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MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
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Johnson, Marie-Ann. December, 1986. - ADOPTION-RELATED COUNSELING SERVICES IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA: A NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Abstract: Several factors have radically changed the types of children who are available for adoption. In the past most were infants, but more and more children previously thought unadoptable are being adopted. These "special needs" children can be successfully placed, but the process requires careful guidance from professional counselors. This study, conducted during the months of January, February, and March, 1985, in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, examines the need for counseling services relative to adoption in the Tampa Bay area and which of these services can be rendered by private counselors. The methods used in this study include review of the literature on adoption and counseling, interviewing of twelve key informants to gather information about adoption agencies in the area and their counseling services, attending foster parents and adoption support group meetings, and administration of a survey questionnaire to 132 persons involved in the adoptive process including foster parents, prospective adoptive parents, adoptive parents, adoptees, and professional support personnel. Findings from both interviews and survey questionnaires indicate that there is a need for expansion of adoption counseling services in the Tampa Bay area, particularly in the areas of "Adoptive Family Preparation Counseling" and "Biological Parent Counseling." Shortages of staff, time, and funds place limitations on the amount and quality of counseling services provided within any adoption agency, leaving many opportunities of services from private mental health counselors.
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