Post Adoption Support

One of the most helpful things in life is walking your journey with others who understand. Please spend some time looking through the support options available in Oklahoma. Check out the information below about current and active support groups available to adoptive families. Or, if you are interested in starting your own support group, check out the links below to some top-notch curriculum available to help guide your group’s discussions. And as always, if you would like to speak to a Post Adoption staff member to discuss your needs and questions, please email CWS.PostAdoptionHelp@okdhs.org or call us at (405) 521-2475.

Oklahoma Support Groups

• The Oklahoma Adoption Coalition has provided a site to find adoption support groups in Oklahoma at Oklahoma Adoption Coalition – Find Support Groups.
• The North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) has provided a site to find adoptive parent support groups at NACAC – Find a Parent Group.
• Oklahoma Post Adoption Support. Tulsa, OK. First Saturday of the month, 2:00 PM. Contact Samantha Franklin for more information 918-697-2002 or SFranklin568@yahoo.com
• Family Hope House – Secure Families – Secure Families provides foster, adoptive, and guardianship families with short-term interventions that promote social and emotional regulation and secure relationships all within the context of family. There are groups for families and for child/teens, Secure Parents and Secure Kids.

Adoptee Support Groups

Adoptee Mentoring Society

• Adoptee Lounge: A 1 hour virtual structured support group of adoptees only, facilitated by adoptees.
• Groups available for a range of backgrounds/ages including (with new groups being added often):
  • Adopted Youth Age 12-16
  • Young Adult Adoptees Age 17-22
  • Transracially Adopted Boys Age 12-16
  • Adult Adoptees Age 23 and Up

• 1:1 Mentoring (Not therapy but rather conversation/interaction with a mentor also living the adoptee experience)
• Ages 12-Adult can participate, designed for adoptees of all backgrounds

Help One Child

• Teen Groups
• Adoptive Parent Groups
• Parents of Teens Groups
• Relative Caregiver Groups

The teen support group is a six week virtual session each fall for teens age 13-19 years old. 12 year olds may participate if mature/ready and there is space available. Adults can also sign up on this website to host your own group.

AdopteesConnect

Groups are primarily for adult adoptees, groups occur in various locations around the country.

Tulsa, OK-In person Group
Spring Gray
918-978-6308
adopteesconnect.tulsa@gmail.com

Foster Care and Adoptive Association of Oklahoma

The Foster Care and Adoptive Association of Oklahoma (FCAO) is a non-profit created to encourage the recruitment, retention, training, and professional treatment of foster and adoptive families in Oklahoma. Their goal is to assist, support, and promote cooperation among foster care and adoptive professionals, biological families, child welfare staff, service providers, and volunteers in Oklahoma, helping to improve services for foster and adoptive children. There is information on this website of active support groups across the state, as well as connection to the staff for advice or encouragement.

Starting a Support Group!

Starting your own group can be a daunting task, but you don’t have to start from scratch! Check out the links below to some curriculum available to anyone interested in starting and leading your own adoption support group.

American Adoption Congress (PDF)

This document provides some great information on how to get started if you are interested in forming a new adoption support group. Included are some step-by-step tips of how to prepare to facilitate a support group and how to set up your own support group. Also included are some “helpful tips” on forming and running your own adoption support group.

NACAC, Starting and Nurturing Adoptive Parent Groups; a Guide for Leaders (PDF)

This guide is older, but still full of excellent information and tips on starting a new adoptive parent support group. Written for adoptive, foster, and kinship parents interested in starting a new parent group.

NACAC Parent Group Training & Articles

This website holds many links to information and sites to help resource support group leaders. There are articles with information, such as parent resource curriculum, book club group meeting guide, and operating a warm line. Additionally, there are links to available trainings for support group leaders to learn more about providing support for families.

Leading Foster and Adoptive Parent Support Groups: A Guide for Social Workers (PDF)

Another oldie, but goodie! This is a guidebook created to assist social workers interested in starting a new support group for adoptive parents. This guide includes a chapter on how to facilitate group sessions and help foster beneficial conversations.