THE CHANGING PICTURE OF ADOPTION:
Voices of Adoptees, Birth Parents, and Adoptive Parents
 

 

Saturday, May 20, 2006
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Headlands Institute*
Golden Gate National Recreation Area,
Sunset Room #1054
Sausalito, CA   94965

 
 

The content is designed for adoption professionals, adult adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents. No matter where you are in the adoption process,
our depth of content will benefit you.
 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: JEAN STRAUSS

This one-day conference features keynote speaker, Jean Strauss, filmmaker and author of Beneath a Tall Tree, and adoption bestseller Birthright. Mrs. Strauss will feature her short film, "Vital Records" which deal with policy, the issue of secrecy, and the need for access to information. Following the films Mrs. Strauss will speak about her view of the changing picture of adoption, and the significance of her film's content.
 

Left: Jean Strauss with her brother, Bobby.    Right: Mother, Grandmother and Jean
 

THREE PANEL WORKSHOPS

Three workshops will illustrate the changing picture of adoption by creating a safe opportunity for adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoptees to voice their unique perspectives in one setting.

YES, WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT – Moderator: Jean Strauss

Some adoption related issues are difficult to talk about. In this panel triad members answer questions we need to ask.

ALL IN THE FAMILY OF OPEN AND CLOSED ADOPTION – Moderator: Virginia Keeler-Wolf, MFT

There is a tendency to polarize open or closed adoptions with the notion that one kind is preferable to the other. All adoptive family members share the pain of losses, and the gift of new possibility. Listen to two families talk about their real-life experiences and challenges in open and closed adoption.

WHAT DID YOU SAY? - Moderator: Melissa Holub, Ph.D.

An adoptive mother tells her child that her "birthmother" "made an adoption plan" for her. That same "birthmother" tells her best friend, "I gave up" my "firstborn". Whose language is it anyway? And what nuances are we conveying? This triad panel will offer a frank conversation about the impact of adoption language.
 

SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY

8:30 - 9:15       Registration
9:15 - 9:30       Introduction
11:00 - 12:30   Workshop 1: Yes We Can Talk About It
12:30 - 1:30     Lunch - provided
1:30 - 3:00       Workshop 2: All In The Family of Open and Closed Adoption
3:15 - 4:30       Workshop 3: What Did You Say?
4:30                  Reception