We change the world, one child at a time.
SWAN Affiliate Support Groups
| Affiliate | Support Group | Description | Participants | Childcare | Access | Fees | Group Type | Where | When | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diakon Child, Family and Community Ministries - Mechanicsburg/York | Parent Support Group | — | Foster, Adoptive, Kinship, Waiting Families | Yes, Free | Yes | Post-Perm Funding | Educational, Peer Support | York | Second Tuesday of each month | Denise Roe |
| Adelphoi Village | Understanding and Healing | We will be diving into the Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency- Addressing each month, Loss, Rejection, Shame/Guilt, Grief, Identity, Intimacy and Mastery/Control. | Adoptive Parents | Yes - Arrangements need to me made in advance of the meeting to accommodate. | Yes | Free to Post-perm families receiving Post-perm funding | Educational, Peer Support | 1214 Redington Ave, Troy, PA 16947 | First and Third Thursday of Each month. First Thursday will be from 10-11:30AM and the third Thursday will be from 5:30-7:00PM. Meetings will be held both in-person and virtually. | Amy Benner |
| Bethany Christian Services of the Greater Delaware Valley | Adoption Community Group | Group is focused on connection and community. Pizza dinner and separate parent, child, and teen groups provided. The group plans to watch a short video and then have a time of discussion surrounding the identified topic. Parent topics include: Back to School, Core Issues in Adoption, Parenting Tweens and Teens, Co-Regulation, Managing Secondary Trauma Stress, and more! | Adoptive/Kinship Families and Parents, Adoptive/Kinship youth and teens | Yes | Yes - Handicap accessible | Free for Post-perm families receiving Post-perm funding | Educational, Peer Support | Dresher, PA (RSVP for exact address) | Second Thursday of each month, from September 2024-May 2025 | Kathy Hurwitz |
| Madison Adoption Associates | Blessings Through Adoption | A foster, adoption, kinship fellowship/support group | Resource, Adoptive, and Kinship families; all children and youth | Yes | Yes | — | Educational, Peer Support | First Presbyterian Church 252 College Ave 3rd Floor Beaver PA 15009 | 2nd Thursday of each month Dinner 5:30-6:30 Group 6:30-8:00 | Cynthia Renfroe |
| Bethany Christian Services of Western PA | Adoptive Parent and Child Support Group | Come join us for dinner and support groups. Meet with other adoptive parents and discuss important issues. Support groups for all ages occur simultaneously. | Adoptive and Kinship Families, Children and Youth | Yes | Yes | None | Educational, Peer Support | Discovery Church, Mars, PA | 2nd Wednesday of every month (September to April) from 6:30 to 8pm | Diane Gieraltowski |
| Children's Aid Society of Mercer County | Parent Support Group | — | Families including Foster, Adoptive and Kinship families | Yes | — | Post-permanency funding | Educational, Peer Support | Mercer | Last Thursday of the month | Kristi Pearsall |
| Bethany Christian Services of Western PA | Teen/Tween Group | We're excited to offer a program for adoptees ages 10-18. Our goal is to offer these children and young adults a safe place to form friendships with other adoptee peers. When children enter adolescence, they often strive to define themselves, which sometimes leads to previously unrealized emotional issues and questions related to their adoption or permanency journey. Even if a child has appeared to be happy and well-adjusted in the past, it's not uncommon for adolescents to begin experiencing feelings of grief, loss, abandonment, rejection, and even guilt or shame. We're here to help and offer support during this time. | Teens of adoptive or kinship families | Not applicable | Yes | Post-permanency funding | Educational, Peer Support | Bethany Christian Services, 898 Park Ave, Ste 16, Meadville, PA 16335 | Second Saturday of each month from 10am to noon. | Katie Lux |
| Children's Aid Society of Franklin County | Support Group | — | Adoptive, Families providing permanency | No | Yes | Post-Perm Funding | Peer Support | Chambersburg | Second Thursday of the month | Stacy Gutshall |
| Children's Home of Pittsburgh | Parent Support Group: Families Impacted by Infertility | — | Families impacted by infertility | No | — | Free | Free, Peer Support | 5324 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA | Last Monday of the Month at 6:00 pm | J Horn |
| Children's Home of Pittsburgh | Mind...Body...Mood Monday | Teens in foster care or adoption can come hang out in a hybrid format, learn practices to help regulate their mind and body, and share with others their age who “get it.” | Teens who are in foster care or have been adopted | No | Yes - Handicap parking available | None | Educational, Peer Support | 5324 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224 or Virtual | 1st Monday of every month 5-6pm | Kristie Lindblom |
| Bair Foundation of PA, The | Strengthening Families Before Crisis Occurs | Because adoptive families may face many unique challenges, it can often be difficult to recognize that problems are escalating until it’s too late. This support group is designed to help families address problems as they occur, and before they turn into crisis situations. Adoptive parents and older youth are encouraged to participate together. | Adoptive or Kinship Families | No | Yes - Handicap parking available | Free if receiving Post-perm funding, Fee if not receiving funding: $15 | Educational, Peer Support | 615 Howard Avenue, Suite 102, Altoona, PA 16601 | January 1, 2023-March 31, 2024 | Sarah Laird |
