International Adoptions, private US adoptions and foster parent adoptions all may require psychological evaluations as part of the adoption process.
Rach of these circumstances request a psychological evaluation for different reasons. The most common reasons are: International adoption – the agency in the foreign country wants to determine the psychological stability of the American parents seeking to adopt; Private US adoption – the perspective parents must demonstrate their emotional stability and the stability of their relationship; Foster parent adoption – an assessment of the psychological bond existing between foster parents and a child is part of the criteria for finalizing an adoption; and Special needs adoptions – when a child with special needs is being placed for adoption and an assessment is requested to determine the needs of the child and the capacity of the adoptive parents to meet those needs.
Psychological evaluations completed as part of an adoption evaluation may require an assessment of the psychological stability of the parents, an assessment of the relationship stability of the adoptive parents, and an assessment of whether the child has any special needs, or if other circumstances are present that might affect the welfare of the child in this family setting. This usually involves a clinical interview and psychological testing as part of the process.
In foster parent adoptions, the most important factor is the bond between the potential parent or parents, and the child. Obviously, if there are any serious psychological problems present in a parent, this could be detrimental to the child. Frequently, the evaluation process involves a series of family counseling sessions, to allow assessment of parent-child interactions, and to determine if the child seems to fit with the family.
At times, adoption evaluations are requested because there are unusual circumstances identified in the parental unit, but not to an extent that they would automatically be disqualified as adoptive parents. In these cases, those circumstances should be identified, so that they may be specifically evaluated.
Many international adoptions require specific sychological tests to be administered to the adoptive parents. The specific tests vary according to the country, and sometimes the tests requested are not the most appropriate or current tests available. It is helpful to determine whether all listed tests are required, or if specific tests are required.
Dr. Franklin completes Adoption Evaluations, either to assess the bonding
between a child and prospective adoptive parents,
or to evaluate potential adoptive parents regarding psychological stability.
If you have any questions about an adoption evaluation,
please contact Dr. Franklin at (908) 526-8111 to schedule an evaluation
at the most convenient office.