Beyond Words Psychological Services

Navigating the Seven Core Issues in Play Therapy with Adoptive Children (co-presenter Sabra Starnes)
2026-02-26 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Denver) | Virtual Webinar
Hosted by Foster Adopt MN. Adoption weaves layers of emotion and experience into a child’s play and relationships, often in ways that can be both challenging and deeply meaningful. In this session, you’ll uncover how the Seven Core Issues in Adoption—loss, rejection, guilt/shame, grief, identity, intimacy, and mastery/control—show up in the play therapy room. Through practical tools and strategies, you’ll learn to spot these themes as they unfold, guide adoptive children in expressing complex feelings through play, and collaborate with caregivers to nurture their child’s healing and strengthen identity development.

Transracial Adoption Readiness: An Identity Needs Hierarchy
2026-03-04 08:00 - 10:00 | Virtual Webinar
Hosted by Hudson Valley Professional Development for New York mental health providers seeking continuing education credits. Maintaining the racial and cultural identity of fostered and adopted youth of color in transracial placements is crucial to supporting their lifelong mental health, but it can be difficult to determine how those needs will be met by caregivers who do not share their racial or cultural background. This training will outline the Hierarchy of Racial and Cultural Identity Needs of Transracial Youth, a groundbreaking framework for understanding and defining the best ways to assess prospective caregiver readiness to parent transracially in a manner that communicates and centers the needs of transracial adoptees of color. General content areas to be assessed and specific interview questions for prospective parents will be explored.

Virtual Support Group: Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul (Tuesdays or Thursdays)
2026-05-05 17:30 - 19:00, 2026-05-07 10:30 - 12:00 | Virtual Group
This 6-week virtual support group inspired by the book Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul by Dorcas Cheng-Tozun is for highly sensitive people (HSPs) who wish to connect with others who care deeply about the world and are seeking ways to sustainably engage in activism.
Conversations will reflect themes from the book to explore how sensitivity can shape the way we experience injustice, conflict, burnout, empathy, and advocacy. Participants will learn to enhance intuitive understanding and self-trust of their emotional, relational, and nervous system needs, honoring their sensitivity as a source of insight and strength, and identifying what they need to stay regulated and resourced within activist spaces. Empowering ways to engage in activism that feel aligned, viable, and authentic will be explored. This group will offer a safe place for compassionate self-discovery and connective reflection with others who feel deeply but don’t want to lose themselves in the process of contributing to the larger world.
This virtual group is open to individuals 18+ who reside in the United States. It will be limited to 8 members, plus the facilitator, Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker.
To engage meaningfully in the group, members are expected to purchase or borrow the book Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul: How to Change the World in Quiet Ways by Dorcas Cheng-Tozun.
Two Scheduling Options are Available:
Tuesdays 5:30-7:00PM Mountain (May 5-June 9) OR Thursdays 10:30AM-12:00PM Mountain (May 7-June 11)
Cost:
$55 per group, or pay a discounted fee of $300 in advance for all groups
Reading List:
Week 1 Reading: Introduction (p. 1-8) & Appendix: Your Uniquely Sensitive Self (p. 197-206)
Week 2 Reading: Chapters 1-3 (p. 11-39)
Week 3 Reading: Chapters 4-5 (p. 41-59)
Week 4 Reading: Ch. 6-10 (p.63-113)
Week 5 Reading: Ch. 11-17 (p. 117-185)
Week 6 Reading: Ch. 18 (p. 187-191)
ENROLLMENT CLOSED

Webinar: From Struggles To Strengths: Reframing The Seven Core Issues In Adoption
2026-06-03 08:00 - 10:00 | Virtual Webinar
A webinar for NY psychologists seeking continuing education credits, hosted by Hudson Valley Professional Development. The seven core issues in adoption are often perceived as barriers to an adoptee’s ability to be healthy and successful. But what if we viewed these issues – loss, rejection, guilt/shame, grief, identity, intimacy, and control – on a spectrum that ranges from struggle to strength? Join Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker as she guides you into the extraordinary and often overlooked world of adoptee strengths and superpowers. Learn to support your adoptee clients’ natural tendencies, embrace their unique methods for problem-solving and navigating relationships, and empower them to feel proud of the remarkable ways in which they contribute to the world.

Webinar: Navigating First Family Connections in Adoption
2026-07-23 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual Webinar
A training for adoption and child welfare professionals, hosted by Foster Adopt Minnesota. Navigating the complexities of biological relationships can be a sensitive and challenging process for many adoptees. Adoptees may seek out connections with their first family members for a variety of reasons, and as adoption professionals, it is crucial to provide a safe and supportive space for the exploration of these relationships. Factors such as assessing safety, developing realistic expectations, gauging emotional preparedness, setting boundaries, planning contact, respecting privacy, and building open and honest communication will be discussed.

Campus Adoptees Virtual Support Group
2026-09-17 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual Group
Starting college is a major transition, and amidst the excitement, freedom, and uncertainty, for adoptees it can bring a unique mix of unexpected emotions. Campus Adoptees is a 6-week virtual support group designed specifically for college freshmen navigating this new chapter.
Connect with other adoptees as we explore the complexities of starting college and consider how adoption fits into your evolving identity through conversations about:

Adjusting to the independence and responsibility of college life
Missing the familiarity of home, family, friends, and pets
Managing roommate relationships, classes, and new situations
Building confidence, self-trust, and coping strategies for handling challenges
Navigating adoption-related feelings about identity, belonging, and change

You don’t have to figure out the transition to college alone. This group offers an opportunity to slow down, talk honestly, listen, laugh, and connect with other adoptees who are finding their way through similar experiences.
Who: Adoptees who are freshman/starting college
When: Sept. 17th – Oct. 22nd on Thursdays from 11:00am-12:00pm Mountain Time
Cost: $45 per group, or pay a discounted rate of $255 in advance
Facilitator: Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker is a licensed psychologist, international and transracial adoptee, and adoptive parent.
Enroll now!
The group will be limited to 8 members + the facilitator. Enrollment closes Sept. 10th.

Webinar: Transracial Adoption Placement Assessment: A Hierarchy of Racial and Cultural Identity Needs in Adoptees
2026-11-12 10:30 - 12:30 | Virtual Webinar
Virtual training for professionals hosted by Foster Adopt Minnesota.

Maintaining the racial and cultural identity of adoptees of color in transracial placements is crucial to supporting their lifelong mental health, but it can be difficult to determine how those needs will be met by caregivers who do not share their background. Learn a framework for understanding and defining the best ways to assess prospective caregiver readiness to parent transracially in a manner that communicates and centers the needs of transracial adoptees of color. General content areas to be assessed and specific interview questions for prospective parents will be explored.
