Adoption  

"Sally Clark is a gifted and empathic teacher and facilitator of pre-and perinatal processes, with a natural as well as a trained capacity for keen observation of personal growth process."
-- Ralph Metzner

"Sally Clark is an exceptional teacher of psychological and spiritual process. She knows her material through personal experience and deep study, and facilitates her students with integrity, humor, and powerful wisdom."
--Carolyn Conger, PhD

"Sally Clark is an experienced and skilled psychotherapist with an abundant knowledge of PPN ( pre and peri-natal psychology). She has a heart of gold and is, I believe, a sage and a people-whisperer. She listens deeply, and understands in a way that is healing."
--William Emerson, Ph.D

Adoption is a situation that can have a long-lasting impact. That disruption is due to a break in the initial bonding mechanism, which can happen anywhere along the continuum of development.

Using creative interactions, EMDR for children, and story telling I assist the adoptive parents with establishing a new bond, which results in innumerable shifts psychologically and physically. I have been working in the adoption field for over fifteen years helping members of the triad resolve issues around adoption.

I first became interested in this group as a foster child/adoptee myself. I explored many modalities on my own healing path and have received training from FAIR, a South Bay organization that presents extensive material to therapists. I have, in addition, examined and studied extensively attachment theory and material on shock and trauma.

I work with children ages three through the teen years. I particularly welcome the opportunity to work with the younger children because I believe that the earlier I can lay a healthy groundwork the fewer the problems that will emerge later.

For older adoptees I have been successful using a biofeedback game that teaches self-regulation by creating situations in which one has to become animated and others situations in which one has to remain calm. I have found it useful for older children who get frustrated and very angry with failure. (In the biofeedback game if you need to achieve calmness and you get angry you cannot proceed with the challenge.)

When I work with children I focus on attachment. I always have at least one parent in the room so that I can facilitate attachment with that parent. I utilize various activities to achieve attachment based on the presenting issues.

I meet with parents alone after a prescribed number of sessions to help them with any issues that may be arising and to educate them about healthy discipline options.

I work with school districts and teachers who have my clients in their classes, and because I've been in education for 30 years I understand dynamics in classes and can relate well to teachers as well as parents.

Because I've traveled extensively I understand some of the cross-cultural issues in international adoption. As a member of the Peace Corps, I worked in Micronesia for two years, lived in Japan and Korea for six months and traveled on a Fulbright to China writing curriculum for high schools. I have also traveled extensively to many other countries including Brazil and Peru. I have worked with adoptees from Korea, China, Central America, Russia, and South America.

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