Dee's undergraduate degree, obtained from the University of Pittsburgh, is in
Education. It was there that she was awarded a Fellowship in Special
Education and was elected to the Honorary Education Society, Pi Lambda Theta.
As a member of the Triad (Adoptees, Birth Parents, Adoptive Parents), Dee, an
adoptee, searched and found her birth family in 1982. She has since devoted
her life to helping educate the public about the lifelong adoption process,
so that the complexities of it will be understood, the truths revealed, and
the issues resolved.
From 1994-1996, Dee held the position of Confidential Intermediary for the
Arizona Supreme Court. In that position, as a Certified Searcher, she was
authorized to access court records for birth relatives. Dee then served as
an Intermediary between found adoptees and birthparents.
Dee pursued her internships for her Masters in Counseling program with the
Arizona Children's Home, concentrating her training on adoption matters:
certification, home studies, seminars for prospective adoptive parents,
counseling birth parents, facilitating support groups, etc.
In 1992, Dee was asked to assume the leadership of the Adult Adoptee Support Group of Tucson, AZ. Upon graduating from Chapman University in 1996, with a Masters Degree in Counseling and an emphasis in adoption, Dee opened up her private practice. That same year, she expanded her practice to Phoenix, AZ where she added support groups for other members of the Triad
under the name of The Adoption Counseling Home, Inc. The organization became
a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) in May of 1997.
Dee has presented at two International Adoption Congress conventions and has
appeared on several local and national television shows. She maintains an extensive
adoption library including numerous tapes from AAC conventions, plus over 200
books and other adoption related resources.
Upon moving back to her home town, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the year
2000, Dee resumed counseling private clients with adoption concerns. She
recently opened up her practice to support groups similar to the ones
run in Arizona.
People from all parts of the Triad engage Dee for personal counseling,
finding her kind understanding, vast knowledge, professional guidance,
comfortable and tender attention, the support and direction to personal
growth and empowerment they seek.
"The Best Place After All.....An Adoptee's Journey Home", Dee's memoir, should be published by the end of the year.