Pre-adoption seminar
Learn more about open adoption at the OA&FS pre-adoption seminar
This interactive workshop will paint a picture of what open adoption may look like for you. We’ll explore the emotional, procedural and legal issues involved in planning an open adoption as we review each step of the process.
Our seminar is a great place to talk openly about your hopes, fears, and preconceptions about open adoption. Counselor-led discussions will give you a realistic perspective of the important components to consider in adoption. Insights you gain in the seminar will be invaluable if you decide to move forward.
Our seminar includes time with birth parent and adoptive parent guest speakers who share their adoption stories and answer questions, plus an adoption attorney joins in to discuss legal issues.
The seminar satisfies pre-adoption training requirements in Oregon and Washington.
Please note that seminar is the first official step in our process, and there is a fee of $750 per family associated with attending. Before you sign up for seminar, you can attend an optional, no-cost Adoption Information Meeting to learn more about our philosophy and hear an overview of our program. These free meetings are held monthly via Zoom. Contact us to sign up or to request a free information packet.
Upcoming seminar dates
Aug. 11-12, 2026 (currently full)
Oct. 13-14, 2026 (currently full)
Dec. 8-9, 2026
All seminars are hosted remotely. Space is limited! To register, call us or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Our birth and adoptive parent guest speakers offer wisdom online courses can’t match.
Hear firsthand from birth parents and adoptive parents about how they cultivate and nurture openness in their adoptions.
Hear about the joys and the challenges as these families have worked to build meaningful and satisfying lifelong relationships. Their personal stories and experiences will help answer your questions and give you insight into the perspectives of people living in open adoption.
Seminar attendee comments
- “Excellent seminar. Lives up to expectations and keeps us excited.”
- “I appreciated the in-depth discussion of openness. I was especially captivated by the personal accounts of the birth parent and adoptive parent panels. I also appreciated the openness with which we were able to talk about losses we experienced on our journey to adoption.”
- “OA&FS put far more thought and care into the full lives, experiences, and emotions of all parties, including adoptive parents, birth parents, birth fathers, birth and adoptive extended families, etc.”
- “By far the most open and affirming agency for same sex couples!”
- “I think the notion of open adoption is still very scary to folks and this gave us a safe haven to explore these fears with others.”
- “I appreciated the breadth of topics covered in this seminar; they raised a lot of issues that I hadn’t considered, but are important to evaluate and for which to prepare.”
- “The integrity of the organization was clear. I’m so impressed with the healing culture of openness. The staff wowed me with their genuineness, breadth of knowledge, wisdom, and empathy.”