Adoption can be a serious amount of trauma without even being in a situation like the ones that lead kids to be in foster care. You can end up with anything because these kids learn to adapt to survive. Kids can also inherit pretty severe mental health issues and tendencies towards substance abuse from parents.

Being a psychologist is a great start, but if you’re working with patients who choose to come to therapy you should consider that those people probably already have a leg up by nature of having enough function to choose to seek help to begin with so this can be a whole new ballgame for you.

Social services might also straight up lie to you about the kid before you get them. It might be a lot harder than you’re expecting. The kid may never have the kind of attachment to you that you want them to.

Source: my mom was a school social worker and did adoption home studies for 40 years and has told me a lot of things