Adoption Types in Colorado
By Anna Keller
There are several different types of adoption if you are interested in learning more about the adoption process. Different kinds of adoption Colorado offers enable you to choose a type that works best for you. One adoption agency Denver endorses is Adoption Choices of Colorado. Our adoption agencies like this help you select your type of adoption. It will depend on what you want out of the adoption. Meaning it depends on how involved you want to be in the kid’s life.
Adoption agencies in Colorado will help you navigate your unplanned pregnancy from beginning to end. Although, it doesn’t really ‘end’ when you give birth. Even though you are placing your baby for adoption, your experience will still affect you. That is why it is important to make an adoption plan that works for you. Adoption in Colorado has valuable resources that will help you navigate pregnancy and birth difficulties. Unlike Christian adoption agencies, we at Adoption Choices of Colorado are not affiliated with any religion. You will also receive help postpartum if that is something you want.
Open Adoption
The first type of adoption is open adoption. Open adoption means that you will frequently communicate with your adoptive family about the child. Types of contact include emails, phone calls, letters, and in-person meetings. One thing to keep in mind about open adoption is that you raise the possibility of your child finding out about you sooner. This is, of course, a fine option. Your child will eventually understand why you went through with the adoption, even if they didn’t initially. But this initial misunderstanding is something you may have to wrestle with if you pick open adoption. With open adoption comes knowing when those difficult conversations are had. You get to check in frequently, but you also must deal with watching your kid get raised by someone else. This option is not for everyone. While some birth mothers are completely fine watching their babies get raised by adoptive families, others are not. Some birth mothers feel too close to the situation, too involved, to be able to zoom out and peek in from afar like that.
Another thing to keep in mind about open adoption is that if you go through with it, you have the option of meeting your child face-to-face as they grow up. This may be fine for some birth mothers but not for others. It all depends on what you think you can handle. If you know that seeing your child would be too painful, then don’t. But if you think you would enjoy it, then go for it.
Semi-Open and Closed Adoption
The next type of adoption is semi-open. This means that there is some mediated communication between the birth mother and the adoptive family. This includes the time period during the pregnancy. No revealing information is given, for that would tread closer to ‘open’ territory. However, you still can communicate as much as you want during the pregnancy; it will just taper off after birth. Meaning once you give birth, you will not contact them anymore.
Closed adoption is exactly what it sounds like: the birth mother makes no contact with the adoptive family at any point during the adoption process. This option, like the others, has both its benefits and drawbacks. To address the former, closed adoption can feel relieving for a birth mother who does not want to be reminded of their child. However, this option runs a risk. You will not be able to get a feel for the adoptive family in person. For some birth mothers, this is fine. For others, it makes all the difference. It depends on the type of relationship you want to have with your child.
Next Steps after Choosing Adoption Type
Now you may be wondering, what should I look for in an adoptive family? It depends on what type of lifestyle you want for your child. You are allowed to choose based on factors such as religion, gender, and sexuality. Some birth mothers are more selective than others about this, so it is up to you how to proceed. When you think you are ready to begin searching for families, your adoption agency will set you up with an adoption specialist. The adoptive families have already met certain qualifications and acquired licenses for most adoption agencies. Resultantly, you do not have to worry whether they will love and care for your child. That is built-in.
Next, you will meet with your caseworker, who will help you begin the process of finding families. After you choose which type of adoption you want, you will look through a parent profile book. This is where you factor in your values, such as religion and culture. You also should consider what type of family you want for your child, in all senses of the word. What about the families’ values and how they align with your own? Something as seemingly trivial as a level of strictness can be a huge impacting factor in choosing an adoptive family. That is why it is important to look at your options closely and think carefully before deciding.
Choosing a family does not have to be difficult since you have a support system to help you through the process. If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!