Online Courses for Adoptive Parents and Professionals
Click on a title for course descriptions:- Parent Planning for Special Needs Adoption
- Talking to Your Child About Adoption
- Preparing to Adopt
- Because They Waited™
- Adopting from China
- China Adoption Package
- Adopting from African Countries
- Adopting from East European Countries
- Transitions, Developmental Challenges or Just Regular Kid Stuff?
- Discipline: Managing Your Child's Bid for Power (Power Struggles)
- Race and Culture
- Understanding Trauma In Children
- Opening Up Open Adoption
- Returning Families Package
- CEU Upgrade
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Parent Planning for Special Needs Adoption This 2 hour course is for both pre- and post-adoptive parents. Presenters go beyond discussing various types of special needs and delve into how how caring for a child with special needs impacts different aspects of the whole family. Different types of resources are examined and participants will begin to discern which resources might be best for their family. Most importantly, the course walks parents through building their own individualized parenting plan with local and national resources. |
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Talking to Your Child About Adoption The topic of talking to children about adoption is one of the most requested by adoptive parents! This 2 hour course guides parents through a process of "following the questions". Delve in to the idea of message sending about adoption from a broad societal lens, consider it then in terms of your own unique family, and then get down to the "nitty gritty" specifics of talking to your child about adoption. |
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Preparing to Adopt This 1/2 hour course is an introduction to adoption and is geared to those considering or just beginning the adoption process. Compare and contrast the different types of adoption and consider your own motivations to adopt as a part of deciding what type of adoption is best for your family. |
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Because They Waited™ education system
Our cornerstone course, the Because They Waited™ education system is online with modules covering topics pertinent to individuals adopting a baby or an older child, internationally or through foster care. Modules present "The Science" in a user friendly format, followed by "The Parenting" which offers concrete parenting tools and finally, "Wrap Up, Review and Resources" and provides 10 hours of Hague compatible education. Because They Waited does more than just help families fulfill necessary requirements prior to adopting. Many seasoned parents also find the system to be an invaluable resource that goes beyond adoption preparation and meets parenting challenges head on. |
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Adopting from China Topics include determining a child's eligibility for adoption, race and culture issues specific to Chinese adoptions, common medical concerns, transitioning a child home and more. Your purchase provides access for two parents to receive certificates of completion for 1 hour of training. Chinese adoption regulations require families to obtain a total of 12 hours of education. Click here to learn more about our 12 hour China specific package. |
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Adopting from African Countries This 1 hour course addresses topics pertinent to families adopting from African countries. Topics include determining a child's eligibility for adoption, race and culture issues specific to African adoptions, transitioning a child home and more. |
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Adopting from East European Countries This 1 hour course addresses topics pertinent to families adopting from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other East European countries. Topics include the adoption process, race and culture issues specific to East European adoptions, common medical issues, transitioning a child home and more. |
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Transitions, Developmental Challenges or Just Regular Kid Stuff? This 1 hour course addresses topics such as transitioning a child home, sorting out "regular kid stuff" from adoption related concerns and ideas for parenting all of these. |
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Discipline: Managing Your Child's Bid for Power (Power Struggles) This one hour course is designed for parents and agency staff. Learn parental responses that help with the prevention of power struggles and management techniques for exiting the power struggles we slip into. |
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Race and Culture Explore the concepts of race and culture and it relates to adoption and foster care. This one hour course, included in the Because They Waited education system, discusses topics such as addressing racism, looking at culture in terms of larger culture and sub-cultures, talking with your child about race and culture, white privilege and more. |
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Understanding Trauma in Children |
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Returning Families Education Package* This course is for clients who have already completed the Because They Waited™ education system and wish to further their education. The package includes a review of the Because They Waited™ education system along with the following popular courses: Managing Your Child's Bid for Power, Understanding Trauma in Children, Transitions, Developmental Challenges, or Just Regular Kid Stuff?, Talking to Your Child About Adoption
and a BONUS country-specific course, if appliable.
* Package is only available to previous purchasers of the Because They Waited™ education system. |
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Opening Up Open Adoption: What is it and is it for you? This 2 hour course examines openness in adoption. The course considers openness from the viewpoints of adoptive parents, birth parents, adoption professionals, and adult adoptees. It addresses both theoretical and practical aspects of openness in adoption. Participants explore what open adoption might look like before and after the adoption, the individual nature of openness, benefits, challenges, and more. |
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CEU Upgrade
This upgrade is for professionals who have already registered for the Because They Waited™ education system and wish to upgrade their certificate to include the NASW endorsement. The Because They Waited system has been approved by the National Association of Social Workers (provider #886473588) for 10 continuing education contact hours. |

