With the exception of the Suggested Parent Handouts and the Resources, no part of this curriculum may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the producer, Gregory C. Keck, Ph.D., Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio, 12608 State Road, Suite 1, Cleveland, OH 44133, 440-230-1960.

"As the Chairperson of the Education Committee of JCICS, it was my pleasure to review Abroad & Back created by ABC of Ohio. I have worked with adoptive families for 20 years and it is wonderful to see the advancement in family preparation that has taken place over the past decade. Abroad & Back has successfully woven comprehensive educational materials with strategies to foster attachment between parent and child. Abroad & Back addresses the important issues of institutionalization, attachment, and bonding, and does so integrating positive strategies that give families creative ways to foster family connections."

"Abroad & Back, with its comprehensive notebook and accompanying video will enable adoption professionals to bring the expertise of Dr.Gregory C. Keck and the Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio, leading experts in the attachment field, to every agency interested in providing education on these important issues. There are many important educational goals for families as they prepare to bring a child into their home, but none more important than the family’s ability to integrate as a unit.”
Susan Orban, JCICS Education Committee Chairperson

"Abroad and Back" makes a unique contribution to international adoption. Designed for educating and supporting adoption professionals and adoptive parents, this manual stimulates critical discussions in parenting children adopted internationally and provides a wealth of "strategies" to ensure strong, healthy attachments. "A must have" resource for all adoption agencies!!!"
Debbie B.Riley, M.S., The Center for Adoption Support and Education Inc., Silver Spring, MD

"I am delighted to recommend the Abroad & Back curriculum. For a very long time, we in adoption have contributed to the myth that children coming from orphanages in other countries will simply slide into their American families without difficulty. These are children who have experienced loss, neglect and separation from all that is familiar to them.  Do they need families?  You bet!  But they need families who are educated about their needs so they may be the best parents they can be.  Abroad & Back supplies prospective adoptive parents with that education. All international adoption agencies should give the gift of this education to their incoming families." 
Barbara Holtan, M.A., M.S.W., Executive Director, Adoption Exchange Association

More from Participants

Abroad & Back is conducted each quarter, as a training, at the Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio. Following are comments from prospective parents and professionals who have participated in these trainings:

"I liked everything about Abroad & Back - the information, the input from the other participants, and the hopeful vision it provided for children adopted from orphanages."

"You weren't afraid to name the hard issues and tell us what we are/may be in for!"

"I loved the interaction the small group discussions allowed. I plan to remember the attachment cycle of needs and make sure my children are getting what they need."

"You gave us great resources that will be helpful after this training."

"Direct and honest approach - clear explanations and lots of information provided. The handouts are extensive."

"This training increased my ability to educate and treat children and families that I work with, and I am leaving with much awareness of resources."

"The video tape of the orphanages is what I liked best and the discussion that followed."

"This was a very well-structured and well-organized training that moved at the right pace."

"Specific issues about children adopted internationally were discussed and I was given specific ideas to parent my child."

"It normalized that we may have problems after the adoption."

"We would love to be able to stay in touch with the others who were in our group and with your agency - any chance you could create an email list?"

"We really want to stay in touch with everybody we met - can you make a listserv?"

"My favorite part was ALL of it! Please give us more!"

Why did ABC of Ohio develop this curriculum?

• Long-term contact with adoptive families repetitively reveals that they wish they had more education specific to the needs of institutionalized children prior to adopting.
  
• Early intervention can often prevent mild to moderate issues from escalating into more severe problems. Information assists parents in identifying the areas in which help is needed.
  
• Agencies need resources for staff development.
  
• Agencies have requested assistance to fulfill agency or government pre-adoption training requirements.

Special features of this training program include:

• The best-selling books, "Adopting the Hurt Child" and "Parenting the Hurt Child" by Gregory Keck and Regina Kupecky, MAT, LSW comprise the core content of this curriculum. In addition, contributions by recognized experts such as Vera Fahlberg, Dana Johnson, Betsy Keefer, Jayne Schooler, Nancy Verrier and many others ensures that this curriculum provides the best and most current information available.
  
