Will you have face-to-face meetings with the agency's counselor?

Why is this important?

If the agency you first contact arranges for a different agency’s representative to meet with you, you should wonder how well you will be served throughout the adoption process.

Ask your counselor how she or her agency gets paid for providing services to you. Is it on an hourly basis? If so, they will likely have a financial reason to limit the number of sessions you have with her. Will the agency only get paid if you make an adoption plan? That may well lead to pressure for you to follow through on an adoption plan. Is there a limit on how many post-placements visits you can have? You have a right to know these answers.

Even if you don’t think you want counseling, it should be a service you are entitled to should you later decide you could benefit from talking through some things. Ask yourself if you really needed to talk to someone about your plan, would your counselor be available for you? Would you even know how to reach her? Would your counselor get to know you personally so that you felt comfortable sharing private matters with her?

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