Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT

(they/them) Adoptee | Queer | Adoption Therapist. Helping adoptees reclaim their stories, weaving clinical practice, scholarship, & activism. Views = mine.

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

I hate returning to X for this but it has to be made known.

I have been working with a 32 yo queer disabled social work peer in renal failure to fight for their Medicaid that was absolutely wrongfully terminated @PADHSArkoosh @PAHumanServices @PAHealthDept (continued)…

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

Adoption isn’t just a chapter—it’s an ongoing experience that shapes who we are. Adoptees often feel pressure to conform, but we have the right to define ourselves on our terms. 💙⁣
Your experience is valid, and it’s yours to write. 📝 #AdopteeHealing #AdoptionIsLifelong

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

Cc: @wcdailylocal @Chesco_Press

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

I hate returning to X for this but it has to be made known.

I have been working with a 32 yo queer disabled social work peer in renal failure to fight for their Medicaid that was absolutely wrongfully terminated @PADHSArkoosh @PAHumanServices @PAHealthDept (continued)…

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

Do we need to live Tweet this person’s decline for the next 90 days - hoping they make it that long - for @PAHumanServices @PADHSArkoosh @PAHealthDept to do the right thing?

This is not ok.

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

@PADHSArkoosh @PAHumanServices @PAHealthDept Their kidney transplant assessment is now cancelled. Their fistula surgery is now cancelled. Their dialysis care is now cancelled. Their hematology infusions are now cancelled.

They. Do. Not. Have. 90. Days.

@PADHSArkoosh @PAHumanServices @PAHealthDept #healthcare #medicaid

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

When we applied for an expedited appeal, it was denied. Apparently having 12% kidney functioning left (20% is transplant eligible, 15% is the minimum required to stay alive), can wait 90 days without care (continued)… @PADHSArkoosh @PAHumanServices @PAHealthDept

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

There’s nothing like getting an email from @aetna about how they prioritize my mental health as a subscriber… when they take 6 months to pay me for my labor as a therapist. Parity optics won’t pay my mortgage, hun. #insurance #MentalHealthAwarenessDay #therapy

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

@hawleysa8 @corsent Super cool. I’m from Cape May Court House and visit my dad there every other weekend.

This is a tough one. I say “child of unmarried parents,” which may be too long. “Putative children” comes to mind but may be almost as inappropriate. “Single parents’ children?”

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

A person who likely needs post-partum medical attention, mental health help, and parenting counseling is now being pursued by detectives instead of community support & services. They face up to 3 years in prison. This is sad for the parents and this baby.

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

The articles & comments about the #abandoned infant in #arizona are disappointing. A new parent left their baby on the doorstep of an occupied home in a retirement community instead of with cops. Have we no compassion to imagine why a scared & stressed person might do that??

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

… how you do respond may ultimately function as a “dog whistle” against adoption activists & critical adoption scholars who, unlike Greene, have valid criticisms of adoptive parenting & adoption. This puts us in danger - especially Black, Brown, ICA, & queer adoptees.

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

Adoptive parent allies. Please mindfully respond to @repmtg’s comments. We do not want to promote saviorism, condemn first families, or de-center adoption from adopted children. AND…

#adoption #MarjorieTaylorGreene #RoeVWade #abortion

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

I know @repmtg’s comment about “fake parents” wasn’t about adoptees. However, her comment undermines an adopted person’s right to self-determine their own kinship. I hope media outlets will amplify adoptee voices in response #abortion #adoption #fakeparents #adoptiveparents

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

* I say “was Iroquois” because my mom is no longer living.

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

My name was changed from Christen Davida Haney to Sarah Callahan to Amanda JoAnn Transue. My agency essentially forced my parents to change my name. My a-mom was Iroquois & had her family name forcibly altered by a boarding school. My name change activated generational trauma.

[Amber waves of pain @kimhwanchang]

Do adoptive parents of white children change their birth names too or is this just a thing for asian kids? Trying to see something.

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

@kimhwanchang My name was changed from Christen Davida Haney to Sarah Callahan to Amanda JoAnn Transue.

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

In my adoption file, it’s clear my first mom & family were shown what *other families* had to offer me.

But no one approached them in a spirit of respect & encouragement. No one highlighted their strengths or what *they* could offer me.

#adoption #ethics #socialwork

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

@LinaLeadsWLove I’m glad we’re in this together ♥️.

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

I know it may seem sweet & harmless. As a master social worker, I beg folks please do not send people with unplanned pregnancies the URLs & Twitter handles (etc) of people who are looking to adopt (or vice versa).

A 🧵….

#adoption #hopingtoadopt #RoeVsWade #feminism

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

And also see: Wake Up Little Susie: Single Pregnancy and Race Before Roe v. Wade https://t.co/nPUBrcg7FQ

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

The Turnaway Study offers compelling facts about how people forced to birth overwhelmingly opt to parent - when there is a choice to parent. When there isn’t a choice, we have the entire Baby Scoop Era to look at. 🧵

#adoption #christianity #RoeVWade #welladoptyourbaby

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

When birth AND adoption are forced: https://t.co/z4xG21PwQ2

[Amanda Woolston MSS, LCSW, CT @AmandaTDA]

Turnaway Study: https://t.co/TKLscWZANV

However, I anticipate the secular and pro-choice nature of many resources that might challenge a church’s beliefs on this may not be acceptable evidence to the church in the first place, unfortunately.