Created by birth parents and experienced professionals, Exploring Adoption is a FREE training course from NCFA that combines recent research, best practices, and personal stories to educate and equip those serving today’s expectant and birth parent population.

PREREQUISITE: You must complete the free Level 101 course before starting Level 201. Scroll to the bottom of this page for a direct link to enroll in the prerequisite.

Too many people involved with expectant and birth parents simply don’t have an accurate or comprehensive understanding of the history of adoption, the experiences of birth parents, and modern day adoption practices.

Exploring Adoption aims to fill this education gap by bringing together the expertise of trusted professionals, evidence-based research, and the lived experiences of birth parents in a free informational course, so that whatever they decide, it’s a fully-informed decision.

Janelle Ison, MBA, Adoption Education Special Projects Manager, National Council For Adoption
Kris Faasse, Senior VP of Clinical Operations (Retired), Bethany Christian Services
Meshan Lehmann, LCSW-C, Pregnancy Social Worker, Paths for Families
Lisa Clark, MSW, LCSW, Executive Director, Adopt International
Sami Albert, LCSW C, LICSW, Domestic Clinical Support Specialist & Pregnancy Counselor, The Barker Adoption Foundation
Saara McEachnie, LCSW C, LICSW, Director of Domestic Adoption Programs, The Barker Adoption Foundation

Webinar length: 90 minutes

After completing this course, professionals will be able to:
• Describe the four Standards of Good Practice in adoption and identify three Social Work Code of Ethics standards.
• Apply the principles of client self-determination and informed consent in adoption counseling.
• Identify types of resource connections available to clients exploring adoption and post-placement.
• Explain potential challenges associated with early matching of expectant parents with prospective adoptive parents.
• Consider counseling practices promoting client self-determination regarding openness in adoption.
• Describe the need for best practices in grief and loss counseling for birth parents.

Course level: Intermediate, Advanced

Cost to register: FREE

National Council For Adoption, #1804, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 04/13/2023 – 04/13/2026. Social workers completing this course receive 1.5 continuing education credits.

This webinar does not offer credit for NJ or NY social workers. For more information on receiving CE credit please visit the FAQ tab. For additional information on the instructors please visit bit.ly/NCFAIson, bit.ly/NCFAFaasse, bit.ly/NCFALehmann, bit.ly/NCFAClark2, bit.ly/NCFAAlbert, and bit.ly/NCFAMcEachnie

Recorded on 4/30/24.