Adoption and Mental Health Issues

Adoption isn’t an unfamiliar concept in the United States. Popular culture has represented both realistic and unrealistic views of adopted children, adoptive parents, and families that differ from the “traditional.”
However, our knowledge and discussions of the mental health needs of the children involved seem to take a backseat. Concepts such as abandonment and trust issues, as well as the acknowledgement of trauma, often go unaddressed.
In this episode, we hear from two experts with over 40 years of combined experience in the adoption field. Together, they’ll help us understand the mental health needs for children - and adults - who have been adopted or are currently in foster care.
Listen Now!
Guest Information for 'Adoption' Podcast Episode Debbie B. Riley, LCMFT is CEO and co-founder of The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.), a nonprofit adoptive family support center in the Baltimore-Washington area. A nationally recognized adoption expert and dynamic public speaker, Riley is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 40 years of professional experience, including extensive expertise in designing and developing nationally acclaimed adoption-competent programs.
Riley received her Bachelor of Science in Family and Community Development and Master of Science in Marital and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland, College Park. She’s a co-author of the book, “Beneath the Mask: Understanding Adopted Teens” and “Adoption Specific Therapy, A Guide to Helping Adopted Children and Their Families Thrive”. Rita Soronen has led the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a national nonprofit public charity, since 2001, and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada since 2004. Soronen is a founding board member and past vice president of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and is a current member of the advisory board.
Soronen is a recipient of the Angels in Adoption Award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, the National CASA Association Kappa Alpha Theta Program Director of the Year Award, the Ohio CASA/GAL Association Statewide Leadership Award, and was a 2013 recipient of WSNY’s 20 Outstanding Women You Should Know.
She’s a fellow of the Jefferson Fellowship for Executive Leadership, was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Community Leadership from Franklin University in 2016, was named a YWCA Woman of Achievement in 2017, was named a National Number One by the Columbus Foundation in 2018, and was honored with Smart Business Network’s 2019 Smart 50 Program Award for Impact, Giving Back to the Community.
A graduate of the University of Louisville, Soronen resides in Columbus, Ohio.
About the Inside Mental Health Podcast Host
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. To learn more about Gabe, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

[@NeonCicada]

I think...
_Even as children, we understand that the people that love us -- don't hurt us_
_& the people that hurt us -- don't love us._
So when the people that love you -- are the same people that hurt you
...it can really mess up your ability to know when a person is safe or unsafe
(because being hurt & feeling loved can sometimes feel like the same thing)