There are many routes you can take as an adoption counselor. You might consider working as a counselor for adoptive parents or as an advocate for the birth parents of the child. Your previous field work and supervised work experience should be your guide in selecting specific positions for application. Birth parents often experience a range of emotions during the adoption process including grief, fear and loss. Helping your clients cope with these emotions will be an important component of your work. You might also consider working with birth mothers or birth parents who are unsure if they want to pursue adoption. You can inform them of their options while also providing them information on the process of adoption. Governmental departments such as Health and Human Services and non-profits like Planned Parenthood often help connect these adoption counselors to birth mothers. As a counselor in this role, you will help adoptive parents navigate the often long and complex process of adoption. You will need to make sure they are aware of the many options they have in pursuing adoption (with public, private or international agencies) as well as preparing them for any potential obstacles during and after the adoption process. By working with a public adoption agency, you will be helping children in the foster care system who are sometimes older. You will also work as a counselor to both the parents and the child as they transition from the foster care system to the adoptive home. If you work in a private, licensed adoption agency or an international agency, you are more likely to work with infants and parents who are interested in adopting infants. If you are working as a consultant with an adoption agency, you might be required to visit the home of the prospective adoptive parents and assess it according the state guidelines and/or the requirements of your licensed private agency. In addition to assessing the physical condition of the home, counselors conducting home studies will also need to evaluate the emotional state of the adoptive parents, including their concerns and anxieties as well as their general views on parenting and family life.
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One-sentence summary -- Select an area of focus. Consider becoming a birth parent counselor. Become a counselor for adoptive parents. Decide whether you would like to work with a public state agency, a licensed private agency or an international agency. Prepare to conduct home studies.

Article: As the follower, mirror your partner’s steps as closely as possible. At the same time that they move their left foot forward, your right foot must go backward. Match the distance that they step so your feet are as close as they were to start. This step lasts two beats. Be sure to step at the same speed as your partner. As your partner steps diagonally with their right foot, mirror the step backwards. This step lasts for one beat, so you must step quickly. If you step too slowly, your partner may kick your foot when they step forward.  End this step with your feet shoulder width apart, and with neither foot farther forward or backward. Shift your weight onto your left foot so you are ready for the next step. Barely lift your right foot off of the ground, and plant it next to your left foot. Make this step at the same time as your partner so you move sideways together. You should be standing at a 45 degree angle from your starting spot. Make sure your weight is centered over your feet. As your partner moves back in the second phase, you move forward. Mirror their right foot moving backward with your left foot moving forward. Imagine your foot is pulled by their foot. Go slowly so this step takes two beats to accomplish. Be sure to shift your weight onto that left foot so you are ready to take the next step. Move your feet back to parallel with this step. Make sure they are still shoulder width apart and directly across from your partner’s feet. Be sure to step quickly so it takes one beat. Shift your weight slightly onto your right foot as you prepare to take the final step. Take this final step quickly and in time with your partner. Your feet end up close together and on the same place on the floor that they started.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Step back slowly with your right foot. Step quickly at a backward diagonal with your left foot. Slide your right foot toward your left foot quickly. Move your left foot forward slowly. Take a quick step with your right foot at 45 degrees forward. Slide your left foot toward your right foot into its original place.