Adoption Training

Marie Dolfi shares her extensive knowledge of adoption and relinquishment through adoption trainings designed for professional development for mental health professionals and adoption education for adoption organizations. As an experienced adoption trainer, Marie has an aptitude for weaving together adoption research, theory, personal stories, and therapeutic techniques designed to improve the lives of adoption triad members. As a trauma-focused therapist, Marie incorporates information on healing adoption trauma through trauma-focused therapy techniques.

More than 12 organizations throughout the United States and the UK have invited Marie to lead adoption workshops, with many inviting her back for additional adoption training programs. In-person and virtual adoption workshops are offered in a variety of settings, including private agencies, adoption conferences, professional development workshops for mental health professionals, and adoption support groups. Online adoption trainings are especially well suited for organizations that want to reach a large geographic audience, as well as individuals who would like to hear Marie speak without the expense and inconvenience of traveling to an in-person training.

For every training, Marie extensively reviews the latest adoption education and research and provides a detailed list of adoption resources tailored to each training. If you are looking for a knowledgeable and engaging adoption trainer for your organization, please call Marie at 518-281-8884 or email her using the form on the contact page.

Upcoming Trainings

There are no trainings scheduled at this time.

Virtual training for the National Association of Adoptees and Parents

Follow Marie on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook to learn details of trainings as they become available. Links to social media are at the bottom of this webpage.

Below are descriptions of adoption trainings for mental health professionals, adoption conferences, and adoption support groups. Some adoption issues topics (e.g. healing adoption traumas, core issues of adoption, genetic sexual attraction in reunion relationships) are topics for workshops that can be done for any audience. Some adoption workshops are specifically for mental health professionals. 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.

If you are interested in an adoption education topic that is not listed below, feel free to reach out to Marie to discuss your program needs.

Understanding Adoption Traumas and Tools for Healing

This comprehensive Healing Adoption Traumas Training explores how trauma-focused therapy approaches can help adoption triad members heal from complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). It interweaves information on relinquishment and adoption trauma experiences, highlighting how these experiences contribute to C-PTSD symptoms, and reviews techniques that can be used in and out of therapy to reduce trauma symptoms.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

Adoption Network Cleveland

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

American Adoption Conference

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