The instructors are local and national experts in the field of working with children in foster care and adoption and their families. Instructors share the latest information on techniques and trends for treating this population. Readings, small and large group discussions, demonstrations, videos, and panels with diverse members representing various viewpoints of the adoption triad will be utilized throughout the program.

The Feature Faculty

Experts on the featured topic teach each session. Instructors will provide a strong foundation in theoretical perspective, current research, and the development of therapeutic skills that enable students to practice at both individual and family levels. The complete course will be co-coordinated by Dr. Gerald P. Mallon, Professor at Hunter College School of Social Work and Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao, Founder and CEO of Center for Family Connections, Cambridge, MA. They will be present and/or facilitate at every session, and will provide continuity and consistency of curriculum.

Gerald Mallon, DSW, is the Executive Director of the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning, Hunter College/City University of New York, New York City. He is also a Professor in the School of Social Work, Hunter College. His practice and professional interests include work with Children, Youth and Family Services and with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons. Dr. Mallon is an adoptive parent of three young people an author of numerous books and articles and will serve as the lead instructor for this course.

Joyce Maguire Pavao, Ed.D, is the Founder and CEO of Center for Family Connections in Cambridge, MA and New York. Dr. Pavao is recognized as one of the leading experts in adoption in the U.S and abroad. Dr. Pavao is also a lecturer in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and is the author of The Family of Adoption, a leading text in the field, and one which will be utilized in this course.