[tammyBoyer]

Sorry I couldn't find a better way to reach parents and adoptive families but I felt this was an important resource to announce.

For So California families considering or have adoptd an international child - particularly children coming from institutionalization such as E. Europe and Russia: we are forming a support group online for parents. I myself, am an MSW in infant mental health and I speak some Russian. Ive been working with referral services for parents for some time now.

The group's purpose is two-fold: to provide parents with reseource information about the region's top pediatricians, autism or FAS specialists, OT, speech and language and child psychiatry/therapy. We are slowly connecting networks of these professionals who work regularly with these children in an integrated approach designd to help children with delays. These are not attachment groups or holding therapy groups. They come from UCLA, USC, Children's Hospital, Millers Hospital and other reputable medical/mental health practices.

Secondly, we hope to have a monthly face to face meeting for parents to talk about stresses, experiences, triumphs. ccastionally we will have a guest speaker who can answer your questions. If at all possible, we will construct some kind of respite services as well.

This is all voluntary and free of charge. California adopts more than 3,000 such children each year - we can and should help one another. Please resond to infantmentalhealth@verizon.net

Thanks so very mcuh for thinking about this idea