W.I.S.E. Up!® Program

Casey

Your story is yours to share.
W.I.S.E. Up! is here to help!

W.I.S.E. Up!®
Program

W.I.S.E. Up!® empowers children in adoptive, foster, and kinship families to embrace their stories with confidence and pride. Through engaging activities and supportive dialogue, the program creates a safe space where youth build self-awareness, resilience, and communication skills to navigate questions about their families and experiences and prepare them for intrusive questions and insensitive remarks from peers and others:

“Why don’t you look like your parents?”
“How much did you cost?”
“Where are your real parents?”

Rooted in empowerment and belonging, W.I.S.E. Up! helps every child find their voice and share their story – on their own terms.

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[ W ] alk away or ignore what is said or heard
[  I  ] t’s private and I don’t have to answer it
[ S ] hare something about my adoption story
[ E ] ducate others about adoption in general

C.A.S.E. staff have traveled extensively to teach the W.I.S.E. Up!® program to children and families and to the professionals who serve them nationwide as well as internationally including England, Scotland, and Australia.

W.I.S.E. Up!® Products

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  • W.I.S.E. Up!® Products
W.I.S.E. Up! Powerbook - Cover

The W.I.S.E. Up!® PowerBook has been thoughtfully refreshed with a modern, more inclusive design that reflects the diverse experiences of today’s youth and families. At the heart of the journey is Casey the Owl, a trusted guide who helps children and caregivers explore what it means to W.I.S.E. Up! together.

Through engaging activities and supportive dialogue, the PowerBook empowers youth to build self-awareness, resilience, and communication skills as they navigate questions about their families and personal experiences. Rooted in the values of empowerment and belonging, W.I.S.E. Up! encourages every child to find their voice and share their story—on their own terms.

Purchase W.I.S.E. Up!® Powerbook
WISE_UP!_Full Color 1

Parents often report feeling “caught off guard” when confronted with questions and comments about adoption. They often regret how they responded. If adults feel so vulnerable, imagine how challenging it is for children to be asked: “Where are your REAL parents?” “Why don’t you look like your mother?” “I’m glad I’m not adopted.” These questions/comments can be troubling, confusing, and extremely wounding. Former C.A.S.E. Adoption-Competent Therapist, Ellen Singer, LCSW-C will share what parents need to know to effectively teach W.I.S.E. Up!® to their children.

Updated version coming soon!

Watch W.I.S.E. Up!® In-Demand Webinar

Upcoming W.I.S.E. Up!® Trainings

View All Upcoming Trainings & Events
20K

Children from adoptive families and their parents have been helped by the W.I.S.E. Up!® Program

What People Are Saying
About W.I.S.E. Up!® 

Jelani Freeman Former Foster Care Youth
“When I was growing up, I didn't have anything like W.I.S.E. Up!® to help me get through difficult moments at school, on the playground or in my foster home. This is why I hope that you take advantage of the skills W.I.S.E. Up! teaches...”
Surabhi W.I.S.E. Up! Workshop Participant
“The W.I.S.E. Up! workshop was both informative & enjoyable! My 11 year-old daughter, husband & I took away information & tools we can use when we are asked questions about being an adoption family...This is a signature workshop from C.A.S.E.”
Adoptive Mom W.I.S.E. Up! In-Demand Webinar Participant
“This was one of the most helpful trainings I have ever listened to. We recently adopted our son in March and I have had many questions like this that have gone unanswered from DCS and my agency. Thank you for the valuable resource!”
Teen Adoptee W.I.S.E. Up! Video and Workshop Participant
“Being adopted is really not that easy. You get a lot of questions that you don't want to answer but you don't want to say it in a rude way.”
Susan Lavigna LCSW-C, Adoption-Competent Therapist and Adult Adoptee
“I, as an adult who was adopted, would love to have had something like this when I was a kid.”
Jana Wolff Author of Secret Thoughts of An Adoptive Mother
“The W.I.S.E. Up!® program is a simple but powerful way for adopted children (and their families) to answer personal questions. We can’t choose the questions others ask us, but we can choose our responses. What makes the W.I.S.E. Up! program so important is that it really works!”
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W.I.S.E. Up!®
Train the Trainer

Since 2009, C.A.S.E. has trained teams of professionals from 20+ organizations, both nationally and internationally, as W.I.S.E. Up!® Facilitators. To enable other professionals the ability to provide this widely acclaimed program in their communities and to preserve its integrity, C.A.S.E. offers a “Train the Trainer” course to become a certified organization to present W.I.S.E. Up!® program. 

W.I.S.E. Up!® Train the Trainer Interest Form

Organizations Certified to
Present W.I.S.E. Up!®

Below are our national & international map and directory of W.I.S.E. Up!® Facilitators trained to present the W.I.S.E. Up!® Program. 

Contact an organization in your area to see when the next offering of W.I.S.E. Up!® will be held.
Location Organization Contact Name Phone Number Email
Citrus Heights, CA Wayfinder Family Services Tanya Fontenot 916-923-5444 tfontenot@wayfinderfamily.org
Oakland, CA Seneca Family of Agencies Molly Shaeffer 714-334-5090 molly_shaeffer@senecacenter.org
Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland Scottish Adoption & Fostering Leasa Bleteau 0131-553-5060 leasa@scottishadoption.org
Alpheretta, GA FaithBridge Foster Care Katrina Campbell, Director of Training 678-690-7126 kcampbell@faithbridgefostercare.org
Evanston, IL The Cradle Pamela Tancredi 847-475-5800 PTancredi@cradle.org
Indianapolis, IN
Evansville, IN
Bloomington, IN
Kokomo, IN
Portage, IN		 The Villages of Indiana Kristina Simms 812-332-1245 ksimms@villages.org
Kansas City, KS FosterAdopt Connect Crystal Fox 913-717-0211 crystal.fox@fosteradopt.org
Omaha, NE Nebraska Children’s Home Society Tereza Frazier 402-451-0787 tfrazier@nchs.org
Plattsburgh, NY Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country Juliette Lynch 578-561-4999 jlynch@ccccnc.org
Worcester, MA Child and Family Services/Adoption Journeys Lisa Kamyk 508-459-2339 ajadmin@cfservices.org
Holland, MI Hope College Emily Helder 616-395-7274 helder@hope.edu
St. Paul, MN Children’s Home & LSS Rebecca Underhill 651-255-2223 rebecca.underhill@chlss.org
Somerset, PA The Children's Aid Home Programs of Somerset County, Inc. Celeste Decker 814-443-1637 cdecker@cahprogram.org
Sioux Falls, SD Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota Crystal Trevino 605-221-2346 Crystal.Trevino@LssSD.org
Virginia Beach, VA Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia Ruth McCall-Miller 757-535-0703 rmiller@cceva.org
Olympia, WA Washington State Dept. of Children, Youth, and Families Melanie Meyer 360-688-8907 melanie.meyer@dcyf.wa.gov
Milwaukee, WI Coalition for Children, Youth and Families Natalie Underwood 414-640-6363 nunderwood@coalitionforcyf.org
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Support

W.I.S.E. Up!®

Please consider donating to support our efforts in spreading the word about W.I.S.E. Up!® and empowering more children and teens who are adopted with the tools they need to improve their confidence with answering questions about their own unique adoption story.

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