Adoption Support Services

The Adoption Support Services Program is a short-term, in-home counseling program for DYFS involved children and families in foster care, who are experiencing emotional difficulties. In this program, therapists work with the adoption triad, which includes birth parents, their children, and the foster parents caring for the children. The issues addressed regarding placement may include helping children transition from birth home to foster home, foster home to adoptive home, or reunification with birth parents. Children in this situation often experience a variety of emotional problems including, but not limited to, separation and loss, anger, guilt, shame, school problems, attachment or bonding issues. The children referred to this program by DYFS range in age from 3 to 17 years of age. The therapist can work with the child and family for a period of 6 months, in which they will have 12 sessions. This time period may be extended at the discretion of the DYFS caseworker and supervisor, if they feel that the situation warrants extended therapy.

The therapist meets with the child at home or at school to provide counseling, using a variety of therapeutic techniques. These techniques may include talking to the child about his or her situation to encourage understanding, art therapy, and using therapeutic books, games or videos. The therapist also helps the birth or foster parents understand how they can help the child by educating them about the emotions and behaviors that are exhibited as a result of the changes experienced by the child. The changes the child needs to make may include moving from home to home, getting used to new schools, new home and school rules, changing friends, schedules, foods, sharing homes and bedrooms with other children, and trying to become attached to these different environments and people in their lives.

This program is provided in Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset and Hunterdon Counties in New Jersey. Therapists also advocate for the family to receive other needed services, and encourage them to utilize local community services that may also be helpful to them.