Counseling is generally recommended for families seeking to foster or adopt a child. In counseling, a family can prepare for any issues that might arise and learn how to cope with a child’s particular or special needs, including any behavioral or health issues.

Counseling can be used to treat a wide variety of concerns related to adoption and foster care. Some ways therapy may help people cope with adoption or foster care include:

• Exploring one’s identity
• Addressing behavioral disorders in adopted or foster children
• Processing trauma, post traumatic stress (PTSD), or abuse
• Telling a child they are adopted. (not keeping it a secret) Adoptive parents may be able to help by providing children with as much information as possible and by answering any questions a child might have about their adoption.
• Working through anxiety, depression, addiction, and any mental health issues
• Healing attachment issues experienced
• Attachment issues may be helped or resolved with intensive attachment-specific therapy, in addition to child and family trauma work. Skilled and loving caregivers who can self-regulate and provide children with what they need developmentally may be successful at helping children who face these issues adjust

Some, though not all, children who have been adopted or in foster care may experience psychological, neurological, social, and behavioral problems unique to their individual situation. These potential problems which can develop at any age, may be:

• Bonding
• Cognitive delays
• Attachment
• ADHD
• Relationship issues
• Identity formation
• Trauma
• Defiance
• Stigmatization
• Cultural changes
• Environmental issues such as malnutrition
• Addiction
• Self esteem
• Health issues (obtain family medical records if possible)