Candace Cahill
Category: Training for Adoption Competency
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1h 26m
Adoption is widely assumed in our culture to be a win for everyone involved. However, there is a growing community of adult adopted people, first parents, and adoptive families speaking up about the trauma of relinquishment and the associated lifelong mental health issues. In this session, Candace Cahill, a first mother and author of the critically aclaimed memoir, Goodbye Again, uses her personal story of relinquishment, reunion, and the subsequent death of her son to explore types of grief and loss in adoption. With contributions from adult adopted people and adoptive families, Candace shines a light on the need for comprehensive pre-and-post-placement mental health resources and provides tools and tips for healing.
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Isaac Etter
Transracially adopted person Isaac Etter is an activist, racial bias consultant, and social entrepreneur, and the founder of Identity, where the focus is on re-imaging post-placement support for adoptive and foster families. He is also the founder of the podcast Inside Transracial Adoption, which...
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Katy Finn
While reflecting on her theater piece, Placing Home, which centers birthmother stories, adoptive mother Katy Finn unpacks the powerful role adoptive mothers can play in shifting the pervasive adoption narrative. Katy’s talk centers around three questions: What role does the adoptive mother play i...
