Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care

Latest Episodes:

How a Parent's History with Attachment and Trauma Impacts Adoption and Fostering Feb 05, 2021

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Have you ever wondered why a specific behavior by your child drives you crazy? What do we as parents bring to the relationship that could be part of the problem? We talk about how a parent's history with attachment and trauma impacts our parenting with Dr. Patrice Berry, a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training in adoption and foster care and over 15 years of clinical experience.
In this episode, we cover:
· Research has shown that our attachment style with our own parents is the biggest predictor of the attachment style we’ll have with our child.

· What do we mean by attachment style? Attachment style refers to the internal “working models” we develop of how relationships function. They influence the way we relate to important people in our lives. The attachments we form in our early relationships with parents or caretakers can have an impact on our feelings of insecurity, anxiety, fear, avoidance, and satisfaction in our closest relationships throughout our lives.

· A detailed tool has been developed to determine our attachment styles. Adult-Attachment Inventory (AAI). In the inventory, done by a professional with specific training, adults are asked to describe their childhoods, and it is in the telling of their stories that attachment styles are assessed.

· What are the types of attachment styles that have been identified in adults?

· Are our attachment styles fixed in childhood by how we were parented or can they change through growth and work on our part?

· To further complicate the parenting picture, it’s important to remember that foster and adopted children come to us having experienced some degree of trauma and a set of experiences from their own family of origin or previous care settings that did not develop in the family system of their adoptive family and may contrast sharply.

· All parents are susceptible to being “triggered” by things in their past and, consciously or unconsciously, having this shape their behavior. A child’s behavior can certainly be such a trigger.

· Examples of situations where a parent’s past trauma and attachment style may interfere with their being the best parent to their child.

· How can we move toward a more secure attachment style?
This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
· Weekly podcasts
· Weekly articles/blog posts
· Resource pages on all aspects of family building
Creating a Family also has an active presence on many social media platforms. Please like or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

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Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:

Weekly podcasts
Weekly articles/blog posts
Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Adoption Tax Credit 2020 Jan 27, 2021

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How can you talk full advantage of the Adoption Tax Credit? What changes are important when filing for this credit for your 2020 taxes. We talk with Becky Wilmoth, an Enrolled Agent and Adoption Tax Credit Specialist with Bill's Tax Service and Josh Kroll, the Adoption Subsidy Resource Center coordinator at the North American Council on Adoptable Children.
In this episode, we cover:

What is the Adoption Tax Credit for adoption being claimed on 2020 federal taxes $14,300
It is a non-refundable tax credit. How to advocate for refundability.
What is a “credit” and how does it differ from a deduction or some other form of tax savings?
If you get a tax refund every year, how would you use the Adoption Tax Credit?
If you don’t have any federal tax liability, should you still apply the credit to your federal income taxes?
What type of adoptions are included or excluded? Stepparent adoption? Embryo adoption? Same-sex partner second parent adoption? Unmarried heterosexual second parent adoption? Surrogacy?
Can you get credit for each adoption you complete even if completed in the same year? What about adopting siblings at the same time?
What is a Qualified Adoption Expense for purposes of the Adoption Tax Credit?
When can you claim the Adoption Tax Credit?
- Domestic Infant Adoption
- International Adoption
- Re-adoption in the US for International Adoption
- Foster Care Adoption
Special Needs Adoption: How does the Adoption Tax Credit differ for adoptions from foster care?
Special needs child for international adoption
What income level is excluded from claiming the Adoption Tax Credit in 2020?
How long can the credit be carried over?
Will the Adoption Tax Credit offset self-employment tax or will it only offset income tax liability?
How does the Adoption Tax Credit work in conjunction with employer benefits?
What type of documentation should you submit with your taxes? What type of documentation should you keep in your records?
What should you do if you do not have your child’s social security number when you get ready to file your taxes? When should you consider using an Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number (ATIN #) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN #)?
How does the Adoption Tax Credit work with kinship adoptions? What if the child never was involved with the foster care?
What are the most common questions received about the Adoption Tax Credit?
How to find a tax specialist knowledgeable on the Adoption Tax Credit?

