Expert Viewpoints: Maris H. Blechner, M ED, LCSW
Title
Adoption Consultant, Trainer, and Motivational Speaker – offering child welfare strategies for today and tomorrow.
About
Maris Blechner is an adoptive and birth parent, a licensed clinical social worker and educator, and a nationally respected trainer and speaker who has spent the last thirty-eight years working for the improvement of adoption and the child welfare system. One of the founders of the parent-led multi-service adoption agency that she directed for twenty-six years, Maris relates proudly that she comes from the citizen-activist child-advocacy community and brings that neighborhood and personal family experience to her professional work. These days she also enjoys mentoring for Children’s Corps, and teaching on Wednesday afternoons at her own school, the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.
Contact Maris
cell: 917-941-8640
email: maris@blechner.net.
Most popular training topics* (for two hour, three hour, or full day training, or keynotes)
- The Invisible Realities of Successful Adoption
- Straight Talk for Kids; Tackling the Tough Topics
- Adoption in the World of Foster Care; Preparing Good Foster Parents to be Good Adoptive Parents
- Ages and Stages; A Look at the Specialized Development of Foster Children (often given for new adoptive parents – but very well received by foster parents as well)
- Dealing with the Issue of Wavering Foster Parents
- Eliminating Foster Care “Drift” into Adoption
- The Art and Science of the Successful Birthparent Surrender
- Consumer Mentality; an Enemy of Adoption
- Successful Adoption of the Adolescent
- There is No Such Thing As An Ex-Mother; A Specialized Dynamic of Foster Care and Adoption
- Managing Stress; Reaching the End of the Day But Not The End of Your Rope (Also titled: Taking Care of Yourself While You Are Busy Taking Care of Everybody Else!)
- Always Have A Plan B; Some Day You Are Going to Need It
*Other topics can also be provided, to meet the needs of a specific audience
