Lynn Gabbard, MS

Lynn brings to NCAP leadership and practice skills in all aspects of pre- and post-adoption work with families. For over three decades, she has developed curricula and conducted trainings for domestic and international adoptive families. She is particularly knowledgeable about transracial families and the impact of race and culture across the adoptive family lifecycle. She developed and trains on the landmark curriculum "The Multiracial/Multicultural Family Grows Up."

As founder of Lutheran Social Services of New England’s Post-Adoption Center, Lynn has worked skillfully with families facing significant adjustment issues, behavioral challenges, mental health issues and school related or developmental challenges. As an adoptive parent of seven children, she also relates practically as well as theoretically in ways that parents appreciate. Her work with adopted teens includes developing workshops with the youth that they can take to school groups and spread awareness about issues inherent to growing up adopted. She also provides frequent training for classroom teachers, faculty meetings and professional development days for educators in primary and secondary education.

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Consulting Areas

Lynn is available to consult and train with child placement professionals around post-permanency program development, service delivery models, peer support for adoptive parents and adopted children and teens, and facilitating and managing relationships between adoptive families and families of origin. She is also available to school personnel – individually or with Adam – to counsel or train on adoption awareness in schools, classroom management of difficult behaviors, and integration of adoption-related issues into curricula and materials.