Resources for Family and Loved Ones
Want to be featured in our resources for adoptees or families? We'd love to hear from you! Share your story, expertise, or insights with our community. Email us at Info@TheTiesProgram.com to get in touch.
Articles, Books, and Blogs
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A Painful Truth: Guatemalan Adoptees Learn they are Fraudently Given Away
Exploring Birth Countries: The Mental Health Implications of Heritage Travel for Children/Adolescents Adopted Internationally - Adoption Quarterly
Exploring the Significance of Heritage Travel: A Journey Back, A Journey Forward by Tanya Kaanta and Autumn Ackerson - National Council for Adoption Adoption Advocate
I Found My Birth Mother and It Didn't Rock My Life and That's Ok
National Council For Adoption: Publications, Articles, and Courses/Training for Adoptive Parents
Tracing the Red Thread: Chinese-U.S. Transnational Adoption and the Legacies of "Home" - Anthropologica
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Finding Fernanda: Two Mothers, One Child, and a Cross-Border Search for Truth by Erin Siegal. Author Erin Siegal McIntyre reveals the heart wrenching story of how Mildred Alvarado, a young single mother, embarked on a dangerous mission to reunite with her two kidnapped daughters - and, simultaneously, how an American housewife, Elizabeth Emanuel, who'd been offered the girls accidentally became a reformer dedicated to an ethical adoption system.
Healing Collective Trauma: A Process for Integrating our Intergenerational and Cultural Wounds by Thomas Hübl: Spiritual teacher Thomas Hübl has spent years investigating why it is that old and seemingly disconnected traumas can seed their way through communities and across generations. His work culminates in Healing Collective Trauma, a new perspective on trauma that addresses both its visible effects and its most hidden roots. Thomas combines deep knowledge of mystical traditions with the latest scientific research. “In this way,” writes Thomas, “we are weaving a double helix between ancient wisdom and contemporary understanding.” Thomas details the Collective Trauma Integration Process, a group-based modality for evoking and eventually dissolving stuck traumatic energies. Providing structured practices for both students and group facilitators, Healing Collective Trauma is intended to build a practical tool kit for integration.
If the World Were a Village by David J. Smith and Shelagh Armstrong. By exploring the lives of the 100 villagers, children will discover that life in other nations is often very different from their own. If the World Were a Village is part of CitizenKid, a collection of books that inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens.
Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir by Jessica O'Dwyer. Mamalita is as much a story about the bond between a mother and child as it is about the lengths adoptive parents go to in their quest to bring their children home. At turns harrowing, heartbreaking, and inspiring, this is a classic story of the triumph of a mother's love over almost insurmountable odds.
Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel and Charles C. Mann. This internationally acclaimed bestseller puts a human face on the issues of population, environment, social justice, and consumption as it illuminates the crucial question facing our species today: Can all six billion of us have all the things we want?
The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the healing of trauma by Bessel van der Kolk. Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.
What White Parents Should Know about Transracial Adoption: An Adoptee's Perspective on Its History, Nuances, and Practices by Melissa Guida-Richards: This book, written by Melissa Guida-Richards, a transracial, transnational, and late-discovery adoptee, delves into the unnoticed mistakes that loved ones might be making and provides real-life tools to help them become the best parents they can be to the adoptee they love.
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Adoptee Voices: A blog that supports adoptee storytelling. They offer writing groups and a blog that showcases topics around adoption.
Hyphen: A news and culture magazine, media outlet, and community partner that illuminates Asian America through investigative features on the cultural and political trends shaping the fastest-growing population in the U.S. Includes in-depth profiles of change-makers in the community and a window into the world of artists and writers who are re-envisioning and rewriting what it means to be Asian American.
Nuevasfamilias Guatemala Blog: Familias de Corazón (Families of the Heart) is a Guatemalan-based non profit organization dedicated to fostering connections between adoptive families and the birth families of their Guatemalan-born children, and to providing educational, health and nutritional support to birth families in Guatemala.
Mental Health and Wellness Resources
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Adoption Wellness: Adoption Wellness was founded specifically for adopted individuals and their families. Led by Jaclyn Skalnik (LCSW), a trauma-informed clinician and an international transracial adoptee, the aim is to cultivate a compassionate space that nurtures therapeutic relationships, encourages vulnerability, and supports the exploration of one's complete identity. Jaclyn believes that promoting healthy post-adoption outcomes starts with pre-adoption education and intentional parenting. Jaclyn has also served as an adjunct travel staff member for Ties.
Asian Mental Health Collective: AMHC works to normalize and de-stigmatize mental health within the Asian community. They aspire to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide.
