C.A.S.E. Academy
The C.A.S.E. Academy
Elevating Clinical Practice In Permanency
The C.A.S.E. Academy is for mental health professionals of all levels to grow and deepen in adoption, foster, kinship specialty practice across the country.
In this optimal learning environment, mental health professionals have the opportunity to be immersed in our evidence-based and informed trainings while benefitting from our field-tested adoption competent therapeutic approach. With specialized knowledge and a recharged perspective, together we can strengthen and retain the child welfare and mental health professions workforces amidst complex variables.
Participating in the C.A.S.E. Academy will allow clinicians and systems individual and collective success that will increase job satisfaction and improve outcomes for children and families.
The C.A.S.E. Academy piloted with the
University of Oklahoma
The Results are in…and it’s working!
After a unique two-year collaboration with the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the Academy exceeded goals and are thrilled with the outcomes
Participants ranked their satisfaction with the Academy as very high. Both interns and master’s level mental health professionals valued the training content, supervision, and resources provided. This supports the Academy’s goal of building the workforce!
Early evidence also suggests the skills learned are being applied to practice, which ultimately leads to better outcomes for children and families.
Scores included:
- Steady improvement across all 10 competencies in adoption competence.
- Interns rating their own preparedness at 4.3 out of 5 and their supervisors rating them at 4.4!
- Consistent use of skills even after the program had finished.
- 100% of interns reported ‘always or often’ using skills acquired in the program.
The C.A.S.E. Academy Advisory Board brings together a dynamic group of national experts utilizing their various backgrounds and deep wisdom to actively consult on the direction, structure and coursework for the Academy.
Meet the C.A.S.E. Academy Advisory Board
(Click to View)
The successful outcomes don’t end with our interns! Since the Fall of 2024, we have piloted courses with Advanced Mental Health Professionals around the country, and this is what they are saying:
Advanced Mental Health Professional Participant
C.A.S.E. Academy
“The courses challenged my prior assumptions and provided new perspectives on supporting adoptees across the lifespan.”
Advanced Mental Health Professional Participant
C.A.S.E. Academy
“My experience reignited my passion for working with families and refined the knowledge in my arsenal.”
Academy Advanced Mental Health Professional Participant
C.A.S.E. Academy
“The competencies have deepened & broadened my understanding of the impact of adoption on families & how these impact each family system differently”
Mental Health Professionals reported high ratings of satisfaction with the Academy courses and importantly, their skills from courses grew:
96%
rated the content was relevant to their profession
98%
indicated the training was helpful to their work
98%
reported the presenters were responsive to participants
98%
indicated the presenters presented the subject matter clearly
100%
rated the presenters as knowledgeable
We offer mental health professionals:
The Academy’s advanced courses are designed for mental health professionals who have completed TAC and want a deeper understanding and more robust skill set on adoption-related topics.
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Sibling Course Faculty: Dr. Bonni Goodwin, May 1, 8, & 15, 2026 – Learn More + Register Today
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Identity Course Faculty: Debbie Riley, LCMFT, coming October 2026
Clinical Supervisors Coursework Coming Soon – Express Your Interest!
Our latest exciting addition, the simulation lab takes you into the real world of adoption-competent practice. Working with actors as clients, mental health professionals practice their adoption-competent clinical skills in a simulated environment gaining valuable insight from their experiences and the feedback of others. Research shows that this teaching tool leads to exponential skill growth and we are excited to have it a part of the C.A.S.E. Academy’s offerings.
Our one-of-a-kind instructional video collections are tailored for clinical audiences to dig deeper into the most salient areas of adoption-competent care. With expert topical lessons for mental health professionals, combined with a unique adoption competent therapy session simulation, you won’t find this anywhere else. The instructional video library is used in combination with the other Academy offerings and not offered separately. Each video contains the unique combination of a topical lesson for mental health professionals and an adoption-competent therapy session simulation that demonstrates how the lesson can be applied to clinical work.
Learn More about the Audiences Served by the Academy:
Interns: Growing Adoption Awareness
Interns are mental health professionals enrolled in their final year of a graduate program in social work, marriage and family therapy, counseling, or psychology. Ideal students are those seeking a social work internship and actively wish to pursue work with children and families in the child welfare community, with particular interest in adoptive, foster and kinship families.
The Academy partners with universities around the country to prepare interns for the workforce. This benefits both the intern and their future employer! Interns in the Academy begin developing a clinical specialty that will make them more marketable to launch their careers and more confident and capable once they join the workforce with unparalleled skills. And, the Academy offers support for specializing intern supervisors as well!
Universities interested can submit an interest form or start a conversation via email with C.A.S.E. Academy Director, Laura Ornelas:
If you are in intern in the DC, Maryland, Virginia area, your practicum can be done at C.A.S.E.
If you will not be interning in the DC, Maryland, Virginia area, please be sure to let your university know about our program to see how we might be able to work with them!
Post TAC Mental Health Professionals: Acquiring Adoption Competence
Post TAC Mental Health Professionals are post master’s degree and have completed our TAC class, are licensed or soon to be licensed, with approximately 2-5 years of experience in child welfare, adoption, kinship caregiving, loss, trauma, etc.
Academy participants can pay for this training through their employer or individually. Virtual consultations with participants and site supervisors can be arranged. If an employer does not fund attendance, scholarships and fee reduction applications will be available for those with lived experience or professional goals that demonstrate their commitment to this specialization and their ability to contribute to the field.
Ask us about offerings for supervisors!
Advanced Mental Health Professionals: Developing Excellence in Adoption
Advanced practitioners are mental health professionals who have received the TAC badge, who have engaged with a range of C.A.S.E. offerings and have been working clinically with foster/adoptive/kinship families for at least six years. They may provide clinical supervision and/or may be interested in research.
In addition to participating in a learning cohort, the advanced practitioner has access to clinical consultation with expert clinician(s) and potential for participation in research studies and advocacy opportunities if interested. Upon completion of the learning cohort, the advanced practitioner can apply to provide adoption-competent clinical supervision for the Academy.
Transformational Features of our Professional Learning Opportunities:
Lived-Experience Guidance
C.A.S.E.'s work is informed by the true experts, those who have lived-experience in an adoptive, foster or kinship family. Individuals with lived-experience impact all of C.A.S.E.'s educational materials and are often developers or teachers.
Best Practice Teaching
C.A.S.E. is proud to lead the field of adoption competence. We research, create, elevate and refine the latest advancements in adoption specialty clinical care.
Impact Coaching
Taking a training is one thing, integration into practice is another. We provide expert consultation to individuals and systems to ensure knowledge extends far past the classroom into skills with families.
Knowledge Networking
This complex work is always done better in community. We create learning communities for practitioners around the country who have similar skill level, needs and interests to collaborate and consult with one another.
Measurable Outcomes
Our work both springs from and produces results. Set upon measurable competencies for interns, clinicians and supervisors, you and your organization will enjoy watching scores on both knowledge and skills outcomes rise-and best of all, the families you serve will benefit from the results!
6 CEs Available!
Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.), Provider #1972, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 3/3/2026 – 3/3/2029. Social workers completing this course receive 6 CEs – 1 General, 3 Clinical, 1 Ethics, and 1 Social & Cultural Competence continuing education credits.
Registration Deadline is April 27, 2026
