Advocating the need for neuro-informed working with intercountry adoptees

Abstract

BackgroundIntercountry adoption is declining and many adoptees at any point of their life are in search of therapeutic services. Specialized care is scare and regular services seem to be missing the point. Regular therapeutic services do not cater to the specific needs of adoptees because they often forget to take the early adversity into account.Adoption specific therapeutic services are called for worldwide, this needs not be very difficult. Affective neurobiology, trauma and attachment research next to adoption studies have given practitioners many tools to design a sustainable therapeutical practice for both adoption aware assessment as well as adoption aware treatment. ObjectiveAdvocating a neuro-informed approach to treatment when intercountry adoptees present developmental or other mental health problems. This approach is based on a combination of professional reflection as well as on theory and the idea is that it can be used broadly by clinicians, even when not specifically trained or focused on intercountry adoptions. Participants and settingTheoretical insights are combined with clinical experience in De Adoptiepraktijk, a private, specialized mental health practice, making the argument for embracing a neuro informed approach in working with intercountry adoptees in the Netherlands. MethodsTheoretical evaluation, argumentation and personal reflection illustrated by a small case study.Results Overview of problems, models and methods to be used in clinical work with intercountry adoptees. ConclusionsProposition to use theoretical and practical insights from the neurosequential network, dyadic developmental psychotherapy, sensorimotor psychotherapy11The author trained both in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy as well as Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, in the latter she is a certified advanced practitioner and consultant intern. and the polyvagal theory to help clinicians assess the problems adopted clients encounter and plan interventions accordingly.