This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
· Weekly podcasts
· Weekly articles/blog posts
· Resource pages on all aspects of family building
Creating a Family also has an active presence on many social media platforms. Please like or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Support the show

Weekly podcasts
Weekly articles/blog posts
Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Evaluating Risk Factors in Foster Care Jan 22, 2021

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We talk about evaluating the risk factors for foster care with Dr. Kimara Gustafson, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota with appointments at both their Adoption Medicine Clinic and Pediatric Emergency Department.
In this episode, we cover:

The common risk factor that foster parents and those wanting to adopt from foster care need to be aware of include physical, emotional, developmental, educational, and behavioral problems rooted in childhood adversity and trauma.
What types of trauma are foster kids exposed to? Neglect, abuse, prenatal exposure, multiple caregivers, not having a reliable caregiver, constant stress
What percentage of children in foster care have been exposed to drugs or alcohol prenatally?
Impact of trauma on physical health.
Foster parents often have little information about prior health history.
Overmedication of foster children and youth.
Research has found that the average number of psychiatric diagnoses and psychotropic medications prescribed were significantly greater for youth and children in foster care. o Children in foster care are likely to be kept on them longer than other Medicaid-enrolled children who are not in foster care.
What are psychotropic drugs and why are so many foster children on them?
Who has authority to make health care decisions for foster children and youth?
Impact of trauma on mental health.
hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity.
What types of behaviors are common as a result of trauma?
Sleep issues common to children in foster care.
Food issues common to children in foster care. Creating a Family course: Practical Solutions to Typical Food Issues
Impact of trauma on a foster child’s education.
Children in foster care need educational advocates.
Risk factors to consider for children already in the home. Creating a Family course: The Impact of Fostering on Children Already in the Home
Children can heal and foster parents can and do make a difference!

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Maintaining Your Marriage & Relationships When Adopting or Fostering Jan 15, 2021

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We don’t just bring kids into our homes; we bring them into our marriage and relationships. And marriages or relationships are particularly challenged when we are parenting kids who have been exposed to trauma. We talk with Amy Garber, MSW and LICSW, the Manager of the Post Adoption Program with Wide Horizons for Children, a child welfare organization. We also talk with Anne Meijers, a licensed clinical social worker, specializing in adult and couples therapy.
In this episode, we cover:

Our goal should be for our marriage or relationships to be around long after the kids leave home. This takes being proactive because if we’re not careful our relationship becomes all about parenting or fostering.
How can kids enhance a marriage or relationship?
We know that kids who’ve experience trauma can be challenging to parent and can test a marriage or a relationship.
Why are children adopted or fostered past infancy, children with prenatal exposure, and kids who have experienced trauma often harder to parent?
CreatingaFamily.org has many courses on Trauma Informed Parenting.
What are some of the stresses that relationships may face when fostering or adopting kids who’ve been exposed to trauma?
Feeling isolated
One parent wanting to adopt or foster more than the other
Blame from the outside or between the parents
Grief- that parenting is harder or less fun than you anticipated, etc.
What are some situations that children who’ve experienced trauma can bring to the family and be particularly difficult for the marriage?
Disagreement on how to handle behaviors
Triangulation
What are some signs that you are neglecting your marriage?
How can trauma or neglect in the parent’s background impact the marriage once children arrive?
How to handle extended family members (grandparents, etc.) that are negatively impacting your relationship?
Tips for strengthening your relationship while parenting kids who’ve been exposed to trauma, including prenatal exposure.
Special issues for single parents.
- We encourage single parents to establish a support network. How can challenging kids test this network?
- How can single parents find support?
- Tips for singles to strengthen their support network and relationships.

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Transitioning Home as a Newly Adoptive Family Jan 08, 2021

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What should you expect as you return home with a newly adopted baby or child? What are the common emotions? We talk with Laura Jean Beauvais, a licensed professional counselor and mother of two adult daughters through adoption. She has conducted domestic, foster, and international adoptions for more than 25 years.
In this episode, we cover:
Adopting a Newborn

What are some common emotions when adopting a newborn?
What are some common stresses when adopting a newborn?
How may the revocation period affect the transition to new adoptive parenting?
Expectations of extended family during this transition period.
How do the stresses of newly adopted families differ from a family that gives birth to their child?
How does the pre-adoption process affect this transition to new parenthood?
What are some feelings that come up about birth parents after the baby comes home?
- Realities of open adoptions
- Handling grief of birth family
- Feeling like the presence of a birth mom makes the adoptive mom less of a “real” mom
- The balance of power shifting from the expectant/birth mom to the adoptive mom
How much of your child’s “story” should you share?
How can infertility struggles impact the transition period?

Adopting a Child Past Infancy

What are some common emotions when adopting a child from foster care or through international adoption?
What are some common stresses when adopting a child past infancy?
The challenge of setting realistic expectations.
How to help your child and you settle in to becoming a new family.

