Using An Adoption Consultant : Linnea's Experience (Guest Post)

A little over a year ago, a dear friend who lives all the way in Africa sent me a FB message introducing me to another friend of hers who...go figure...happens to live in my community! Soon, I met Linnea and quickly struck up a friendship over motherhood, Jesus, and adoption. I now have the joy of serving her family on their adoption journey, alongside their amazing consultant.

Linnea kindly agreed to guest post today about her experience using an adoption consultant. Thank you, Linnea!

"If you are considering using an adoption consultant, I’d love to share about my experience with Katie and Tracie. 

As soon as we signed up, we were welcomed into an online support group with a membership that includes adoptive parents whose collective experience is invaluable for any question or concern that might come up. Plus, the consultants weigh in, too. People post questions about money, travel, birth family relationships, adoptive breastfeeding, and so much more. I’ve seen answers to questions I would not have even thought to ask. As people have posted about their experiences, I’ve gained an education as to how adoption works and what types of joys and trials I may have in my future.  I know that no matter what twists and turns come in our adoption journey, we will not be alone. And, I know there is a whole network of families that are praying for us.

The two major items every adoptive family must have to start the infamous “waiting stage” are a completed home study and a profile. Katie helped us pick an agency for our home study that aligns with our family values. We chose to create our own profile, but Katie gave us an example to use as a prototype and provided valuable feedback when we had a draft ready.

Now that we are “home study ready,” we rely on Katie and Tracie more than ever. ...has contacts and connections all over the country. Tracie uses those contacts and lets us know about situations that might match our family. She’s advised us about which agencies and lawyers are best to work with. Instead of choosing just one agency, we have our home study and profile out to three agencies and three lawyers. We hope this means we won’t have to wait as long to bring our baby home.

When you are an adoptive family, it can feel at times like you are powerless. Agencies and lawyers set out hoops and you busy yourself by jumping through them. Of course, it is very important for a woman making an adoption plan to supported and counseled. But, with Tracie and Katie, I feel like we have experts supporting and counseling us. We need that. When considering different situations, we can ask our consultants anything and discuss any concerns we have. They have been able to get information and updates for us that we would never be able to request on our own. 

The personal attention that Katie gives us has meant so much to us. She’s been through this. She knows how we feel. She’s feeling it with us again. She’s praying for us. She’s helping us. She’s rooting for us."

Thank you, Linnea! I'm so grateful to be on this journey along with you!

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