Numerous fears can take over adoptive parents when considering openness or being in an open adoption. If left unnamed and unaddressed, these fears can lead to attempts to control or avoid the tough stuff, in the name of safety, protection, or keeping things simple. In this workshop we will name some of these common fears – all of which deserve compassion and understanding – so that adoptive parents can move forward in a more authentic, loving, and child-centered way. This workshop is geared toward adoptive parents and the professionals working with them.

Presenter: Susan DG Leksander, LMFT, (she/her), is a Latina first mother and transracial domestic adoptee. A licensed psychotherapist specializing in the adoption and foster care triads, she joined Pact in 2016 as a parent consultant, first/birth family advocate, and coordinator of trainings for service providers. When Pact became a licensed adoption agency in 2017, Susan was appointed its founding Agency & Clinical Director. She launched Pact’s Center for Race & Adoption Focused Therapy (CRAFT) in 2021, and was selected as Pact’s second Executive Director in 2025.

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