Transracial and Intercountry Adoptions

With essays by practitioners and researchers who source empirical research and practical knowledge, this volume recounts the day-to-day realities of the transracial and international adoption process. It addresses key developmental, cultural, health, and behavioral issues and provides techniques for navigating domestic and foreign adoption laws. This text provides targeted guidance on ethnic identity formation, trauma, mental health treatment, the challenges of gay or lesbian adoptions, and a host of other issues not addressed in other volumes.

Recounts the day-to-day realities of the transracial and international adoption process.

Rowena Fong is the Ruby Lee Piester Centennial Professor in Services to Children and Families in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin and Member of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.

Ruth McRoy holds the Donahue and DiFelice Endowed Professorship at the Boston College School of Social Work and is a member of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.

Hal Grotevant, University of Massachusetts, Amherst:
This work draws on the extensive research experience and broad social work practice experience of coeditors Fong and McRoy, in combination with the expertise contributed to specific chapters by a veritable 'who's who' of other researchers and practitioners who are leading figures in the world of transracial and intercountry adoptions.

David Brodzinsky, National Center on Adoption and Permanency:
Rowena Fong and Ruth McRoy, two leading authorities in the field of adoption, have assembled highly talented researchers and practitioners to explore the complicated issues associated with transracial and intercountry adoptions. Their timely and informative book covers a range of topics from a multidisciplinary perspective. It raises important questions about adoption policy, ethical adoption practice, adoptive parent preparation, and supporting healthy racial and cultural identity in adopted individuals. Practice guidelines, case illustrations, and discussion questions enrich each of the chapters, making this volume especially appropriate as an academic and professional training resource. Transracial and Intercountry Adoptions should be required reading for adoption placement professionals, researchers, and practitioners who work with families adopting across racial and cultural lines.

from the foreword by Hal Grotevant, University of Massachussetts–Amherst:
Both evidence-based and accessible. The research reflects the authors' multidisciplinary backgrounds and the growing interdisciplinary nature of the field of adoption research and practice.

Malinda Seymore, Texas A&M University, School of Law:
This excellent book notes the increasing diversity in American families and will be a valuable resource for mental health practitioners, medical doctors, teachers, and child welfare workers.