Post Adoption Depression

What is post-adoption depression?
What are the symptoms?
How common is post-adoption depression?
Can fathers also have post-adoption depression?
Who is at risk for post-adoption depression? Are there ways to predict which people are more prone to post-adoption depression?
How can post-adoption depression impact parenting?
What are some steps to take to prevent post-adoption depression?
What should you do if you think you are suffering from post-adoption depression?

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What to Eat to Increase Your Odds of Success with IVF Jan 01, 2021

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What foods and supplements help improve fertility for those trying to conceive naturally and for those undergoing fertility treatment. We talked with Dr. Jorge E. Chavarro, Associate Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health and Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Chavarro’s research is focused on understanding how nutrition and lifestyle impact human reproduction. He is the Principal Investigator of the Nurses’ Health Study 3 – an ongoing prospective cohort of young professional women started in 2010 designed to investigate the role of lifestyle and biologic factors on women’s health – and leads the nutritional component of the EARTH Study, an ongoing prospective cohort of couples undergoing infertility treatment at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
In this episode, we cover:

How Does Nutrition Impact Fertility

We know that women are born with all the eggs they are ever going to have so how does nutrition impact female fertility and egg quality?
How does nutrition impact male fertility?
How does weight and BMI affect fertility?
We know that the microbiome in our reproductive tract is important to fertility. Does what we eat impact this microbiome?

What Foods and Diet are Best for Enhancing Fertility

What foods improve natural fertility or the fertility of those in fertility treatment?
What is the importance of protein? What type of protein is best
Role of carbohydrates in fertility. Low carb? Complex vs simple carbs?
Caffeine
Soy products

What Supplements are Effective at Improving Fertility

What supplements should you take if you are trying to conceive with or without fertility treatment?
Prenatal vitamin
Micronutrient supplementation
Folates
CoQ 10
Vitamin B12
DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone)
Vitamin D
Fish Oil

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Healing After Abuse and Neglect Dec 24, 2020

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Children adopted from foster care or from abroad have often experienced abuse, neglect, or trauma. These children require a different form of parenting. This is a re-air of an older interview we did with the late Dr. Karyn Purvis, author of The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family, and the founder and Director of the TCU Institute of Child Development, about how to help children from hard places heal.
In this episode, we cover:

Why is parenting abused children different from traditional parenting?
What are the 3 most important things you should do during the first 6 months home with a newly adopted child?
How can we discipline our children while still remaining connected and create attachment?
How can we help a child who has tantrums whenever he hears the word “no,” or is told he can’t do something?
How long should parents stay home (if possible) after adoption?
How can parents be proactive with children who have experienced abuse and neglect in order to help them and to improve behavior?
Parenting kids adopted from foster care and internationally can be hard on the marriage and especially when one of the parents is the one getting educated on the type of parenting these kids need and the other one has not “bought into” it yet. How to help both parents get on the same page.
How should parents handle criticism (implied or direct) about their parenting style when they are trying to follow the empower to connect style?
What are some practical tools for encouraging attachment?

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Adopting a Child from Another State Dec 18, 2020

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How do you find and adopt a baby or child in another state and what is the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC)? We talk with Chantilly Wijayasinha, MSW and MPH and Interim Director of Adoptions and Foster Care at Vista Del Mar Child & Family Services; and Jim Thompson, adoption, foster care, and assisted reproduction attorney at the Thompson Dove Law Group, and a Fellow at Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys.

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Impact of COVID-19 on Surrogacy Dec 11, 2020

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How is the COVID-19 pandemic impacting those people who are trying to create their family through surrogacy —both those seeking surrogates in the US and those going abroad. We talk with Dr. Barry Witt, the Medical Director of WINFertility and Greenwich Fertility.
In this episode, we cover:

How is surrogacy practiced in the US?
What is the distinction between gestational surrogate and a traditional surrogate?
Is it possible to go abroad to find a surrogate?
Why do people go abroad?
What are the most popular countries for people to go to for surrogacy? (including the US)
How has COVID-19 impacted intended parents seeking surrogates in the US?
How has COVID-19 impacted people seeking surrogates in another country, including those coming to the US?

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Legal Process of Domestic Adoption: What You Need to Know Before You Adopt Dec 04, 2020

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Do you know how the legal process of adoption works? How do you get an original birth certificate? How do you get a social security number for your adopted child? We talk with Brinton Wright, an adoption attorney and Fellow in the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys about the legal and social implications of adoption.
In this episode, we cover:

Different types of adoption.
The difference between voluntary and involuntary termination of parental rights.
What is meant by a "legal risk" adoption.
What is meant by open adoption.

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