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TN Adoption Support and Preservation's monthly e-newsletter |
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Adoption Support and Preservation (ASAP) provides support for Tennessee's adoptive families. To make a referral, call toll-free 1-888-848-2727, or visit www.tnasap.org.
ASAP Regional Coordinator Contact Information
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I often have "learning" experiences on the job. These moments of wisdom come from both formal and informal encounters. Recently, at our ASAP support group picnic, I had a memorable experience interacting with parents and children that left me in "awe". For several days after the picnic, I could physically feel the experience in my body. The feeling was a combination of wonder, joy, and inspiration. I'll explain how it all began.
Our ASAP "summer bash" support group picnic was a huge success. Over 65 parents and children attended, despite the weather forecast - severe thunderstorms and HOT temperatures. The staff, as always, worked as a team, organizing games, serving food, scooping snow cones, and creating an atmosphere of fun. I started out as the official picnic photographer, but when I saw a line forming for face painting, I decided I needed to help.
At the face painting station, there were rub-on tattoos, pictures of face and arm art, and various colors of paint and glitter. Each child in turn studied the pictures, and then selected just the right art and colors for him or herself. Then, the moment of amazement began... a precious hand, arm, or face was presented to me with the expectation that something beautiful would be returned. I was struck with the implications of the moment. I was being entrusted with a job that was important to this child. The responsibility felt serious. I'm not an artist; I can barely draw a stick figure. What if I mess up, I thought. What if they don't like what I draw? But the children's trust was motivating, and I began to believe I could be what they needed me to be. And, as I painted, I was reminded that these hands, arms, and faces held life stories that included hurt and loss, and yet, they were still extended to me.
Every day, children in Tennessee state custody join hands with their forever families through adoption. ASAP is proud to be part of their journeys. I'm thankful for the many lessons I have learned from adoptive children and families. And I will definitely sign up to be a face painter again next year.
Jan Clifton, LMSW
TN ASAP Mid Regional Coordinator
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Finding Our Children Unconditional Support (FOCUS)
Each month, ASAP's e-newsletter features a child who is in full guardianship of the state of Tennessee. There are hundreds of unclaimed children in Tennessee with no prospect of a forever family. Our calling is to find families willing to open their hearts and homes to these children. To view this month's featured child, click here. (3.5 minutes in length).
What makes adopting in Tennessee unique? Our Adoption Support & Preservation program - ASAP - is a gift of comprehensive counseling and support services. We will walk with you through the challenges and joys adoption can bring. Will you be the promise of family for one of these children? Please visit www.parentachild.org to learn more about other waiting children in Tennessee.
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Alisha Worthey, MS works as an ASAP Family Therapist with Agape Child and Family Services, in Jackson, TN. Alisha earned her Bachelor's of Science degree in Psychology, with a minor in Social Work, from Freed-Hardeman University in 1994. Later, she returned to FHU to complete her Master's of Science degree in Counseling, graduating in 2005. Before coming to AGAPE, Alisha was employed for five years as a Vocational Assessment Evaluator at Madison-Haywood Developmental Services, and for nine years at The STAR Center in Jackson, Tennessee. As a vocational evaluator, Alisha assisted individuals with emotional, physical, and mental disabilities as they explored work and / or training options to lead them to successful vocational placements. Alisha has completed a practicum at The Exchange Club Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse and The STAR Center in the Art Therapy Program.
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"When children feel safe, then that unlocks the doors to change and healing." ~ Dr. Cross
This interview was filmed June 1, 2009, at ASAP's Cycles of Healing conference in Knoxville, TN, for Adoption Today.
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by John Sobraske
NACAC Adoptalk, Spring 2009
"Logically, if we are to accurately assess and treat foster and adopted children, we must evaluate them holistically, taking into account a variety of influences."
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a factsheet for families
from Child Welfare Information Gateway
"Because school is such an important aspect of children's lives, adoptive parents, like all parents, want their child's school experience to be a positive one."
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For more information about ASAP Adoptive Family Support Groups in your area, contact:
East Region: Heather Butcher, ASAP Family Advocate -
(865) 356-4848
Mid Region: Brenda McElyea, ASAP Family Advocate -
(615) 352-3087
West Region: Kris Bowen, ASAP Family Advocate -
(901) 634-8199
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2009 Tennessee Foster and Adoptive Care Association Conference:
A Journey to Excellence
The 2009 Tennessee Foster and Adoptive Care Association Conference: A Journey to Excellence, will be held October 16 - 18, 2009, in Nashville, TN.
This year's Keynote Speaker will be Ashley Rhodes-Courter, author and foster care / adoption advocate. Ashley was born in North Carolina in 1985. At the age of three, she entered the foster care system in Florida. Over the next nine years, Ashley lived in 14 placements before she was adopted at age 12, by Phil and Gay Courter of Crystal River, Florida. Ashley recently graduated with honors from Eckerd College, in St. Petersburg, Florida. She has won numerous scholarships and awards, including the 2004 Youth Advocate of the Year from the North American Council on Adoptable Children, and the Child Welfare League of America's "Kids to Kids" National Service Grand Prize. In 2004, she and her family jointly won the Angels in Adoption Award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. Ashley's memoir, Three Little Words, tells her compelling story in her own words. Today, Ashley speaks to national audiences, sharing hope with other foster children and encouraging adoption and permanency.
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What is ASAP?
ASAP is designed to create and maintain a seamless state-wide system of pre- and post-adoption services in Tennessee. ASAP is an innovative program that supports children and families as they create and maintain connections and access services that support permanency. ASAP is working to develop the capacity of communities across Tennessee to better nurture their adoptive families.
ASAP seeks to increase the availability and accessibility of adoption support services in Tennessee, and to decrease the incidence of disrupted or dissolved adoptions. Motivated by the needs of families and children in all stages of the adoptive process, ASAP offers a comprehensive and coordinated continuum of services.
ASAP is a collaborative project of Harmony Adoptions of East Tennessee, Catholic Charities of Middle Tennessee, and AGAPE Child and Family Services of West Tennessee. ASAP is partnered with DCS for the cooperative implementation and further development of our program.
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