Mentor Training Curriculum

Grounded in lived experience and expert-led training, Adoptee Mentoring Society mentors are equipped to support adoptees with care, skill, and intention. At AMS, we offer specialized training developed in collaboration with experts to ensure our mentors are confident, compassionate, and well-prepared.

What Makes Our Mentorship Program Different?

Each AMS mentor completes a two-day, in-person training rooted in trauma-informed care and adoptee identity. Through hands-on learning and expert-led sessions, they build tools like strategic storytelling, motivational interviewing, and racial literacy to foster authentic, growth-oriented connections with their mentees.

Guiding Principles

  • Line drawing of two hands forming a heart shape.

    Radical Acceptance

    We offer unconditional positive regard to all mentees while fostering an environment of respect and support.

  • A stylized, geometric drawing of a Christmas tree with layered sections in shades of gray, blue, brown, and teal.

    Inch-Wide, Mile-Deep

    Our approach prioritizes meaningful, transformative work over surface-level efforts.

  • Two speech bubbles, one dark green with three dots, the other tan with three lines, indicating conversation or communication.

    Openness

    We trust that the right people, timing, and outcomes will naturally emerge, staying present and open to the conversations and opportunities that unfold.

  • Illustration of a snowflake with six branches and a central circle, featuring geometric patterns and shapes.

    Boundaries

    We honor time and closure, ensuring we begin, end, and engage with intention while accepting that non-closure can be a valid stopping point.

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Spring Hecht, LICSW

Spring Hecht (she/her) is an adoptee, therapist, and Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience supporting children, families, and individuals. She served as Vice President of Social Services at a leading foster care and adoption agency and has held leadership roles with the Washington Adoption Reunion Movement and the Vashon Island School Board. Spring specializes in trauma and attachment therapy, with certifications in Trust-Based Relational Intervention, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and Internal Family Systems.

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Bonni Goodwin, PhD, LCSW

Bonni Goodwin (she/her) is an Assistant Professor at the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work and Director of the Center for Adoption and Family Well-Being at the University of Oklahoma. She also serves as the Statewide Coordinator of Adoption Preservation Services for Oklahoma Human Services. Dr. Goodwin’s research focuses on adoption, permanency, and mental health, and she provides training, consultation, and policy work at the state and national levels to improve services for adoptive families and adult adoptees.

The logo of the University of Oklahoma, featuring an interlocked 'OU' in crimson and black with the words 'The University of Oklahoma' beneath.
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JaeRan Kim, PhD, MSW

JaeRan Kim (she/her) is a scholar, researcher, and adoptee whose work focuses on adoption, child welfare, disability, and race. She developed the Adoptee Consciousness Model, which explores adoptees’ evolving awareness of identity, agency, and experience. Dr. Kim is an Associate Professor and BASW Program Chair at the University of Washington - Tacoma. and the author of Harlow’s Monkey, a widely respected blog on adoption, race, and social justice.

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Robin DiAngelo, PhD

Robin DiAngelo (she/her) is a leading scholar in Whiteness Studies, coined the term White Fragility in 2011, sparking global discussions on race. She is a bestselling author and racial equity educator and works with organizations to address systemic racism. Her research and consulting challenge white people to confront racial bias and engage in meaningful anti-racist work.