The Hybrid Family - Understanding Trans-Ethnic Adoptive Parenting (Paperback)

"The Hybrid Family: Understanding Trans-Ethnic Adoptive Parenting" is written as a guide for the mental health practitioner and adoptive parent. It covers topics such as the importance of: language of origin, attachment and bonding, ethnic origin identity, lifebooks, open vs closed legal arrangements and much more. Here's a quote directly from the text: "Adoption waiting after official paperwork is complete can be anywhere from a couple of weeks, months or years. It is a time of preparation for a change in lifestyle, as well as an opportunity for the adoptive parents to educate themselves on the special needs of a trans-ethnic adoption. It has been suggested that if the adoptive parents take this time to get up to speed on diversity sensitivity and attachment, the success rate of immediate adjustment after adoption is much greater. Many times adoptive parents get caught up in paperwork and then family adjustment. They fail to seek preventative assistance before there is a crisis. Attachment is a process that many times can be better facilitated by a mental health professional, rather than the adoptive parents taking it on themselves alone. A resource list is advised. Diversity issues that naturally arise for an adoptee in adolescence can be largely tackled in the same way, preventively."