ABSTRACT
The chapter describes the growing consensus around clinical competencies that distinguish adoption competent clinical practice as a specialized area of mental health practice that features core principles, overarching and interrelated approaches, and the application of specialized competencies in major areas of clinical intervention seen regularly in work with adoptive families. Noting the pre-adoption biological and experiential risk factors that result in complex mental health needs that challenge standard assessment and intervention practices, the chapter characterizes practice through an “adoption lens” as employing an ecological perspective that considers biological, psychosocial, and contextual factors and processes that affect development and adjustment while addressing issues inherent in adoption. The chapter describes specific distinguishing features of adoption competent clinical practice applied to work around family formation, grief and loss, trauma and brain development, attachment, therapeutic parenting, and identity formation. Implications include need for an increased number of therapists with specialized competencies through expansion of training; formal credentialing of practitioners with specialized expertise and creation of a registry to aid families in locating them; recognition of the value of the specialty practice in assignment and hiring, referral, and insurance reimbursement practices; and a larger body of research evidence of effectiveness of the specialty practice.
