Foster and Adoption-Informed Therapy: A Child Centered Approach

The foster and adoption journey is complex—for biological parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, and the children themselves. Each stage is often filled with ups and downs, hope and disappointment. Children in the foster and adoption system face unique challenges, and the adults who care for them also need space to process their own experiences.
Research shows that adopted children are almost twice as likely to develop a mood disorder compared to their peers. Factors such as age at adoption, location, family history, and contact with biological family all play a role. Many children experience trauma due to inconsistent care and nurturing in their earliest years, which can affect attachment and bonding later on.
At the heart of adoption and foster care is loss and trauma. Acknowledging this reality is essential to helping children and families heal and thrive.

Understanding the Trauma of Adoption and Foster Care
Every child in the foster or adoption system experiences some level of trauma and loss. Unprocessed grief can harm a child’s sense of self, especially as they reach adolescence and begin forming their identity. Adoptees may experience ambiguous grief—a complicated, often hidden sense of loss that can be difficult to talk about for fear of hurting their adoptive families.
These feelings vary widely depending on the adoption story, but many adoptees struggle to find safe spaces to process them. Therapy provides a place where their experiences are understood, validated, and supported.

Adult Adoptees and Those Who Spent Time in Foster Care

While many conversations around foster care and adoption focus on children, it’s important to recognize that adoptees and foster children often carry their experiences into adulthood. The effects of trauma, loss, and identity struggles may not surface until later in life, when individuals begin to process their stories more fully.
A term often used in the adoptee community is “coming out of the fog.” This phrase describes the process of moving from seeing adoption only through a positive or one-sided lens to recognizing the complex realities—such as grief, loss, identity struggles, and systemic issues—that can accompany adoption. For many adoptees, this stage can feel disorienting, emotional, and even isolating, but it can also be an important step toward healing.
Adult adoptees and those who spent time in foster care may seek therapy to work through:

• Identity struggles and questions of belonging
• Ambiguous grief and unresolved loss
• Relationship challenges tied to attachment experiences
• Trauma related to early separation or inconsistent care
• Feelings that emerge during major life transitions (marriage, parenting, becoming a parent, career changes, etc.)

Therapy provides a safe, validating space for adoptees and foster alumni to process these experiences, develop self-understanding, and build healthier connections in adulthood.

The Role of Biological Parents 
Biological parents are often left out of foster and adoption conversations due to stigma, discrimination, and systemic racism. In reality, racial disparities exist at nearly every stage of the child welfare system. Foster care is meant to be temporary while biological parents work toward creating a safe home, but systemic biases can create unrealistic barriers and timelines.

Some biological parents voluntarily terminate their parental rights and may face overwhelming grief and even have been made to feel like it is their only viable option. Others may hope for reunification but feel powerless in the system. Regardless of the circumstances, biological parents deserve compassion, understanding, and support. Therapy can provide a safe space to process grief, loss, and stigma.

Supporting Foster and Adoptive Parents 
Foster and adoptive parents also face challenges that are often overlooked. Foster parents step into children’s lives during incredibly vulnerable times, while adoptive parents often feel a loss of support after the adoption process is finalized. Both groups may struggle with:

• Attachment difficulties
• Navigating trauma-related behaviors
• Vicarious trauma and burnout
• Lack of post-adoption resources

Therapy can give foster and adoptive parents a safe place to process their emotions and gain tools to support children in their care.

C.A.S.E. and Training for Adoption Competency
The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) developed Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) to ensure that adoptive families receive high-quality mental health care. This training emphasizes understanding a child’s early history, building trust, and addressing trauma’s impact on the whole family.
We are proud to integrate TAC into our work with foster and adoptive families, supporting both children and parents as they navigate trauma, build healthy attachments, and strengthen family bonds.

Why Foster and Adoption-Informed Therapy MattersThe numbers are staggering:

• 80% of children in foster care experience mental health challenges.
• Nearly every child welfare agency reports insufficient services for these children.
• Almost 90% of children in foster care will have contact with law enforcement.

Foster and adoption-informed therapy provides children and families with resources, tools, and support to break these cycles. We aim to:

• Help foster children feel secure and understood
• Support biological parents navigating grief or systemic barriers
• Provide adult adoptees with space to process identity and loss
• Equip foster and adoptive parents with education, advocacy skills, and coping strategies

Resources

• C.A.S.E. – Nurture, Inspire, Empower
• Adopted Children and Mental Health – Claudia Black Center
• Most States Fail to Meet the Mental Health Needs of Foster Children – NCYL
• The Mental Health Effects of Living in Foster Care – Verywell Mind
• Child Welfare: Racial Disproportionality