Beneath the Mask: How to Clinically Support Adolescents through the Six Stuck Spots

Adolescence is a time when adoptees struggle with an extra layer of challenges related to their identity, their future and their past. Participants will explore how the “normal” or typical developmental tasks of the teen years are intensified by adoption, particularly if teens are being raised by parents of a different race or culture. Participants will gain an understanding of how adoption influences separation from parents, identity formation and decisions related to sexuality. In signature her book, Beneath the Mask: Understanding Adopted Teens, author and C.A.S.E. CEO Debbie Riley highlights “the six spots where teens get stuck” as key vulnerabilities around the adoption experience in adolescence. This workshop will address those stuck spots in detail, including excerpts from the newly published companion book, Beneath the Mask: For Teen Adoptees/Teens and Young Adults Share Their Stories. Potentially mild and serious emotional and behavioral issues at home and at school will be addressed. 

Objectives:

• Participants will learn and understand the six most common “stuck spots” for the adopted adolescent and the impact on development.
• Participants will be able to identify the complexities of identity formation for the adopted adolescent.
• Participants will be able to ascertain the impact of unresolved loss and grief in adoption.
• Participants will be able to identify effective clinical treatment strategies to use with adopted adolescents.

Register today by clicking HERE! (You must be logged into the LMS in order to sign up)