How can a person be an "adoption specialist"?

julie j

Hi Anastasia,

There are no official requirements for calling oneself an "adoption specialist." It's a title anyone who works in the adoption industry can bestow upon themselves. True, one would think that those calling themselves specialists in a particular field would at least have some personal experience with it.

I think what they really mean is they work for the industry. They become specialists in separating families so the children (usually infants) can be made available for their paying clients, the AP's. It means they are knowledgeable in making money from the process of adoption too. We should not infer any of that to mean they necessarily have empathy for all sides of adoption.

Sometimes I do see AP's online who work in adoption agencies. I'm not clear if they began their work first and gained access to a baby that way, or began employment after they became AP's. Rarely if ever would you see a first mother or adoptee promoting themselves as an adoption specialist in that capacity. Those are the ones who would better understand how it feels. Thanks for bringing this up. It's a good reminder that titles do not always convey specific or inclusive knowledge on a given subject.

julie j
reunited adoptee

Gershom

Life experience as an adoptee.

myst1998

I have often thought the same thing. They can only be a 'specialist' so far as qualifications but to understand the feeling of a natural parent or adopted person they need to have been there themselves or seen a loved one suffer through the consequences.

It is easy to read, research and theorise but until you have walked in those shoes a mile at least, it is hard to offer the right support.

Looney Tunes

First, I have NO idea what an adoption specialist is. It stirs up a picture of a lady holding a giant album of "babies" and modeling the choices. Do they get to put letters after their name: AS

BUT.........
You know, I want to say that there were some studies done that evaluated patients perspectives of their doctors and ranked them on various things.

IN all cases, the doctors that had either had the disease, or that had a family member that had the disease (say like cancer) were ranked higher by patients on everything from abilities and skills to caring and concern. Perhaps experiencing the disease created greater empathy because the doctors really knew what it was like.
(Oh yeah, the patients were blind to the disease status of the doctor, so the patients were never told if the doctor had a "personal" experience with disease)

This has been replicated in several studies in different populations, etc.

Rowan

Good question. Normally a person would have to have some experience in that field. So an adoptee would be perfect. Anyone else...they can say they know a lot about adoption, but thats it.

Mei-Ling

An adoption specialist, as many on here have already stated, is likely to be someone who knows all the ins and outs of the laws pertaining to adoption.

Not necessarily about the emotional process.

Sly

The credentials required differ from state to state, but I know of one who was a Flight Attendant before deeming herself an Adoption Specialist. Another who was a Butcher. You only have to be allowed by your state law. Most of them, from my understanding, work as brokers, finding babies and brokering them to PAPs or agencies.

Not Adopted

Adoption specialist, realtor, car salesman, whatever. Their goal is to close the sale and collect the cash. Nothing more, nothing less.

vincentgl

Of course they can't truly understand how it feels, if they have never experienced anything like it (adoption, raising a child, dealing with emotional/pyschological challenges, etc.). But, they can be trained in the details of the legal process, preparing for that process, knowing the questions to ask, advising on what they have been trained (known issues, unique parental challenges, unique child emotional challenges that are different).

This is similar to Psychologist and Psychiatrist. They may be "experts" in various mental disorders without ever having suffered from them (hopefully!!!), or having had someone in their care who did. But again, they can't really fully appreciate how, say, it feels emotionally at the onset of Alzheimer's. They won't really fully appreciate all the emotions and feelings that the family care-givers will feel as their parent, grand-parent, sibling, or spouse degenerates under Alzheimer's.

Are you asking because you are dealing with an adoption-related issue? Supplement what any "Adoption Specialist" tells you by finding a group of people that have gone through the situation and are willing to offer guidance, help, and support.

LovemyBebe

I think that an adoption specialist is someone that knows the ropes in the process. They know the paperwork, the wait, and the order in which to follow. They do see both sides of the case every day though. They watch and talk to the biological parents and see what they go through. They also see the hardship of the parents waiting and praying for a child. They also see every day the children that go without parents adopting them.

Truth_matters

I have seen severel of your answers and you seem incredibly bitter about being adopted.....how old are yoU?....Im so sorry that your adoptive family didn't turn out to be the best thing for you....perhaps you are just really sad that your birth family gave you up and angry with them for abandoning you......I encourage you talk to someone about these feelings....its not doing you any good to keep them inside and let them dominate your life. Still, there are many people who are most grateful they were adopted and not kept by their birth parents..not all adoption is bad. Again, I am so sorry you are going through this...I hope you will find peace one day.

The Worlds Darling

A specialist in any field studies in that field.

You don't have to ever have had cancer to be a cancer specialist.
You only have to have studied in that field.

They don't have to know how if feels to be adopted they only have to have learned the laws and how to find parents and children and it's obvious they care.

I don't need all my "specialists" to have gone through what they are specialists in.

Zainab A

if your want someone/ people who know how it feels to be adopted and you feel you want to talk about wat u went through and are going through then maybe you should find poeple who have been adopted and talk it over for them. because this is wat u are looking for in an adoption specialist maybe they will help you more than the real ones!

try facebook and search for 'adopted', or any other place wer theres other people you can connect with and wont feel alone. you will find groups in facebook who have joined and you well can just add them as friends and tell each other your stories.

if you want someone profesional lke a real specialist to JUST 'understand' then ask them if you can go to a day time group were you can talk about it - they might have them?

anyway ur adoption specialist will never understand and he will only be able to help you in what he is good at and a profesioanl at.

so gd luck!

googie

If a person knows all the legalities of the adoption process, its requirements, government laws and restrictions they are " specialists ". They dont have to know how it feels. or anything other than the proper paperwork so that the request will not be denied by the court.

slick09

i would think you would need a degree of some sort

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