfare system).

The adoption tax credit provides a very valuable benefit to adoptive families; it is also among one of the most complicated tax law provisions. This course will help you determine eligibility, create record keeping systems and prepare for year-end tax planning.

Upon completion of this course, you may purchase a certificate for $30.

Advocacy begins even before a child joins her adoptive family and continues throughout her childhood. This course will help you understand why you are the best advocate for your adopted child, determine your need for services and find resources available to assist your family.

Upon completion of this course, you may purchase a certificate for $40. If purchased as part of a package, the fee is already included.

Learn basic techniques such as shampooing, conditioning and hair styling for different types hair, consider the impact hair care has on self-esteem and cultural identity, understand the myths versus realities of caring for natural hair.

An understanding of your child's heritage is essential to help her connect to her culture. This course is designed to introduce you to the history and people of China.

This course provides an overview of Chinese language and explains some festivals and traditions that you can incorporate into your own family.  A great resource for families anticipating an adoption from China as well as those who have already adopted from China.

An overview of the home study, family assessment and post adoption process of adopting from China. Learn more about general needs of children awaiting adoption and conditions that may affect children in China.

Adopting a child of a different race or ethnicity presents challenges families may not expect.  Share in the wisdom and collective experiences of adopted persons and adoptive parents with transracial families and learn new skills for responding to insensitive comments as well as strategies for expanding the diversity in your life.

Make the first step in connecting with expectant parents considering adoption a good one by creating a compelling profile that truly highlights who you are.  If your adoption profile creatively expresses who you really are, expectant parents get a window into your life and therefore a reason to connect with you specifically.

Ain't Misbehavin' helps parents better understand potential causes for challenging behaviors and develop effective adoption friendly discipline plans to address them. By encouraging children to make better behavioral choices, effective discipline results in happier, more connected families.

It is natural for adopted children to grieve the life and family they never knew, no matter how old they were when adopted, how open the adoption or how happy their life with the adoptive family. This course will help adoptive parents recognize the signs of grief at different developmental stages, identify situations that may trigger grief and develop strategies to help children grieve.

This highly-interactive course is helpful to anyone considering adopting a child from the U.S. domestic foster care system and will help you understand the entire process of adopting your foster child. It will also help you prepare your family for the emotional transition to adoptive family and help you identify resources.

Talking about adoption can be difficult for a variety of reasons, but it should not be a one time conversation. This course gives you the tools you need to make talking about adoption part of your family's everyday life.

A Lifebook is a book created for an adopted child that tells his story, before and after adoption.  It helps children place foster care or adoption in the context of their life experiences.  This course will help you understand the purpose and importance of a Lifebook, identify situations in which it is beneficial and develop some pages of your child's Lifebook.

This course provides an overview of the common medical issues, health risks and specific conditions internationally adopted children may face. Become familiar with the medical and developmental effects of orphanage or foster care as well as the role of professionals in assessing health.

Open adoption can be a scary and difficult relationship to understand. This course will explain open adoption, will help you to understand the expectant parent and birth parent perspectives and will offer some strategies for making openness part of your everyday life.

Attachment is an essential component of any healthy, happy family. Adoption, however, may present challenges to the attachment process. Designed for both first time adoptive parents and parents struggling with attachment issues with their adopted child, this course provides practical tips on how to form and sustain this important bond.

An understanding of your child's heritage is essential to help her connect to her culture. This course is designed to introduce you to the history and culture of Korea.

Brain Development Matters thoroughly explains the impact that early trauma has on a child's brain chemistry, brain development and sensory processing. Once parents understand how their child's brain is connected to his behaviors, these behaviors begin to make more sense. With a thorough understanding of brain development, parents are better prepared to learn how to more successfully intervene and shape their child's troubling behaviors.

The goal of this course is to help parents understand the toll raising a tough start child can take on them, their relationships and their other children. Family Matters teaches techniques parents can use to support each member of the family, and themselves, through these challenges.

Parenting Matters applies a strengths-based, therapeutic approach to parenting in order to heal a child who has had a tough start in life. Learn this deliberate and intentional approach to parenting through exercises, family stories and expert advice.

Treatment Matters gives parents strategies for seeking professional help as soon as they recognize significant challenges in their child. Understand the importance of a diagnosis, when to consider medication and how to choose a therapist.

This course was designed to address immediate issues families adopting school aged children face while getting to know one another. The course discusses school placement, the impact of previous life experience, maintaining connections with people from the past, language, sleeping, eating, discipline and attachment.

This course was designed to address immediate issues families adopting toddlers face while getting to know one another. The course discusses language, sleeping, eating, discipline and attachment.