About

Being a clinical social worker specializing in adoption competency is an ongoing journey. It begins with recognizing that to be a competent adoption professional, you need to be “out of the fog” and acknowledging that adoption only happens because of loss. This perspective includes an awareness of the stereotypes and misinformation about birth/first parents, adopted persons, adoptive parents, as well as the business of adoption. Early in her career, Marie noticed that adopted adolescents were overrepresented in the clinical population. This observation was the beginning of Marie Dolfi committing herself to becoming educated on the unique issues facing adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, and their relatives.

Since the 1990s, Marie has pursued extensive professional development in relinquishment and adoption issues by attending trainings and conferences, studying adoption literature and research, and, most importantly, learning from members of the adoption triad. She completed the Center for Adoption Support and Education’s National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative for Mental Health Professionals.

Recognizing that adoption experiences can be traumatic for members of the adoption triad, Marie has committed herself to ongoing evidence-based trauma treatment. Her advanced trauma training includes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Polyvagal Theory’s Safe and Sound Protocol, and the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT/tapping). She completed her foundational EMDR training through the Parnell Institute (EMDRIA-approved) and has received additional training in the use of EMDR with individuals with complex PTSD. In 2023, Marie completed The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation’s Level 1 Training on The Complexities of Complex Trauma. Additionally, Marie has trained in therapy techniques for working with protective parts and addiction.

Leaders in adoption competency Marie has been fortunate to train with include: Joyce Maguire Pavao, Denise Goodman, Joseph Crumbly, John Raible, Hal Grotevant, Jayne Schooler, Holly Van Gulden, Debbie Riley, Amanda Baden, Sharon Kaplan Roszia,  April Dinwoodie, Rhonda Roorda,  Leslie Pate Mackinnon, and Gregory Keck.

Esteemed trauma professionals Marie has trained with include: Bessel van der Kolk, Deborah Korn,  Janina Fisher, Dan Hughes, Susan Brown, Steven Porges, and Karyn Purvis.