• Each module is presented in clear language and each topic is covered in depth. Step by step facilitator instructions are incorporated at transition points. This combination of clarity and thoroughness makes this program ready for immediate use.
  
• The emphasis of Abroad & Back is on enhancing the social and emotional development of children adopted from orphanage settings. As such, it provides the core information around which a complete pre-adoption program may be created. Thus agencies have the flexibility to add additional components relative to their needs and policies.
  
• This training is designed to accommodate a variety of learning styles to facilitate transfer of learning. Each module contains small and/or large group activities, overhead templates/Power Point CD, lecture, videotape
  segments, home activities and handouts.
  
• The curriculum features "In the Spotlight:Culture and Race" segments. These special components heighten awareness of and sensitivity to the issues of transracial and/or transcultural families.
  
• This program offers both theory and an abundance of interventions. As such, participants gain foundational materials as well as many of the tools needed to successfully build their families through adoption.

What Content is Included in this Curriculum?

MODULE #1 - THE IMPACT OF ORPHANAGE CONDITIONS ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT (3.5-hours)

The content of this session highlights the potential impact of institutional conditions on child development. Beginning with an overview of the qualities which enhance child development, the session moves on to contrast child development within a family with that of the group lifestyle in an institution. As such, participants gain insight as to the types of developmental delays they may encounter.

The session concludes with In the Spotlight: Culture and Race - The Development of Racial and Cultural Awareness. Included in the Suggested Parent Handouts are such topics as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Sensory Integration, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and enhancing child development.

MODULE #2 - ATTACHMENT: IT TAKES TIME! (3.5-hours)

This session builds on Module #1 and expands in content to inform participants as to the process of attachment, factors which inhibit healthy attachment, symptoms indicative of attachment difficulties, and it also covers an array of  strategies to enhance attachment. An interactive activity assists families in planning how to utilize this information from the moment of placement.

This session concludes with In the Spotlight: Culture & Race - Orphanage Culture and Family Culture: Worlds Apart. Included in the Suggested Parent Handouts is information pertaining to parenting strategies and parental self-care.

MODULE #3 - ADOPTION - BRINGING YOUR CHILD HOME IS JUST THE BEGINNING! (3.5-hours)

This session utilizes videotape segments of adolescent adoptees talking about adoption. These adoption experts help demonstrate the types of questions and concerns adoptees present to their parents. These clips, supplemented with lecture and a group exercise, prepare parents to understand the origins of adoption issues and offer parents various ways of responding to their child's own unique circumstances.

This module concludes with In the Spotlight: Culture and Race - The Development of Racial and Cultural Identity: What Parents can do to Help. Included in the Suggested Parent Handouts are such topics as the Life Book, tips for talking to children about adoption, adoption and school issues as well as more tips and information to help extended family and professionals expand their knowledge of adoption.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES - PARENT HANDOUTS

Throughout this program families are provided websites, book titles and resource catalogs so they may further explore the various facets of international adoption.

A complete Abroad and Back curriculum includes:

• Facilitator manual, 251 pages, containing each module's content, Suggested Parent Handouts which may be reproduced and provided to families or staff who participate in this training, and overhead templates,
  
• Video, approximately 1 hour, with segments which correspond to each module,
  
• A CD with Power Point slides of the overheads for those who wish to utilize Power Point rather than overhead transparencies,
  
• The books, Parenting the Hurt Child and Adopting the Hurt Child by Gregory C. Keck, Ph.D. and Regina M. Kupecky, MAT, LSW,
  
• A canvas brief case in which to store and carry all items.

PRINTABLE ORDER FORM
Please complete this form and return with credit card information or check payable to: Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio, 12608 State Road, Suite 1, Cleveland, OH 44133. If any questions, please contact Arleta James at 440-230-1960, ext. 4 or Arletaj@aol.com.

COST: $725.00 
Ohio purchasers pay $783.00 which includes tax. 
   
Purchase price includes shipping and handling in the continental United States*.
Discounts are available on multiple purchases - please call 440.230.1960, ext. 4 or email Arletaj@aol.com to obtain this information.