Adoption Therapy
Janet Nordine, MS, LMFT, RPT-S, is an adoption-competent and compassionate therapist who works with all members of the adoption constellation—adoptees, adoptive parents, birth parents, extended family members, and those who support them.
Janet has advanced training in supporting the unique needs of adopted children and families. She is a Registered Play Therapist, a Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI) Practitioner, and trained in Level I Theraplay. Her work is attachment-focused and grounded in Gestalt theory, allowing her to attend closely to each client’s lived experience with presence and care.
Her connection to this work is both professional and deeply personal. Janet is a “baby-scoop era” adoptee and an advocate for adoptee awareness and rights. She understands, from lived experience and clinical training, the complexity of adoption—including identity development, grief, loss, belonging, and resilience. This perspective allows her to hold the nuances of adoption with depth, respect, and clarity.
Janet works with children who are in the process of adoption, as well as those who have been adopted, helping them express and make meaning of their experiences through developmentally appropriate, play-based approaches. For over a decade, she has worked extensively with children in the foster care system.
In addition to her work with children and families, Janet supports adult adoptees in Nevada and offers consultation to adoptees outside of Nevada, providing space to explore the many layers of the adoptee experience across the lifespan.
Through her writing, Janet shares reflections, insights, and practical guidance on living with courage and understanding the lived experience of adoption.
Adoptees On Podcast
Haley Radke - Host of Adoptees On
“Janet Nordine has been featured as a guest expert on the Adoptees On podcast numerous times. She is extremely professional and always comes prepared and with a level of expertise and wisdom that is at the top of her field. Her skill and experience in the adoption space is a welcome addition to the Adoptees On podcast and the adoption community at large. I highly endorse Janet to be a top-rated speaker at live events, as a podcast guest, and as an online presenter for webinars.”
- Haley Radke - Host of Adoptees On
Raising the Future (formerly The Adoption Exchange)
“We live in an uncertain world but Janet Nordine consistently brings value to our organization and the gift of healing for children and families seeking hope.”
- Stacy Burrell
“Janet has made a highly impressive and immeasurable impact on families and child welfare professionals who are touched by the work of The Adoption Exchange. Gratefully, I’ve had the privilege of partnering with Janet through several contracted services; always finding her positivity and passion for the adoptee's perspective to add depth to our progressive “specialized training” and “family support services” programs. I believe that our organization and the foster/adoptive/kinship/guardianship families that we serve have benefited from Janet’s extensive knowledge, deep passion, exemplary achievements, and a strong background in child, adolescent, family, and marital therapy.”
- Jessica Hartwig, Family Support Services Coordinator
“Janet Nordine is extremely knowledgeable in adoption. Her experience and education have been a valuable asset to our partnership with her in webinars and consultant work. Janet is compassionate, empathic, and truly a value to the work we do to raise the bar for children in foster and adoption.”
- Meghan Vargo, Family Support Services Program Manager
Speaking Topics: (1) Disenfranchised Grief (2) Childhood Trauma and its Effects on Brain Development
American Adoption Congress
Janet Nordine, MS, LMFT, RPT-S presenting at the American Adoption Congress' Convention on Disenfranchised Grief in Adoption - April 2019
The North American Council on Adoptable Children
July 2019 - Presenter on Disenfranchised Grief at The North American Council on Adoptable Children National Convention in Las Vegas, NV
The West Coast Institute for Gestalt Therapy with Children and Adolescents
Janet Nordine, MS, LMFT, RPT-S a Faculty Member of The West Coast Institute for Gestalt Therapy with Children and Adolescents and teaches on the topic of working with adopted children in therapy.
Trust Based Relational Intervention Practitioner Trained - TCU
Janet Nordine, MS, LMFT, RPT-S is a Trust Based Relational Intervention Practitioner Trained by The Karen Purvis Institute of Child Development at TCU.
