The conceptual framework known as the seven core issues in adoption, (Loss; Rejection; Shame and Guilt; Grief; Identity; Intimacy; Mastery and Control) was developed by Sharon Kaplan Roszia, MS and Deborah Silverstein, MSW to offer a unifying lens that is inclusive of all individuals touched by the adoption experience. In their recently released book, Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency, Allison Davis Maxon, LMFT, renowned consultant, clinician and trainer, combined her expertise with Ms. Roszia to create a deeper understanding of the impact of these core issues on adoption constellation members including adopted persons of all ages, adoptive parents and their families and birth parents and their families.
Parent Program Guest Speaker: Allison Davis Maxon, LMFT
Allison is a nationally recognized expert in child welfare and children’s mental health. Specializing in attachment, trauma and permanency and adoption, she has over twenty-five years of experience as a clinician, educator, author and advocate. Allison is the Executive Director at the National Center on Adoption and Permanency in California. She received the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s “Angels in Adoption” award in 2017 and served as the foster care and adoption consultant for the Paramount Pictures movie INSTANT FAMILY.
C.,A.S.E. welcomes Allison to the KAN Conference for a day of in-depth exploration into the feelings, task and challenges that adoption and permanency create for all individuals and families. The specific concerns regarding youth who have experienced multiple attachment disruptions such as neglect, exposure to trauma, abuse or violence, and traumatic separations from birth or first parents, siblings or other loved ones will be addressed. Parents will leave with practical tools for addressing these core lifelong issues to promote well-being, growth and healing.