Book review of Victor Groza and Karen E Rosenberg (Eds.), Clinical and Practice Issues in Adoption: Bridging the Gap Between Adoptees Placed as Infants and as Older Children. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1998. $55.00 (hardcover)

Barth, Richard P.

English

ScholarWorks at WMU

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare 
Volume 26 
Issue 3 September Article 12 
September 1999 
Review of Clinical and Practice Issues in Adoption: Bridging the 
Gap Between Adoptees Placed as Infants and as Older Children. 
Victor Groza and Karen F Rosenberg (Eds.). Reviewed by Richard 
P. Barth, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 
Richard P. Barth 
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw 
 Part of the Clinical and Medical Social Work Commons, and the Social Work Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Barth, Richard P. (1999) "Review of Clinical and Practice Issues in Adoption: Bridging the Gap Between 
Adoptees Placed as Infants and as Older Children. Victor Groza and Karen F Rosenberg (Eds.). Reviewed 
by Richard P. Barth, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: 
Vol. 26 : Iss. 3 , Article 12. 
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol26/iss3/12 
This Book Review is brought to you by the Western 
Michigan University School of Social Work. For more 
information, please contact wmu-
scholarworks@wmich.edu. 
Book Reviews 175
Victor Groza and Karen E Rosenberg (Eds.), Clinical and Prac-
tice Issues in Adoption: Bridging the Gap Between Adoptees
Placed as Infants and as Older Children. Westport, CT: Praeger
Publishers, 1998. $55.00 (hardcover).
Adoption has captured the interest of the American public
as never before and the number of children being adopted each
year is now at an all time high. About six in ten Americans
reports having a personal experience with adoption. New federal
initiatives have provided tax breaks for adoption (including costs
for infant and international adoptions), smashed barriers to cross-
racial adoptions, and provided incentives to states for increasing
the adoptions of children from foster care. There is substantial
evidence that these adoptions are likely to be successful but
not uncomplicated. Post-adoption services to assist parents and
children to understand, appreciate, and integrate the differences
between adoption and other forms of family formation are being
looked to as an important resource during this time of expanding
involvement in adoption. Yet, little clinical information is avail-
able to guide the development of these services. Indeed, even
conceptual guidance about the significance of similarities and
differences between different types of adoptions is lacking.
Groza and Rosenthal have written a very useful volume
nearly filled with well-grounded clinical wisdom and concep-
tualization (unfortunately, the part that is not filled by their work
is not as strong, so I have chosen not to comment on all of
these). In their opening chapter and later, the authors bring an
empirical basis to evaluating the dominant dialectics in the field-
a welcomed addition, since much of the adoption literature has
strong ideological underpinnings. Their cautious embrace of the
work done in attachment and adoption is particularly welcome-
especially their point that attachment difficulties have multiple
sources and that attachment-focused therapies are unproven.
The authors elected to include a chapter by Betty Jean Lifton
that has a strikingly different tone than their own writing. This
can be seen as an open-minded action that takes full advantage
of the harmonic potentials of an edited collection. Or, this could
be seen as a significant lapse in scientific judgement, because
176 Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare
the chapter is filled with references to discredited psychoana-
lytic theories, ghosts, mythic journeys, and the unborn soon-to-
be adopted child's hidden relationship to the biological mother
as the origin of the self. Reading this chapter left me with the
experience of being in a time machine, as the average age of her
published references is just over 21! I wish the authors had pro-
vided a bit of a commentary to explain the purposes of including
this chapter.
Rita Laws wrote a fascinating chapter for this volume. It
begins with one of the best histories of adoption in American
that I have read-including many excellent references to adoption
traditions among American Indians and in colonial America. The
chapter proceeds on to become quite timely-including a very
detailed section about netiquette in online adoption chat rooms-
and eventually provides substantial guidance regarding receipt
of ongoing financial and social support.
L. Anne Babb's chapter on ethics in adoption is the most
thorough that I have seen and comes complete with a fascinating
study of adoption organizations and their stances on a series of
ethical dilemmas.
In the final chapter the authors, in concert with Joyce Maguire
Pavio, discuss a variety of issues related to a family systems
perspective on adoption within a developmental context. They
propose a system family therapy model and point the readers
to many other resources that can be used to help illuminate
this model and its application to adoptive families-whenever
and from wherever the adopted child and adopting family were
joined.
All in all, there is much informative reading in this slim vol-
ume. The central premise of the volume is that clinical issues in
adoption cut across infant, special needs, and international adop-
tions. The authors virtuously ensured that each of the contributors
addresses this central premise. Adoption practitioners have few
resources to choose from to assist them in the important work
that they do. This book is certainly a good starting point.
Richard P. Barth
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill


