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Do you have evidence that a psych evaluation for adoptive parents makes abusive parents less likely to make it through the adoptive process?
My guess would be no, that it doesn't. I just want some proof it helps before I would be like "woohoo, great idea".
I don't have evidence but I'm okay with adoption agencies requiring it. If it saved even one child from going into an abusive home, then it would be worth it.
I don't have evidence but I'm okay with adoption agencies requiring it. If it saved even one child from going into an abusive home, then it would be worth it.
But what if it does more damage? Having gone through the international adoption process a couple times, I think I see that more clearly. Not every rule or requirement is good for the kids. This piece adds more cost, more time, it might turn off quality parents from adopting. And what is the threshold? Does the psych decide if they would make good parents? Who gets to read the psych report? What in the report will disqualify the person from adopting?
And in many ways, its just redundancy because the homestudy process involves a mental health piece, parenting styles, looks for discrepancies between the parents hopes and parenting styles. The physical covers quite a bit about mental fitness for adoption (if you take psych meds, that is usually documented). Not to mention the city, county, state and federal back ground checks.
I am all for protection of the children...but I know how these things work and I am skeptical if this is going to help anyone in adoption, other then making it look like someone is doing something.
But what if it does more damage? Having gone through the international adoption process a couple times, I think I see that more clearly. Not every rule or requirement is good for the kids. This piece adds more cost, more time, it might turn off quality parents from adopting. .
I don't see how a one hour psych evaluation for the parents could do any real damage to the children and I doubt it would deter many people from adopting.
I don't see how a one hour psych evaluation for the parents could do any real damage to the children and I doubt it would deter many people from adopting.
Well I guess we see differently.
Do we know its an hour process? Psych evals can be days, even weeks long
What does it involve? Testing? Talk?
What do they get into? Some things are independent of parenting and are personal
Getting a psych appointment takes a long time and an eval is costly. It can take many weeks to get the evaluation back. It could easily add 6 weeks and $2k to the already costly and long process.
Some people would be uncomfortable with having a psych report floating around out there if they shared private information.
A psych report wouldn't likely pick up anything that hasn't been picked up before in the adoption dossier
A sociopath would likely pass a short eval with flying colors
I could see a lot of people not wanting to do one. I wouldn't have. It feels excessively invasive...the whole process is already. But a full blown psych eval...ugh.
I am still not seeing how it is going to help future children. Again, we just differ on opinions here. I see it *likely* causing the loss of good potential parents and not providing any benefit that makes it worth it.
I don't see how a one hour psych evaluation for the parents could do any real damage to the children and I doubt it would deter many people from adopting.
Well....
It's not the easiest thing to find a someone with those qualifications. My niece lives in the KC metro area, and she said that the nearest person with a PhD, taking new patients was 70 miles a way, with a 6 week waiting list. (She later posted that they found someone who'd do one at the end of this week, though.)
They've been in the process of adopting this little girl since the baby was 9 months old. She turned 1 in December.
Many people have to go through something similar to a psych evaluation, just to get a job - even a low paying one. Many pre-employment personality tests are not a far cry from psych evaluations. Not only that, but drug testing too.
Many people have to go through something similar to a psych evaluation, just to get a job - even a low paying one. Many pre-employment personality tests are not a far cry from psych evaluations. Not only that, but drug testing too.
I don't have an issue per se, with a pysch evaluation. But I DO think that since it's a fairly new requirement, to require someone with a PhD in Psychology to administer it, is an extra burden, time wise and money wise...and the sooner these kids get in loving homes, the better.
Granted, my niece found someone relatively quickly, to do the evaluation, but we have a baby who's underweight and not walking yet. (we've seen videos of her. Her little legs are like sticks.) It's not too much of an over exaggeration to say time is of the essence here. Her development could be in jeopardy.
Many people have to go through something similar to a psych evaluation, just to get a job - even a low paying one. Many pre-employment personality tests are not a far cry from psych evaluations. Not only that, but drug testing too.
A psych eval and an employment personality test are 1000 miles apart.
I think what is best for the kids is that they be adopted into loving and safe homes as soon as possible...so while I am not 100% against psych testing, I am not making a knee jerk reaction that its a good thing. Just pointing out the potential pit falls.
The process doesn't have to be easy for the parents (it isn't!)...but making it harder with no benefit harms children. I think they need to show how this would benefit.
And remember, social workers are able to do mental health evaluations, which they do as part of the homestudy.
Back ground checks cover any crimes
Physician reports cover medical issues, as well as if the adoptive parent is taking medications for psych issues (even an SSRI can disqualify you for some countries).
So it isn't like there are no safe guards in place already.
A psych eval and an employment personality test are 1000 miles apart.
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There are things about a person's mind that can be revealed in some of these personality tests - which are quite extensive, by the way. I have taken one with over a hundred questions on it. Some people feel it violates their medical privacy to take one of these.
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