Adoptees often report that therapy can feel invalidating when clinicians are unaware of the complexities of adoption. Too frequently, therapists unintentionally minimize loss, reinforce harmful narratives, or lack the training to address adoption’s lifelong impact. This one-hour CE workshop centers adult adoptee voices to highlight what they most wish therapists understood. Participants will learn the essential knowledge every clinician should have when working with adoptees, including identity, attachment, grief, and cultural considerations. Grounded in trauma-informed and culturally competent frameworks, this training provides practical strategies to avoid common missteps and create safer, more affirming spaces for adoptee clients.
About the Presenter:
Joanne Bagshaw, PhD, LCPC, is a domestic same-race adoptee from the Baby Scoop Era. She is an AASECT-certified sex therapist and the founder of Joanne Bagshaw & Associates, a group practice focused on sex and relationship therapy in Maryland. Joanne is a recently retired award-winning professor of psychology and women’s studies at Montgomery College. She is also an LGPC board-approved supervisor in Maryland and an AASECT supervisor-in-training. Joanne is the author of "The Feminist Handbook: Practical Tools to Resist Sexism and Dismantle the Patriarchy“ and writes the popular feminist blog, “The Third Wave,” for Psychology Today.
Flourish Media & Education is the education affiliate of Joanne Bagshaw & Associates.
Objectives:
Participants will be able to identify at least three core issues commonly experienced by adult adoptees (e.g., identity development, ambiguous loss, rejection).
Participants will be able to apply at least two adoption-competent, trauma-informed strategies to foster validation, safety, and therapeutic trust with adoptee clients.
CEU Information
This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), is approved for 1 CE credit, and is considered synchronous learning if attended during the live webinar or asynchronous if the recording is watched and a passing score of 80% on the quiz is achieved. These CE credits may be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification through Flourish Media & Education (# 21-716-FME). Completion of this program does not ensure or guarantee AASECT Certification. For further information, please contact ce@aasect.org.
1 CE Credit Core Knowledge Areas, C (Sociocultural & Familal Factors) & E (Intimacy Skills)