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The Empowered Advocate


May 20, 2019

Chad & Holly Cooke talk about their professional and personal experience with adoption. Holly has a masters in Marriage and Family Counseling, and Chad has his doctorate in counseling and is a licensed professional counselor in North Carolina. The Cookes adopted their first son from Ethiopia, had two biological sons, and are currently in the process of a domestic adoption. The Cookes share about the impact of adoption on the family.

Time stamps:

1:00 - Meet Chad & Holly Cooke

2:30 - The Cookes share their motivation behind pursuing adoption

4:18 - How do I get started with the adoption process?

7:58 - What were some of the challenges you faced in the adoption process (prior to bringing you son home)?

10:15 - How were you challenged in your faith during this process?

11:30 - What challenges did you experience as a mom and dad after you brought your son home?

13:28 - What suggestions do you have for someone who wants to adopt transracially but is apprehensive?

15:10 - The impact of adoption on the child who comes home

21:45 - How to combat the mentality of “We are rescuing this child.”

24:36 - How do you handle the dynamics of having two biological sons and one adopted son of a different ethnicity? How have your sons handled this dynamic?

27:27 - At what point did you share with you son that he was adopted?

28:59 - How have each of you grown spiritually after bringing your son home?

32:17 - What advice would you give to someone who is considering adoption?

Recommended Resources from Chad & Holly:

The Whole-Brain Child by Dr. Dan Siegel & Dr. Tina Payne Bryson

The Connected Child by Karen Purvis

Adopted for Life by Russell Moore

The Empowered Parent Podcast

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing Trauma by Bessel van derk Kolk M.D.