Beyond Words Psychological Services: Searching for a competent and compassionate therapist who understands the complexity of adoption can feel like a daunting task. Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker's practice "Beyond Words" aims to provide a variety of at-home resources to help adoptees and families learn more about the services and training our there for adoptees.
Copihue Counseling: Amy Wilkerson, LCSW, is a Chilean adoptee specializing in Transracial Adoption, Pre-Adoption Support, Post-Adoption Support, Adoption Grief & Loss, Biological Family Support, and Military Spouse Support. She offers teletherapy individual sessions and group sessions, as well as training and consultations.
Therapy Redeemed: Cam Lee Small, MS, LPCC, helps trans-racial adoptees and their families battle isolation and confusion through a selection of professional counseling and education services. He offers online individual, family, and group tele-health options.
Origins Within: Started by Kimiko Kawabori, an adoptee, Origins Within focuses on helping people connect with their origins and themselves through Ancestral Healing and Energetic Insights. Kimiko is an Ancestral Healing practitioner passionate about helping adoptees and others find cultural connections, authentic belonging, and unconditional support from the Earth and ancestors.
The Asian Mental Health Project: Asian Mental Health Project is a non-profit organization that provides educational resources and community care initiatives that help make mental health care more accessible and approachable for the Pan-Asian community. The organization creates multimedia resources, hosts community events, and provides mental health assistance grants.
Support Groups and Community Resources
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Adoption Mosaic: An organization that helps nurture a space where the adoption constellation/community feels valued, heard, understood, and accepted. They offer a variety of parent courses called Conscious Adoption. Their Conscious Adoption education courses are developed by adoptees in collaboration with other adoption constellation members (like adoptive parents) to help individuals and families build adoption competence, make informed decisions around adoption, and connect with other members of their adoption community. They also offer a weekly group consultation for adoptive parents, adult adoptees, and birth parents called Better Together. The purpose is to come together to talk about the hard stuff and strengthen adoption connections.
We the Experts Adoptee and Non-Adoptee Panel Series:We the Experts (WTE) is an adoptee-centered space where adoptees share their lived experiences in a supportive community. Non-adoptees are welcome to attend as listeners and learners. Each panel is recorded and provided to registrants, along with relevant resources. Topics have included LGBTQ+ and Adoptee Identity, Reunion, Relationships, Transracial Adoptee Identity, Substance Use, Birth/First Parents, and Religion.
Also-Known-As: The mission of Also-Known-As is to build a community that empowers the voices of adult international adoptees, while providing resources and space to acknowledge the loss of birth country, culture, language, and biological family.
Children's Home Society of Minnesota: They offer a variety of support groups for members of the adoption and foster care community. You do not have to be a resident of Minnesota to attend these online groups.
Family Support Coach:Children's Home Society of Minnesota offers personalized services for your entire family. Their coach will meet with you and your family to provide individualized parent coaching and help identify and access the resources you may need. The service includes an initial phone consultation and up to three sessions, either virtual or in-person (Twin Cities Metro). Ongoing “tune-up” sessions are available as needed.
Holt International: Holt provides post-adoption support to all who ask for it, regardless of the agency used. Services include everything from one-on-one coaching and education for parents, citizenship support and summer camps.
Therapy Redeemed: A Korean Adoptee Therapist, Cam Lee Small offers group and individual services for adoptees. Cam has many free resources on his website. Cam often offers virtual parent groups and workshops.
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CHINA
China - Birthparent Search: A private Facebook group for Chinese adoptees and adoptive parents and other close relatives of Chinese adoptees. The subject of this group is searching for birthparents in China.
Parents and Childen Adoption from China: A Facebook group of families with children adopted from China. The group comes together to talk about common issues and topics in support of raising healthy happy children.
ETHIOPIA
Ethiopia Homeland Travel and Birth Family Contact: A private Facebook group for Ethiopian adoptive parents, adoptees, and birth parents. The group is for adoption-related homeland trips to Ethiopia.
GUATEMALA
Families with Children From Guatemala: A private Facebook group for families who have adopted from Guatemala
KOREA
325KAMRA: A public Facebook group for reuniting families through DNA: A group helping reunite Koreans thru the use of DNA to their Korean families.
MULTI CULTURAL & EDUCATIONAL
Bridge Communications: Bridge Communications provides diversity training and adoption education with a special emphasis on transracial/transcultural adoption, both domestic and international. The goal is to educate adoptive parents and adoption professionals on becoming a positive multiracial/multicultural adoptive family that allows the child to develop a healthy 1) racial identity, 2) self identity, and 3) family identity. Being a multiracial family is wonderful but it is different than being a monoracial family and it has its own challenges. Bridge firmly believes while love is the beginning of a solid foundation of a multiracial family; love is not enough in a world that is not colorblind.
