I was surprised at how much positive shift there was in families’ approaches and beliefs about open adoption. That gave me hope that adoptive parents can change and adapt. They come to see the birth family as human beings, and they’ve developed empathy for people who they may have been fearful of.
They might have initially approached theoretical birth parents with suspicion or fear.
But they open up and grow.
— Abbie Goldberg, PhD,
Professor of Psychology and
Director of Women’s and Gender Studies
at Clark University, —
Abbie Goldberg, PhD, on How Adoptive Families Evolve Over Time
In this new podcast episode of Adoption: The Long View, Abbie Goldberg, PhD, tells us
- how families tend to change over time regarding openness;
- how their level of openness/closedness impacts their children;
- the role of adoption agencies in setting expectations on both sides;
- and other wisdom gleaned from 15 years of following adoptive families.
Dr Abbie E. Goldberg is a Professor of Psychology and Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. She received her BA in psychology from Wesleyan University, an MA in psychology and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. For 15 years and counting, Dr. Goldberg has been conducting a longitudinal study of adoptive families headed by females, males, and heterosexual couples.
Episode 109: Dr Abbie Goldberg’s Research into Common Issues Faced by Adoptive Families
In this episode, Dr Abbie Goldberg and I cover:
- What’s involved when people transition from adopting to adoptive parenting?
- The two ways her study defines “open adoption.”
- The fear that talking too much about adoption makes the child feel different.
- On handling a child’s melt down after a difficult visit with birth parents.
- The huge side benefit of being able to talk about adoption with ease.
- The real reason your child may not be bringing up adoption.
- Rare research about birth fathers!
- Peril: when adoptive parents and expectant parents work with agencies that have vastly different approaches, counseling, and training.
- Lastly, Dr Abbie’s best piece of advice (asked of all guests).
Prefer to read? Here’s a transcript.
Show Notes from Dr Abbie Goldberg’s Episode on Open Adoption Research
- Website: www.AbbieGoldberg.com
- New service: Coaching & Consulting for Academic Writers
- Twitter: @DrAbbieG
- Book: Open Adoption & Diverse Families
- Mentioned: Open Adoption Grid
How to Tune In Regularly
You can find us on Adopting.com, and on these and other platforms.
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts
- Amazon Podcasts
- Castbox
- Search for “Adoption Long View” on your preferred podcast platform.
A new episode comes out the first Friday of the month. Thank you for sharing, subscribing, and rating this episode!
