Support Groups

Children need support on the lifelong journey of adoption — and so do adults.

Connecting with other people who share your experiences helps you thrive. That’s why Pact is committed to creating safe, supportive, no-cost spaces where all members of the adoption triad can build community with peers who understand them. All our support groups are grounded in Pact’s honest, anti-racist, child-centered approach to adoption.

You can attend an adoption support group every month, or drop in occasionally. Meetings are held online via Zoom. All groups are free to Pact members. Register on our Events page.

Learn more about Pact’s ongoing support groups for:

You can also request to join Pact’s private Facebook groups for:

*What do we mean by transracial? Transracial adoptive parents are parenting children who do not share their racial identity. The majority of participants in our transracial adoption support groups are white parents who have adopted children of color. Pact is serving a growing number of BIPOC transracial adoptive parents. Depending on their needs, BIPOC parents who have adopted children of a different racial identity may choose to attend our transracial support groups and/or our support groups specifically for adoptive parents of color.

Pact Support Group Flyer (PDF) available for download.

Support groups are conducted in accordance with Pact’s group guidelines. As part of the registration process, adoptive parents are asked to agree to these guidelines for adoptive parent support groups.

We strive to make our programs as inclusive as possible—if you are part of a group that you feel could benefit from Pact support, please contact us.

Adult Adoptees & Former Foster Youth of Color

This longstanding monthly support group is a safe space exclusively for adoptees and former foster youth of color. You can be you in all your beautiful complexity—we get you.

Virtual meetings: First Tuesday of each month, 5:30pm Pacific Time (8:30pm Eastern). Facilitated by Katie Wynen.

To receive notices of upcoming meetings, complete this interest form.

Facebook group: Open to all adult adoptees and former foster youth of color; request to join.

Learn more about opportunities available through Pact for adult adoptees and former foster youth of color.

Adoptive Parents of Color Collaborative

These ongoing adoption support groups are exclusively for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) adoptive and foster parents. Yes, we do adopt! These are spaces for adoptive parents of color to build community, receive support, and reflect on shared experiences.

Adoptive Parents of Color (For parents of children ages 0 – 12, pre-adoptive parents welcome): Fourth Tuesday of each month, 4:00 pm Pacific Time (7:00pm Eastern). Facilitated by Raquel Vivanco.

BIPOC Parents of Adopted Teens & Young Adults: Second Wednesday of each month, 4:30pm Pacific Time (7:30pm Eastern). Facilitated by Raquel Vivanco.

To receive notices of upcoming meetings, complete this interest form.

Facebook group: Open to all adoptive parents of color; request to join.

First/Birth Families

This support group provides a safe, supportive community for those related by birth to a child placed in adoption or foster care. This group is for parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles by birth of children placed for adoption.

Virtual meetings: Fourth Wednesday of each month, 4:00pm Pacific Time (7:00pm Eastern). Facilitated by Susan DG Leksander.

To receive notices of upcoming meetings, complete this interest form.

Facebook group: Open to all first/birth family members of adoptees of color; request to join.

Transracial Adoptive Parents

These adoption support groups provide “brave spaces” where parents who have adopted children of different racial identities can build community and have honest, race-conscious conversations about the joys and challenges of transracial adoption. The majority of participants are white parents who have adopted children of color. Depending on their needs, BIPOC parents who have adopted children of a different racial identity may choose to participate in these groups and/or in our support groups specifically for adoptive parents of color (see above). Pact membership required.

Transracial Adoptive Parents (For parents of children ages 0 – 12, pre-adoptive parents welcome): First Wednesday of each month, 4:00pm Pacific Time (7:00pm Eastern). Facilitated by Beth Hall.

Transracial Adoptive Parents of Teens & Young Adults: Third Wednesday of each month, 4:00pm Pacific Time (7:00pm Eastern). Facilitated by Beth Hall.

To receive notices of upcoming meetings, complete this interest form.

Facebook group: Open to all transracial adoptive parents; request to join.

Adoptive Parents of Teens & Young Adults

These support groups provide safe space where adoptive and foster parents of teens and young adults of color (usually ages 15-25) can talk about the parenting challenges. Pact membership required.

BIPOC Parents of Adopted Teens & Young Adults: Second Tuesday of each month, 4:30pm Pacific Time (7:30pm Eastern). Facilitated by Raquel Vivanco.

Transracial Adoptive Parents of Teens & Young Adults: Third Wednesday of each month, 4:00pm Pacific Time (7:00pm Eastern). Facilitated by Beth Hall.

To receive notices of upcoming meetings, complete this interest form.

Support Group Facilitators

Beth Hall

Development Director, Co-Founder

Beth Hall (she/her) is the white adoptive mother of a Latina daughter and an African American son, both now adults, and grew up with an adopted sister. She co-founded Pact in 1991 to combat the discrimination she witnessed against adopted children of color and their birth families. She is the co-author, with Gail Steinberg, of the book Inside Transracial Adoption (Perspectives Press, 2000, 2nd edition, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2013), as well as numerous articles on adoption and race, and has served as President of the California Adoption Agency Association. A nationally known advocate for adopted children of color, she served as Pact’s Executive Director from 1991 to 2025.

Susan Dusza Guerra Leksander

Executive Director

Susan Dusza Guerra Leksander (she/her), LMFT, is a Latina first mother and transracial domestic adoptee. A licensed psychotherapist specializing in the adoption and foster care triads, she joined Pact in 2016 as a parent consultant, first/birth family advocate, and coordinator of trainings for service providers. When Pact became a licensed adoption agency in 2017, Susan was appointed its founding Agency & Clinical Director. She launched Pact’s Center for Race & Adoption Focused Therapy (CRAFT) in 2021, and was selected as Pact’s second Executive Director in 2025. An experienced educator and presenter, she previously served as Board President of MPower Alliance. She is raising two sons and is on an ongoing journey of reunion with her first families and the daughter she placed for adoption.

Raquel Vivanco

Adoptive Parents of Color Collaborative Director, Parent Program Manager

Raquel Vivanco (she/her) is the adoptive mother to two Latin@ persons. Prior to joining the Pact staff, Raquel worked for the Tides Center & Foundation as a project manager and human resources manager, and launched two successful small businesses in Latin America. She has a BA in International Relations from Stanford. Raquel has been an active member of the Pact community for over fifteen years and is deeply dedicated to ethical adoption reform.

Katie Wynen

Adult Adoptees of Color

Katie Wynen (she/her), MSW, is a transracial, international Colombian adoptee. Katie has worked with members of the adoption triad since 2006. An adoption consultant, educator, social worker, and LGBTQ+ advocate, she studied under Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao in Boston before moving to Oakland and serving as a fulltime Pact staff member from 2012 to 2024. Katie is an Angels in Adoption 2019 Recipient from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.

To meet additional Pact team members, see individual program pages.