Get Certified, Get Connected: How Our Trainings Equip You to Transform Adoptive Families’ Lives

If you work with children and families, you already know—adoption brings both incredible joy and real challenges. Adopted children often carry deep emotional experiences, and their families need support that goes beyond general mental health care. That’s where Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) comes in.

This nationally recognized certification program from C.A.S.E. (Center for Adoption Support and Education) is changing how professionals support adoptive, foster, and kinship families—equipping them with the tools to truly make a difference.

To learn how this certified training can transform the adoptive family’s experience, have a quick look at this post!

Why Special Training Matters in Adoption Work

Mental health professionals are well-trained in many areas, but adoption-competent care is often missing from standard education. Without the right tools, even well-meaning providers may miss the deeper layers behind a child’s behavior or a family’s struggle.

TAC fills that gap by offering a robust, hands-on learning experience designed specifically for working with adoptive and foster families. Through a mix of self-paced learning, group consultation, and expert instruction, clinicians gain real-world strategies that help families heal and grow.

What You’ll Learn in TAC

The TAC curriculum includes 12 in-depth modules covering key areas like:

• Understanding adoption-related trauma

• Attachment and relationship building

• Grief and loss in adoption

• Transracial and transcultural adoption issues

• Identity formation in adoptees

• LGBTQ+ and openness in adoption conversations

You’ll also join 6 case consultation sessions, where you’ll apply your learning to actual client cases, getting support and feedback from peers and instructors in a supportive environment.

More Than a Certificate—It’s a Community

One of the best parts of TAC? You won’t go through it alone. You’ll be part of a cohort of professionals who care just as deeply as you do. These connections often last well beyond the training and become a network of support and collaboration.

Once certified, you’ll also be listed in a national directory of adoption-competent professionals, helping families find you when they need someone who truly understands their journey.

Genuine Support for Families

Adoptive families often struggle to find therapists who “get” their experience. Without adoption-competent care, they may feel misunderstood—or worse, judged.

When you complete TAC, you become the therapist who sees the full picture. You can guide families with compassion and insight, helping them navigate tough conversations, behavioral issues, and identity development with confidence.

TAC-certified professionals are also valuable contributors to foster parent training, helping caregivers understand trauma, attachment, and how to support their child’s unique needs.

Flexible Training with National Reach

TAC is currently offered at nearly 20 training sites across the U.S., with both in-person and virtual options available. Over 2,500 professionals have graduated, and the program continues to grow.

Beyond TAC, C.A.S.E. offers a range of training programs to meet professionals where they are, including:

• NTI (National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative) – a web-based training for mental health and child welfare professionals

• School-Based Mental Health Training – tailored for educators and school staff

• W.I.S.E. Up!® Train the Trainer – a peer-based program empowering youth and families to talk about adoption

You Can Be the Therapist Families Deserve. Enroll In a Training Now!

Whether you're in private practice, part of a nonprofit, or working in child welfare, the TAC program gives you practical tools, professional growth, and a deeper connection to the work you care about.

And when families reach out to the adoption support center, they’re not just looking for any therapist. They’re hoping to find someone who sees their experience, understands the journey, and knows how to help.

That someone can be you.