Post-Adoption Support Services
/in Auglaize, Available To Residents, Champaign, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Pregnancy & Parenting Services, Professional Counseling, Programs & Services, Shelby, Specialized Counseling /by atomicPost-Adoption Support Services

Adoption is a life-long process and each adoption is unique and special. Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley offers post-adoption services and general adoption information, support for adoptees, and specialized support for adoptive families through our Safe Counseling program.
Whether you’re an adoptee looking for information on your birth family, you’re looking for information about how to adopt a child, or your family includes an adopted child, we have expertise to assist you. The CSSMV professional counseling program is available to adult and child adoptees and their families, and also offers special expertise in the area of attachment disorders.
Our counseling team has expertise working with adoptive families as they go through the adoptive family life cycle. To learn more about these stages and how CSSMV can help address some of the unique challenges faced by adoptive families, please CLICK HERE.
Some adopted children have difficulty developing an attachment to their adoptive families. In extreme cases, they may be diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder, or RAD. Catholic Social Services’ Safe Counseling program can help. CLICK HERE for more information.
CSSMV maintains records for all finalized adoptions that used our adoption placement services.
If you are an adoptee, a birth parent, or an adoptive family whose legal adoption was finalized through CSSMV, we can help you access information from your records.
For assistance, please call (937) 223-7217.
We can give you information about open, confidential, and identified adoption options, as well as explaining what to expect from both emotional and logistical/legal perspectives.
We work with Adoption Circle, a private, non-profit, Ohio-licensed adoption agency, and can also connect you to other community resources.
Eligibility
Our services are available to anyone seeking information or resources about adoption, as well as any birth parent, adoptee, or adoptive family whose adoption was finalized through CSSMV.
Contact
Call (937) 223-7217.
Location
CSSMV Center for Families
1046 Brown Street
Dayton, Ohio 45409
SAFE Counseling
/in Auglaize, Available To Residents, Champaign, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Professional Counseling, Programs & Services, Shelby, Specialized Counseling /by atomicSAFE Counseling

From the moment of birth, when a baby struggles to find the first breaths of life, the people and the environment surrounding the child are important to his or her survival. When a child’s birth or early developmental experiences are filled with problems, behavioral issues can arise and begin to magnify as the child grows. A child who has endured trauma may develop an attachment disorder. Children who have been abused or neglected and/or had multiple foster care placements prior to adoption are particularly “at risk” of developing attachment and bonding difficulties.
Conventional parenting, standard school discipline or traditional outpatient therapy are often less than effective for “hard-to-reach” children with an attachment disorder. These children and their families need help, and it is available through Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley’s SAFE Counseling program.
SAFE Counseling is designed to treat children and to educate parents of children who exhibit signs of an attachment disorder. SAFE Counseling offers help to parents of children who have serious issues that seem unsolvable.
Attachment therapy is an integrated treatment approach that uses elements of cognitive-behavioral, object relations, family and psychodynamic therapies to facilitate child-parent bonding and to measure feedback. In conjunction with these therapies, holding therapy is used to establish a safe place with safe people in which the child can safely talk about and experience the painful issues of the past.
The program seeks to jump start the attachment cycle aborted as the result of the child’s earlier trauma. SAFE believes it is essential to break through barriers of trauma before a child can develop healthy interpersonal relations built on trust. SAFE counseling aims to begin the attachment and healing process for the child and the adoptive or current family.
Eligibility
If your child has been diagnosed with an attachment disorder, or if you believe your child may be suffering from this disorder, call us for more information or a screening appointment.
Contact
Call our Dayton Counseling Center at (937) 296-1007.
Location
CSSMV Center for Families
1046 Brown Street
Dayton, Ohio 45409
Our Counseling Team
/in Auglaize, Available To Residents, Champaign, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Professional Counseling, Shelby, Specialized Counseling /by Andrea SkrlacOur Counseling Team

Dayton Counseling Center
Cheryl Lobbestael-Griffin, LISW-S, BCN
Years in Practice: 20+ years
Population: Adult, Children, Families, and Groups
Specialties: Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, Complex Trauma, Adoption related issues, Reactive Attachment Disorder
Therapeutic Approach: Psychodynamic, Mindfulness, Trauma informed, Attachment therapies, Cognitive approaches
Degree: MSW from University of Michigan
Licensing: Licensed Independent Social Work, with supervisory credentials (LISW-S) Certified in EEG-Neurofeedback (BCN)
Licensed by: Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board

Sidney Counseling Center
Larry G. Grisby, MS, LPC
Years in Practice: 2 years practice working with children, adolescents, and adults
Specialties: children and adolescents, especially those with criminal records; disabled population
Degrees: BS in Psychology from Morehead University; MS in Criminal Justice from Tiffin University; MS in Mental Health Counseling from Wright State University
Licensing: Licensed Professional Counselor
Licensed by: Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board

Dayton Counseling Center
Lisa A. Schauer, LPCC, LSW
Years of Practice: 11 years
Population: Adults, Couples, Adolescents 16 yrs. and above
Specialties: Community medical and behavioral health integration, victims of domestic violence, planning and linking to community resources, depression, anxiety
Therapy Approach: Client Centered, Solution Focused, Cognitive-Behavioral, Psycho-Educational
Licensing: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Licensed Social Worker
Licensed by: Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board

Sidney Counseling Center
Bonnie Ilhe, MS, LPC
Years in practice: 2+ years in practice working with children, adolescents, adults, families, developmentally disabled and veterans
Specialties: Depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma informed care, marriage and couples
Degree: MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Licensing: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Licensed by: Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board

Dayton Counseling Center
Denetta Harris, MSW, LSW
Years in Practice: 10
Population: Adults, Children, Families, and Groups
Specialties: Children, Families, Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, and Assessment
Therapeutic Approach: Psychodynamic, Mindfulness, Trauma informed, Attachment therapies, Cognitive Behavioral Approaches
Degree: MSW from University of Cincinnati
Licensing: Licensed Social Worker
Licensed by: Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board for the State of Ohio

Sidney Counseling Center
Michelle Paulus, MS, LPCC-S
Years in Practice: 20+ years practice working with children, couples, families, individuals, and developmentally disabled population
Specialties: Treatment of emotional and social issues, depression, anxiety, trauma, and adjustment issues; focus on mental and developmentally disabled individuals, marriage and couples issues, spirituality, early childhood intervention, and parenting skills
Degrees: AA in Communication from Sinclair College, BA in Psychology from University of Dayton, MSEd in Social Agency Counseling from University of Dayton, and Post Graduate in Clinical Counseling from University of Dayton
Licensing: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, with supervisory credentials (LPCC-S)
Licensed by: Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board

Dayton Counseling Center
Shelia Wright Davis, Office Support Manager
Shelia has been with the Dayton Counseling Center for an incredible 38 years. When you visit or call the Dayton location, Shelia is the friendly face (or voice) who will greet you, help answer your questions about our services, and set you up with an appointment with a counselor who best meets your needs.

Eckerle Administration Center
922 West Riverview Avenue
Dayton, OH 45402
(937) 223-7217 or (800) 300-2937
General email: cssmv@cssmv.org