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9781633574243

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From their personal stories to the take-aways for both caretakers and adoptee, this book is definitely a helpful tool to read and reread as we navigate walking through life with our kids. Thank you, Elaine and Christina, for reminding us that Love is a feeling, but it is more often a choice and how important it is that we choose to love a person in their unloveliness , just like Christ does with us.--Emily Schmidt Founder & Executive Director, The Cracked Pot Coffee Shop As an adult adoptee, I found this book to be a great resource. Elaine and Christina approached this project from an honest and reflective space, as they dove deep into the numerous struggles that show up while parenting and preparing adult adoptees. They do extremely well in presenting specific examples, through their personal reflections, as well as suggesting practical tips in moving forward. I see people striving to know exactly how to support adult adoptees (seeking a manual of sorts) but I think people need to understand the trauma that stirs up the emotional needs of the adoptee - and this book does BOTH! I pondered my own journey as I considered ways in which I can improve in my own interpersonal relationships. While reading, I felt challenged while also feeling deeply understood. To experience and hold both feelings can be rare, which is why I believe this book could be used as a powerful tool not just for adoptive parents but also for adult adoptees.--Sara R. Odicio, LSW - Founder of CORE of Adoption, LLC What a much-needed book for the adoption community! This age and stage is so underrepresented in all the resources.--Melissa Corkum, adoptee and co-founder, The Adoption Connection Leveling up: Adoptive Parents and the Adult Adoptee is a long overdue contribution to the field of Child Welfare. It reminds us that adopted individuals do not remain babies or children and that their parents' goal is for them to emancipate and become functioning adults in their community as well as staying connected to the families from which they launched. This task is made more complex by the fact of adoption, which this book explores thoroughly, and also offers tools by which parents and their young adults can accomplish this developmental stage. The two authors use their years of professional experience and their life as adoptive parents to offer the readers a balanced and rich perspective.--Sharon Kaplan Roszia M.S. - Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency: A Comprehensive Guide to Promoting Understanding and Healing in Adoption, Foster Care, Kinship Families and Third-Party Reproduction. Roszia and Maxon. Jessica Kingsley Press, 000 Leveling Up is an honest, practical, and hope-filled book that was as much eye-opening as it was heart calming about a topic many feel resigned to navigate alone. The transparent guidance on navigating actual challenges that will help shepherd families we serve. This age demographic is often over-looked and it was refreshingly truthful to hear from Elaine and Christiana about the journey they are on with their kids, who become adults, but remain precious children to God and their parents. If you are tired, confused, scared, or simply feeling like you are floating through life amidst the choppy waters of adoption - regardless of whether you are ap parent, teen, adult, or caseworker, this book is for you. With down to earth stories, relevant topics, and uber-practical advice for us, Elaine and Christina model a right posture to love like Jesus yearns for us to love, come what may.--Ryan Keith, Advocate for vulnerable families for 20 years, Community Engagement Pastor, West Shore Free Church Advanced Praise for Leveling Up! I embrace the belief that the act of adoption is beautiful and at the heart of God as reflected in His word. I recognize that God never promised adoptive parenting or that the adoptee journey would be easy! Quite often adoptive parenting requires being counterintuitive: what the parent thinks is an appropriate response may actually be words that weaken the bond between parent and child. As seasoned adoptive mothers and professionals, Elaine and Christina offer practical advice sprinkled with humor and real-life, raw examples. Their combined lived experiences have depth and shed light on the complexities of the journey for both parents and adoptees alike. I commend Leveling Up to everyone who has invested in adoption, be it as an adoptee, an adoptive parent, a professional in the field, pastors & counselors who serve the adoption & foster care community and those who are curious and want to learn more--Lisa M. Troncale, LSW and Adoptive Mother, Truman Counseling Services High praise for Leveling Up! This unique book will prove invaluable to therapists, teachers, social workers and of course, adoptive parents and adoptees themselves. As a therapist and an adoptee myself, this book resonated deeply on many levels. I believe it will help normalize and validate the experiences of parents and their kids at various stages of development. It is a long-overdue resource with practical steps for families that will undoubtedly help ease the stress on families navigating unique and uncharted waters that come with adoptive relationships. Well done!--Gina Birkemeier, MAC, LPC, Author of Generations Deep: Unmasking Inherited Dysfunction and Trauma to Rewrite Our Stories Through Faith and Therapy

