Using Clinical Assessment to Enhance Adoption Success

Abstract

There is a growing recognition that adoptive families have unique clinical needs, including the need for postadoption mental health services that are adoption competent, trauma informed, and evidence based. Although underrep-resented in the literature, the assessment process is the gateway to the provision of trauma-informed, adoption-competent services for adoptive families. Based on a thorough review of the literature and clinical experience, the current article provides several specific recommendations for social workers and other mental health clinicians in conducting assessment with adoptive families, including domains to assess; specific strategies for assessing each domain; and guidelines for using the results of the assessment for case conceptualization, treatment planning, and family engagement. Implications for practice are discussed, including recommendations for obtaining training needed for adoption competence.