Review of \u3cem\u3eClinical and Practice Issues in Adoption: Bridging the Gap Between Adoptees Placed as Infants and as Older Children.\u3c/em\u3e Victor Groza and Karen F Rosenberg (Eds.). Reviewed by Richard P. Barth, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare Volume 26 Issue 3 September Article 12 September 1999 Review of Clinical and Practice Issues in Adoption: Bridging the Gap Between Adoptees Placed as Infants and as Older Children. Victor Groza and Karen F Rosenberg (Eds.). Reviewed by Richard P. Barth, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Richard P. Barth University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw  Part of the Clinical and Medical Social Work Commons, and the Social Work Commons Recommended Citation Barth, Richard P. (1999) "Review of Clinical and Practice Issues in Adoption: Bridging the Gap Between Adoptees Placed as Infants and as Older Children. Victor Groza and Karen F Rosenberg (Eds.). Reviewed by Richard P. Barth, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 26 : Iss. 3 , Article 12. Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol26/iss3/12 This Book Review is brought to you by the Western Michigan University School of Social Work. For more information, please contact wmu-scholarworks@wmich.edu. Book Reviews 175Victor Groza and Karen E Rosenberg (Eds.), Clinical and Prac-tice Issues in Adoption: Bridging the Gap Between AdopteesPlaced as Infants and as Older Children. Westport, CT: PraegerPublishers, 1998. $55.00 (hardcover).Adoption has captured the interest of the American publicas never before and the number of children being adopted eachyear is now at an all time high. About six in ten Americansreports having a personal experience with adoption. New federalinitiatives have provided tax breaks for adoption (including costsfor infant and international adoptions), smashed barriers to cross-racial adoptions, and provided incentives to states for increasingthe adoptions of children from foster care. There is substantialevidence that these adoptions are likely to be successful butnot uncomplicated. Post-adoption services to assist parents andchildren to understand, appreciate, and integrate the differencesbetween adoption and other forms of family formation are beinglooked to as an important resource during this time of expandinginvolvement in adoption. Yet, little clinical information is avail-able to guide the development of these services. Indeed, evenconceptual guidance about the significance of similarities anddifferences between different types of adoptions is lacking.Groza and Rosenthal have written a very useful volumenearly filled with well-grounded clinical wisdom and concep-tualization (unfortunately, the part that is not filled by their workis not as strong, so I have chosen not to comment on all ofthese). In their opening chapter and later, the authors bring anempirical basis to evaluating the dominant dialectics in the field-a welcomed addition, since much of the adoption literature hasstrong ideological underpinnings. Their cautious embrace of thework done in attachment and adoption is particularly welcome-especially their point that attachment difficulties have multiplesources and that attachment-focused therapies are unproven.The authors elected to include a chapter by Betty Jean Liftonthat has a strikingly different tone than their own writing. Thiscan be seen as an open-minded action that takes full advantageof the harmonic potentials of an edited collection. Or, this couldbe seen as a significant lapse in scientific judgement, because176 Journal of Sociology & Social Welfarethe chapter is filled with references to discredited psychoana-lytic theories, ghosts, mythic journeys, and the unborn soon-to-be adopted child's hidden relationship to the biological motheras the origin of the self. Reading this chapter left me with theexperience of being in a time machine, as the average age of herpublished references is just over 21! I wish the authors had pro-vided a bit of a commentary to explain the purposes of includingthis chapter.Rita Laws wrote a fascinating chapter for this volume. Itbegins with one of the best histories of adoption in Americanthat I have read-including many excellent references to adoptiontraditions among American Indians and in colonial America. Thechapter proceeds on to become quite timely-including a verydetailed section about netiquette in online adoption chat rooms-and eventually provides substantial guidance regarding receiptof ongoing financial and social support.L. Anne Babb's chapter on ethics in adoption is the mostthorough that I have seen and comes complete with a fascinatingstudy of adoption organizations and their stances on a series ofethical dilemmas.In the final chapter the authors, in concert with Joyce MaguirePavio, discuss a variety of issues related to a family systemsperspective on adoption within a developmental context. Theypropose a system family therapy model and point the readersto many other resources that can be used to help illuminatethis model and its application to adoptive families-wheneverand from wherever the adopted child and adopting family werejoined.All in all, there is much informative reading in this slim vol-ume. The central premise of the volume is that clinical issues inadoption cut across infant, special needs, and international adop-tions. The authors virtuously ensured that each of the contributorsaddresses this central premise. Adoption practitioners have fewresources to choose from to assist them in the important workthat they do. This book is certainly a good starting point.Richard P. BarthUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2596&amp;context=jssw

Review of \u3cem\u3eClinical and Practice Issues in Adoption: Bridging the Gap Between Adoptees Placed as Infants and as Older Children.\u3c/em\u3e Victor Groza and Karen F Rosenberg (Eds.). Reviewed by Richard P. Barth, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

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