| A Second Chance, Inc. | The Strength of a Woman | This support group addresses the importance of Self Care for Woman, Teenage Girls, and Feminine-identified individuals. This group is a series covering different aspects of Self-Care on a monthly basis. | Adoptive and Kinship Families/Parents, including children and youth | No | n/a (virtual) | Free to Post-perm families receiving Post-perm funding | Advocacy, Educational, Peer Support | Virtual | 01/26/2023, 02/25/2023, 03/25/2023, 04/22/2023, 05/27/2023, 06/24/2023, 07/22/2023, 08/26/2023, 09/23/2023, 10/28/2023, 11/25/2023, 12/23/2023 | Tieraney Simmons |
| A Second Chance, Inc. | Support After Permanency | This support group is designed to be a hands-on “where to turn” to aide Adoptive and PLC families in navigating resources after permanency. This group is a serious that tackles various topics around navigating systems after permanency is achieved. | Adoptive and Kinship Families/Parents, including children and youth | No | n/a (virtual) | Free to Post-perm families receiving Post-perm funding | Advocacy, Educational, Peer Support | Virtual | 01/14/2023, 02/11/2023, 03/11/2023, 04/08/2023, 05/13/2023, 06/10/2023, 07/08/2023, 08/12/2023, 09/09/2023, 10/14/2023, 11/11/2023, 12/09/2023 | Tieraney Simmons |
| Loftus-Vergari and Associates, Inc. | Support Group | This is an innovative resource parent’s group that combines both face to face and virtual meeting simultaneously. It’s held in a reserved setting were brunch is served and relevant issues/trainings are discussed in a supportive environment. | Foster, Adoptive, Kinship, Waiting Families | N/A | Yes | Post-Perm Funding & Foster Care Funding | Educational, Peer Support | Wilkes-Barre | Third Tuesday of the month 10:30am-12:30pm | Cynara Wattley-Liburd |
| Bethany Christian Services of Western PA | TBRI Problem Solving | Join us as we find ways to turn "conflict into cheers" through the principles of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) caregiver techniques. | Adoptive and Kinship Parents | N/A | N/A | None | Educational, Peer Support | Virtual | 4th Wednesday of each month from 6-7:30pm | Lesha Powell |
| Bethany Christian Services of Western PA | Coffee, Care & Connection | Gather and connect with other adoptive moms over a great cup of coffee. | Adoptive and Kinship Parents | N/A | Yes | None | Peer Support | Clarion Library, 644 Main St, Clarion PA 16214 | 3rd Wednesday of the month from 10:30am - 11:30am | Angela Gerics |
| Bethany Christian Services of Western PA | Fathers Support Group | Join us for this open discussion support group for fathers. Together, we'll discuss topics pertaining to parenting and gain insight from others in open discussion. The information discussed will be around the father's role in parenting with themes of creating nurturing and positive relationships. | Adoptive and Kinship Parents | N/A | N/A | None | Peer Support | Virtual | First Saturday of every month at 10am | Jared Piszcynski |
| Bethany Christian Services of Western PA | Ladies Book Club | Join us virtually by stepping away and diving into books as we collaborate, learn and grow together. | Adoptive and Kinship Parents | N/A | N/A | None | Peer Support | Virtual | 3rd Wednesday of each month from 7-8:30pm | Lesha Powell |
| Bethany Christian Services of Western PA | Kin-nect Kinship Caregivers | A Community of Kinship Caregivers If you're a grandparent, aunt or uncle, adult sibling or a trust family friend with guardianship for a child, you may benefit from connecting with others who understand your caregiving challenges and concerns. We invite you to join us for Kin-nect, a support group providing information, friendship and community for your kinship care journey. | Kinship Families and Parents | N/A | Yes | None | Educational, Peer Support | Adventure Church, 2205 West 38th St, Erie, PA 16506 | 3rd Saturday of each month from 1-3pm | Lesha Powell |
| Madison Adoption Associates | Parent Support Group | Come meet other adoptive parents to learn from one another, share your experiences, and receive encouragement. | Parents | n/a | n/a | n/a | Peer Support | Virtual | Third Tuesday or third Thursday of the month. Tuesdays: 7-8 PM Thursdays: 12-1 PM | Patti Farrell |
| Bair Foundation of PA, The | A Book Study for Adoptive Mothers focusing on the book, The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis. | This support group will utilize a book study that focuses on The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis. We, The Bair Foundation, work with multiple adoptive families and feel that support group focusing on this book would be well received. This support group will entail a monthly virtual meeting and several engagement posts throughout the support group timeframe. | Parents (Resource, Waiting, Adoptive, and/or Kinship) | n/a | n/a | Free for families receiving Post-perm funding, fee if not | Advocacy, Peer Support | Virtual | January 1, 2024 through March 31, 2024 | Taylor Senko |
| COBYS Family Service | Family Nurturing Education & Support Program | 24-hour program designed to nurture and support parents and their children through guided play, modeling, and the presentation and practice of nurturing, sensitive, and competent parenting strategies. | Parents and their children | — | — | None | Free | Lancaster County - Various Locations | One 2-hour session a week for 12 weeks | Stacie LaBarbera |
| Bair Foundation of PA, The | Exploring Life After Adoption | During this support group, our goal will be to discuss different topics that adopted persons may encounter. Topics such as exploring who you are, unrealized feelings around adoption, and grief and loss will be discussed during our time together. With this, we hope that adopted teens will also come together and form relationships. | Adopted Teens | — | n/a | — | Peer Support | Virtual | January 2024 - March 2024 | Ellie Pinto |