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Select an area of focus. Consider becoming a birth parent counselor. Become a counselor for adoptive parents. Decide whether you would like to work with a public state agency, a licensed private agency or an international agency. Prepare to conduct home studies.
There are many routes you can take as an adoption counselor. You might consider working as a counselor for adoptive parents or as an advocate for the birth parents of the child. Your previous field work and supervised work experience should be your guide in selecting specific positions for application. Birth parents often experience a range of emotions during the adoption process including grief, fear and loss. Helping your clients cope with these emotions will be an important component of your work. You might also consider working with birth mothers or birth parents who are unsure if they want to pursue adoption. You can inform them of their options while also providing them information on the process of adoption. Governmental departments such as Health and Human Services and non-profits like Planned Parenthood often help connect these adoption counselors to birth mothers. As a counselor in this role, you will help adoptive parents navigate the often long and complex process of adoption. You will need to make sure they are aware of the many options they have in pursuing adoption (with public, private or international agencies) as well as preparing them for any potential obstacles during and after the adoption process. By working with a public adoption agency, you will be helping children in the foster care system who are sometimes older. You will also work as a counselor to both the parents and the child as they transition from the foster care system to the adoptive home. If you work in a private, licensed adoption agency or an international agency, you are more likely to work with infants and parents who are interested in adopting infants. If you are working as a consultant with an adoption agency, you might be required to visit the home of the prospective adoptive parents and assess it according the state guidelines and/or the requirements of your licensed private agency. In addition to assessing the physical condition of the home, counselors conducting home studies will also need to evaluate the emotional state of the adoptive parents, including their concerns and anxieties as well as their general views on parenting and family life.