The need for adoption competent mental health services has been well documented. However, the term "adoption-competent" has lacked a standardized, broadly accepted definition. This article reports findings from two related studies. The first examines how adoption competencies are demonstrated in practice by clinicians participating in an evidence-informed adoption competency training program. The second is an online survey designed to determine whether members of adoption kinship networks agree with a definition of an adoption competent mental health professional developed by experts. Both studies contribute to our understanding of what constitutes "adoption competent" clinical practice.
Racial socialization protects minority adolescents from stress associated with racial discrimination. The process of racial socialization, however, may be challenging in transracial adoptive families. White parents may struggle with preparing their children for discrimination and fostering the development of racial pride. Thus, transracially adopted youth may be particularly vulnerable to stress resulting from discrimination. This study examines the extent to which racial socialization by White adoptive parents moderates the link between discrimination and stress for their minority adolescents. A study of 59 parent‐child dyads indicated that while not having an independent effect, racial socialization did moderate the link between experiences of discrimination and perceived stressfulness. For those adolescents experiencing high levels of discrimination, racial socialization did serve a protective function.
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