As an adult adoptee, I found this book to be a great resource. Elaine and Christina approached this project from an honest and reflective space, as they dove deep into the numerous struggles that show up while parenting and preparing adult adoptees. They do extremely well in presenting specific examples, through their personal reflections, as well as suggesting practical tips in moving forward. I see people striving to know exactly how to support adult adoptees (seeking a manual of sorts) but I think people need to understand the trauma that stirs up the emotional needs of the adoptee - and this book does BOTH! I pondered my own journey as I considered ways in which I can improve in my own interpersonal relationships. While reading, I felt challenged while also feeling deeply understood. To experience and hold both feelings can be rare, which is why I believe this book could be used as a powerful tool not just for adoptive parents but also for adult adoptees.--Sara R. Odicio, LSW - Founder of CORE of Adoption, LLC From their personal stories to the take-aways for both caretakers and adoptee, this book is definitely a helpful tool to read and reread as we navigate walking through life with our kids. Thank you, Elaine and Christina, for reminding us that Love is a feeling, but it is more often a choice and how important it is that we choose to love a person in their unloveliness, just like Christ does with us.--Emily Schmidt Founder & Executive Director, The Cracked Pot Coffee Shop What a much-needed book for the adoption community! This age and stage is so underrepresented in all the resources.--Melissa Corkum, adoptee and co-founder, The Adoption Connection Leveling up: Adoptive Parents and the Adult Adoptee is a long overdue contribution to the field of Child Welfare. It reminds us that adopted individuals do not remain babies or children and that their parents' goal is for them to emancipate and become functioning adults in their community as well as staying connected to the families from which they launched. This task is made more complex by the fact of adoption, which this book explores thoroughly, and also offers tools by which parents and their young adults can accomplish this developmental stage. The two authors use their years of professional experience and their life as adoptive parents to offer the readers a balanced and rich perspective.--Sharon Kaplan Roszia M.S. - Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency: A Comprehensive Guide to Promoting Understanding and Healing in Adoption, Foster Care, Kinship Families and Third-Party Reproduction. Roszia and Maxon. Jessica Kingsley Press, 000 Leveling Up is an honest, practical, and hope-filled book that was as much eye-opening as it was heart calming about a topic many feel resigned to navigate alone. The transparent guidance on navigating actual challenges that will help shepherd families we serve. This age demographic is often over-looked and it was refreshingly truthful to hear from Elaine and Christiana about the journey they are on with their kids, who become adults, but remain precious children to God and their parents. If you are tired, confused, scared, or simply feeling like you are floating through life amidst the choppy waters of adoption - regardless of whether you are ap parent, teen, adult, or caseworker, this book is for you. With down to earth stories, relevant topics, and uber-practical advice for us, Elaine and Christina model a right posture to love like Jesus yearns for us to love, come what may.--Ryan Keith, Advocate for vulnerable families for 20 years, Community Engagement Pastor, West Shore Free Church Advanced Praise for Leveling Up! I embrace the belief that the act of adoption is beautiful and at the heart of God as reflected in His word. I recognize that God never promised adoptive parenting or that the adoptee journey would be easy! Quite often adoptive parenting requires being counterintuitive: what the parent thinks is an appropriate response may actually be words that weaken the bond between parent and child. As seasoned adoptive mothers and professionals, Elaine and Christina offer practical advice sprinkled with humor and real-life, raw examples. Their combined lived experiences have depth and shed light on the complexities of the journey for both parents and adoptees alike. I commend Leveling Up to everyone who has invested in adoption, be it as an adoptee, an adoptive parent, a professional in the field, pastors & counselors who serve the adoption & foster care community and those who are curious and want to learn more--Lisa M. Troncale, LSW and Adoptive Mother, Truman Counseling Services High praise for Leveling Up! This unique book will prove invaluable to therapists, teachers, social workers and of course, adoptive parents and adoptees themselves. As a therapist and an adoptee myself, this book resonated deeply on many levels. I believe it will help normalize and validate the experiences of parents and their kids at various stages of development. It is a long-overdue resource with practical steps for families that will undoubtedly help ease the stress on families navigating unique and uncharted waters that come with adoptive relationships. Well done!--Gina Birkemeier, MAC, LPC, Author of Generations Deep: Unmasking Inherited Dysfunction and Trauma to Rewrite Our Stories Through Faith and Therapy

Author Information

Elaine Shenk is the adoptive mother of four adult adoptees, a pre and post adoption specialist, trainer, educator, and mentor for adult adoptees.Dr. Christina Reese is the mother of an adult adoptee, an internationally recognized author, speaker, and therapist specializing in trauma and attachment.

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