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AFRICA - ETHIOPIA
Beteseb Felega: Ethiopian Family Search and Adoption Connection: A grassroots effort to reunite family members separated by adoption. Restoring history and relationships through hundreds of searches solved. An American NGO registered to operate in Ethiopia.
GUATEMALA
Adoptees With Guatemalan Roots: Adoptive Family travel partnered with Adoptees With Guatemalan Roots in 2023. AWGR is a charitable organization that advances education on the topic of adoption from Guatemala. Their vision is to help Guatemalan adoptees find their identity and connect to our roots in Guatemala. There were around 50,000 people adopted from Guatemala before international adoption from Guatemala closed in 2008. They are a global community of people adopted from Guatemala. AWGR seeks to build community and provide resources for Guatemalan adoptees.
KAZAKHSTAN
FRUA: FAMILIES FOR RUSSIAN & UKRAINIAN ADOPTION (FRUA) offers hope, help and community for families completed through adoption in Eastern European and central Asian countries. An international 501(c)(3) support organization with chapters across the US and members around the world, it is an all-volunteer organization. FRUA focuses on international adoption support resources, providing a relationship structure that nurtures children and parents, as well as access to family support resources, an understanding community and the FRUA National Education Conference. The adopted children of FRUA’s families come from all former Soviet block countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Belarus, Romania and many more. FRUA celebrates the rich heritage of our children’s birth countries and our Orphanage Support efforts ensure we never forget the children left behind in those orphanages.
Kazapalooza: Kazapalooza is a fun filled weekend long reunion of families who have adopted children from Kazakhstan. It is held annually on the third weekend of June.
KOREA
InKAS – International Korean Adoptee Service, Inc.: InKAS is a non-profit Korean post-adoption organization established in 1999 to protect the welfare and rights of all overseas adoptees and adoptive families. InKAS provides ongoing services and assistance for Korean adoptees and their adoptive families as well as support adoptees to discover their heritage and recollect a sense of unity as an ethnic Korean.
KAAN….Korean American Adoptive Family Network: Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network. Adoptees, Adoptive Parents and Korean Americans are involved in this organization, making it a most inclusive organization. KAAN is a network that links individuals and organizations across the United States and Canada.
SEJONG: Sejong fosters a sense of Korean-American cultural identity for families formed by adoption, birth, marriage, or choice; through education, mentorship, and community building.
EUROPE - RUSSIA AND EASTERN EUROPE
FRUA: FAMILIES FOR RUSSIAN & UKRAINIAN ADOPTION (FRUA) offers hope, help and community for families completed through adoption in Eastern European and central Asian countries. An international 501(c)(3) support organization with chapters across the US and members around the world, it is an all-volunteer organization. FRUA focuses on international adoption support resources, providing a relationship structure that nurtures children and parents, as well as access to family support resources, an understanding community and the FRUA National Education Conference. The adopted children of FRUA’s families come from all former Soviet block countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Belarus, Romania and many more. FRUA celebrates the rich heritage of our children’s birth countries and our Orphanage Support efforts ensure we never forget the children left behind in those orphanages.
Podcasts and Media
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ABC Adoptees Born in China: Same China. Different stories. Chinese adoptees’ stories and the stories of those lives they have become a part of. This podcast acts as a personal journal, archive, and resource for adoptees and others.
All Relative: Defining Diego. Defining Diego is the story of one Guatemalan adoptee and his mother, a reporter who documented their journey from his earliest steps, as they try to understand how international adoption boomed and busted, and what it all means for families like theirs, with feet in two worlds.
INFATU ASIAN Podcast: A show where they aim to illuminate and elevate Asian culture and creators. New episodes every Wednesday. Tune in each week as Curtis and friends discuss ways that Asian creators and Asian culture make our lives more interesting.
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AP Series on South Korean Adoption:
South Korea’s Adoption Recokning
Who Am I, Then?Part 1: Adoption fraud separated generations of South Korean children from their families, AP finds
Part 2: Widespread adoption fraud separated generations of Korean children from their families, AP finds
Part 3: Western nations were desperate for Korean babies. Now many adoptees believe they were stolen
Part 4: Did this happen to me also? Korean adoptees question their past and ask how to find their families
Part 5: South Korean woman sues government and adoption agency after her kidnapped daughter was sent abroad
Part 6: A South Korean adoptee needed answers about the past. She got them — just not the ones she wanted
Part 7: Thousands of children adopted by Americans are without citizenship. Congress is unwilling to act
Part 8: South Korean adoptees and families rocked by fraud allegations
Finding Family: A reporter shares her personal story of adoption and reunion
Found: After DNA tests reveal them to be cousins, three girls adopted by different American families travel to China in hopes of meeting their birth parents.