Because belonging is built together!

Adoption touches everyone in the family - not just parents and children. Siblings, grandparents, and extended family all shape how a child experiences love, belonging, and identity. Yet many families find that relatives don’t always know what to say or how to support the adoption journey. Even with the best intentions, misunderstandings can leave a child feeling different or left out.

This course helps you bring your whole family into the story of adoption with confidence and compassion. You’ll learn practical ways to prepare siblings, guide extended family, and create a strong circle of support around your child. When everyone understands their role, your child can feel truly seen, accepted, and at home in their family.

Navigating Sibings & Extended Family

is a short, online, self paced course

focused on understanding how thoughtful, connection-centred approaches can strengthen relationships within your adoptive family, Navigating Siblings & Extended Family in adoption helps you foster positive bonds not only with your child, but also among siblings and extended family members. Using the latest evidence-based research, this course encourages you to explore the lens through which you view family dynamics.

This online course includes interactive case studies, real-life scenarios, and reflection exercises, allowing you to engage with the material in a hands-on, experiential way and apply strategies directly to your family context.

Who is Arise?

Arise Family is an NGO based in Cape Town, South Africa. We believe that every child is created to be part of a thriving family. And our goal is to support families to thrive, however they are formed. In practice, this means we use strength-based and resilience building interventions as we work with children, parents and caregivers to strengthen and equip families so that they can be a place where children feel safe, loved, and find a sense of belonging.
Enroll me today for $9 / R150!
Arise has over 15 years’ experience in programme development, facilitation, family strengthening and adoption support. Our team consists of psychologists, social workers and play therapists; many of whom are adoptive parents. We bring our education, experience, and skills to provide evidence based and strength building resources to South Africa in ways that promote growth and resilience. Learning how to Navigating Siblings & Extended Family is a stepping stone into helping your family thrive!

Instructors

Alexa Russell Matthews, Robyn Jacobs & Danielle Moosajie

Senior Social Workers & Clinical Psychologist

Alexa Russell Matthews (Senior Social Worker with a Masters degree in Play Therapy), Robyn Jacobs (Clinical Psychologist) and Danielle Moosajie (Social Worker with Masters in Social Policy and Management) are experienced and accomplished facilitators.  Robyn, Alexa and Danielle have over 50 years of combined experience in the mental health field and have worked in public, private, corporate and education sectors.  Together, they are responsible for the psychosocial programme development at Arise and have written, piloted and run various workshops in multiple schools and groups with great success.

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome!

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Thinking about Extended Family

    1. The Role of Siblings

    2. The Importance of Extended Family

    3. Time to Reflect

    1. Life Story Work

    1. Equipping Siblings & Extended Family

    2. Making Things Practical

    1. Tying it All Together

About this course

  • $9.00
  • 9 lessons
  • 1 hour of video content

In this course, you will learn how to:

  • Involve extended family and siblings - both biological and non-biological - in the adoption journey to promote belonging and family unity.

  • Educate extended family members about adoption dynamics so they can provide support without causing confusion or isolation.

  • Navigate sibling relationships within adoptive families with practical tips for fostering positive and inclusive interactions.

  • Use life story work to help your child understand and integrate their history, including managing what is shared with extended family.

  • Advocate for your child’s emotional and psychological well-being, ensuring loyalty and support within the broader family network.

Our Money-Back Guarantee

We’re so convinced that you will absolutely love our products, that we are willing to offer a 7 day risk-free money back guarantee.  If you are not satisfied with the digital product or e-course for any reason you can get a refund within 7 days of making a purchase.  We would ask that you kindly delete all copies of the downloads or digital products if you do request a refund.  Requesting a refund will also mean you lose access to the course platform and any future updates to the material.  If you request a refund and any physical product was shipped to you as part of the course, you will be required to ship the items in their original packaging and unused back to Arise Family before your refund will be arranged.  Any transaction fees associated with processing your credit card and the refund will be deducted from the amount of the course we refund to you.       

*We stand behind our guarantee. Before you make your purchase, please view our full policy.

FAQ

The questions people ask before saying “Yes!” to this course...

  • What's the time investment for doing the course?

    The 9 short lessons can be watched in a total of 60 minutes. You can watch it all in one sitting or break it up into times convenient to you. You can access the course repeatedly and whenever suits you.

  • What's the time investment for the activities?

    The worksheets & case studies can all be downloaded and completed in your own time. We recommend setting aside 30 minutes to work through the activities. The learning really takes place through the interactive reflections and applications and are a vital part of the programme.

  • Can I learn at my own pace?

    Yes, the course is designed for you to go through it as fast or as slow as you would like. Just log in and pick up where you left off, repeat parts you’ve already watched or watch the entire video in one sitting. The choice is yours.

  • How long will I be able to access this course?

    You will be able to log in and access the Navigating Siblings & Extended Family course for the lifetime of the course at Arise Family. There is no expiration date for your access, and you can return and re-do the course as often as you need to. In the future event of Arise Family ever retiring the course, you will be given appropriate notice and time to complete any outstanding lessons.

  • Is this course accredited?

    While all our facilitators are accredited professionals with their various professional governing bodies, this course is not specifically accredited. The course is designed to provide you with introductory information that is relevant and up to date.

  • Will anyone be able to access information about me?

    All your details and information collected by Arise Family are kept confidential and records are maintained as governed by the POPI Act. Our privacy policy can be accessed on our site. If you are completing this course as part of your preparation and counselling with an accredited adoption agency and were provided a code by them to access the course, please know that your adoption social work team will be able to access details regarding your progress in the course and completion dates.