Our newest ASA team member and part-time therapist.
An international adoptee, social worker and passionate advocate
Hello! My name is Jessica or Jess.
About me: I am an adult adoptee from China who grew up in North Carolina. Outside of work I love traveling, boat rides, coffee shops, and slow Saturday mornings. I obtained my Master’s in Social Work from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I have worked through all different levels of care. I started out working in intensive in-home, outpatient and school-based therapy for adolescents, and then transitioned to serving adults in an inpatient psychiatric care facility. In addition to working part-time with ASA, I also provide therapy for adults living with cancer and their caregivers at the Levine Cancer Institute. Before 2020 and COVID, I also spent 2 ½ weeks abroad for three summers working for the Ties Program. During that time, I gained professional international experience as I facilitated adolescent groups for adoptees on their homeland tours.
How did you decide to serve the adoption community as an adoptee yourself?
My first real interest in working in the adoption community sparked in high school. After taking a homeland tour back to China in middle school and then volunteering in an orphanage in Vietnam, I identified my passion for serving the adoptive community.
My background with ASA: I first connected with Adoption Support Alliance in 2018 as I began to work in the field of mental health in Charlotte. Since then, I have spoken on adult adoptee panels as well as provided my insights in various classes offered through ASA. Most recently, I facilitated a teen adoptee group for two years.
Why ASA: When pursuing my undergraduate degree, I found that there were very limited post-adoption resources for families. I envisioned opening a pre and post adoption center to help fill the gap. Adoption is a lifelong process and providing support every step of the way is vital. After graduate school, while working in the community, I connected with ASA. The mission and services are aligned with everything I envisioned and more to the adoption community. There is an unspoken bond among adoptees and their families when they are able to connect. I love that ASA is a safe place for so many families in all stages of the adoption journey. I am passionate about connecting with adoptive families and look forward to making new connections as a therapist on staff.
My work in adoption: As a social worker, I have several years of working within different roles in the adoption community. My experience includes serving both domestic and international adoptees and their families. Domestically, I worked in various roles with foster families, such as teen mothers, completed home studies and provided therapy for children in foster care. Internationally, I traveled with The Ties programs several times as they offered opportunities for adoptive families to travel with support to the adoptee's place of birth.
My role with ASA: I am offering individual therapy for adoptees and/or adoptive parents on a part-time basis. My hours of availability will be mostly in the evenings, both virtually and in-person. If you have any questions or want to connect, you can reach out to me at jessica@adoptionsupportalliance.org.