Name: Marie Dolfi, LCSW
Price range: $$$

Marie Dolfi shares her extensive adoption and relinquishment knowledge in adoption trainings for professional development workshops for mental health professionals and adoption education for adoption organizations. As an experienced adoption trainer, Marie has an aptitude for weaving in adoption research, adoption theory, stories, and interventions on how to improve the lives of adoption triad members. Over 12 organizations throughout the country have invited Marie to do an adoption workshop, many inviting her back for additional adoption training programs. Settings for in-person adoption workshops include private agency, adoption conferences, professional development workshops for mental health professionals, and adoption support groups. Additionally, Marie does online adoption trainings. Online adoption trainings are especially suited for organizations that want to reach a large geographic audience, as well as individuals who would like to hear Marie speak and are looking to avoid the expense of traveling to an in-person training.

For every training, Marie extensively reads the latest adoption education and provides a detailed list of adoption resources for each adoption training. If you are looking for a knowledgeable and engaging adoption trainer for your organization, please call Marie at 518-281-8884 or email Marie using the form on the contact page. If you are interested in an adoption education topic that is not listed below feel free to call Marie to discuss your program needs.

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Upcoming Trainings

Marie will present a keynote talk Healing Adoption Traumas Using the 3 Stage Complex PTSD Treatment Model at the Journeys of Discovery: An Adoption Network Cleveland Conference Thursday, March 20 – Sunday, March 23, 2025. Conference information can be found at their website https://www.adoptionnetwork.org/conference/

Virtual training for the National Association of Adoptees and Parents

Below are descriptions of adoption trainings for mental health professionals, adoption conferences, and adoption support groups. Some adoption issues topics (i.e. adoptee relinquishment trauma, core issues of adoption, genetic sexual attraction in reunion relationships) are topics for workshops that can be done for any audience. Other adoption workshops are specifically for mental health professionals or the general public adoption audience. Both adoption professional development programs and programs for adoption organizations can be customized to meet the needs of the audience. Click the training details button for each training to learn more.

Mental Health Issues of Adoptees: What Clinicians Need to Know to Meet the Needs of Their Adopted Clients

The mental health issues of adoptees training is a comprehensive review of the issues adoptees bring to therapy. Due to adoptee mental health issues rarely being taught in professional development, this training is for mental health professionals who have little clinical training on adoptee issues and would like to have a research-based framework to understand their adopted client’s experience. The training includes pre-and post-adoption risk factors as well as protective factors in the adoptive family. With the knowledge obtained in this training, mental health professionals with be able to do a comprehensive adoption sensitive assessment for their adopted clients.Training Details

Adoption Search and Reunion: A Clinical Perspective Training

The training presents information on the complexities of adoption search and reunions and the clinician’s role with working with their clients. The presentation will include information on the reasons a person does a search, how to prepare for a reunion, understanding the complexities of reunions, and characteristics of successful reunion relationships. Visit the adoption search and reunion page to learn additional information that is presented in the adoption search and reunion training.Training Details

Core Issues of Adoption Training

The training will present the paradigm core issues of adoption which is the most taught adoption paradigm in adoption training programs. The core issues paradigm acknowledges the impact of loss on birth/first parents, adopted individuals, and adoptive parents and how the losses often cause issues with grief, guilt/shame, identity, intimacy, rejection, control, abandonment, loyalty, fitting-in, entitlement and claiming.Training Details

Genetic Sexual Attraction Explained for Adoption Reunion Relationships Training

The Genetic Sexual Attraction training presents information on the characteristics of genetic sexual attraction, reasons genetic sexual attraction happens, and guidelines for preventing relatives from acting on genetic sexual attraction urges. Visit the Genetic Sexual Attraction Explained for Adoption Reunion Relationships to learn more about the information presented in the training.Training Details

Group Work with Adoption Triad Members Training

The training will discuss the powerful ways support and therapy groups can help adopted individuals, adoptive parents, and birth/first parents with feelings around relinquishment, core issues of adoption, and fitting-in. The presentation discusses how healing can be more powerful in groups because of the interpersonal interactions providing group members with improved self-esteem and identity. The program will review different types of groups (support, discussion, task-centered, and process), the role of the group leader, and interventions to use in group work. Information on starting a group, marketing groups, and locating existing groups will be shared.Training Details

Organizations Marie Has Done Trainings For

NYS National Association of Social Workers

American Adoption Congress Conference

NYS Office of Children & Family Services

University at Albany School of Social Welfare

Hudson Valley Professional Development

National Association of Adoptees and Parents

Adoption Initiative Conference

Rudd Adoption Conference Poster Presentation

Adoptive & Foster Family Coalition NY

Four Winds Hospital Saratoga

Korean Adoptee & Adoptive Family Network Conference

Want to learn more about Marie’s thoughts on adoption issues, visit the blog page to read about adoption reunions, core issues of adoption, relinquishment trauma, and more.