Find a Certified Coach
Adoption Attuned Certified Coaches and Professionals Directory
AACC · AAPC
What the credential means
Each coach and professional listed here has completed the Adoption Attuned Coaching® Certification (AACC) course or the Adoption Attuned Professional Certification (AAPC) course.
Graduates have shown a commitment to ethical, adoption-attuned care grounded in current best practices. They are trained in trauma-informed, adoption-sensitive practices, including deep listening, curiosity, non-judgmental powerful questions, and conversations and goals that are client-centered and client-driven. They are skilled in the TriSpective Approach, which recognizes and respects the emotional, physical, and psychological ties that link the adopted person, the birth or first parent, and the adoptive parent. They understand Tri-Relational Interconnectivity: each person's experience, struggle, and emotional fallout from adoption is their own, and what happens to one member of the constellation affects the whole. They are prepared to guide individuals and families with empathy, insight, and practical tools that honor the lifelong journey of adoption.
Many of the professionals listed are members of the adoption constellation, marked with this symbol:
Sally Ankerfelt
AACC, ICF-PCC
Minnesota, USA (Central Time)
Works with: Adoptive parents and triad members, considering, during, and after adoption; professionals
As an adoptive parent, Sally understands the unique aspects of being part of the adoption constellation, which may call for skilled knowledge of attachment adaptations, trauma responses, anxiety, grief, and loss. She uses a sensitive, non-judgmental approach and holds people capable of setting and reaching their goals. Sally also works with organizations, offering training and webinars that build their staff's or clients' awareness of adoption's complexity. Her work is informed by a Certificate in Trauma Studies (University of Minnesota School of Social Work) and completion of the National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative (NTI).
Sharon Butler-Obazee
AACC, ICF-ACC
California, USA (Pacific Time)
Works with: Reunion and triad members, considering, during, and after adoption; professionals
As an adopted person, Sharon brings a lifetime of firsthand insight into the complexities of adoption and its impact on adopted people, adoptive families, and birth families. She is Gallup Strengths Certified, trauma certified, and trained in the ICF core coaching competencies. She co-authored the Adoption Attuned Coaching® Certification training with the Growing Intentional Families Together team. Drawing on her passion, knowledge, and experience, Sharon works with adoptive parents, birth parents, and adopted people, helping individuals and families identify the obstacles they face and develop practical strategies to move beyond them.
Petra Earnshaw
AACC, ICF-ACC, Advanced-Certified ADHD Life Coach
England, UK (UK Time)
Works with: Adopted women, adopted people, triad members
Petra is an Advanced-Certified ADHD Life Coach and Adoption Attuned Coach. As an adopted woman, she is passionate about supporting other adopted women who live with ADHD, often diagnosed late in life and who are still making sense of that new understanding. She also works with all members of the triad, creating an open, non-judgmental space where they can explore their experiences and move forward with greater confidence.
Yvonne Howard
AACC, ICF-ACC
Works with: Adult members of the adoption triad
Yvonne Howard is the owner and principal coach at Unmasked Coaching, with 25+ years' experience as a former licensed counselor, educator, and consultant. As a biracial adoptee from a closed adoption, she understands the search for belonging. She works with adult members of the adoption triad, specializing in mental fitness and authenticity. Yvonne pairs compassion with radical honesty and genuine curiosity, believing everyone already holds their own answers. She holds an MA in Human Development Counseling. Wife, mother of two adults and two dogs, she loves knitting and exploring new places, people, and flavors. Her practice is grounded in her 3 Gs: Grace, Gratitude, and Goodness.
Kim Noeth
AACC
Pennsylvania, USA (Eastern Time)
Works with: Birth parents, grief, and triad members, considering, during, and after adoption
Kim Noeth is a compassionate adoption coach with extensive experience supporting birth parents and adoptive families. As founder of Birth Moms Today and The Post Adoption Journey, she offers specialized, trauma-informed guidance rooted in personal understanding and professional experience. Kim creates a safe space where all voices are heard and relationships are nurtured with respect, compassion, and understanding. Her services include pre- and post-adoption support, birth parent guidance, adoptive family preparation and education, and help navigating complex relationships in the adoption triad. Her grief coaching also supports mothers who have lost a child.
Linda Turner
AACC, MP, CHW
Nevada, USA (Pacific Time)
Works with: Adoptive, foster, and kinship families
Linda is dedicated to supporting adoptive, foster, and kinship families with compassion, understanding, and practical guidance. Her passion for adoption is deeply personal: she has an adopted sister, and seven foster children who were later adopted into her family. With more than 25 years of experience serving children, families, and vulnerable populations, Linda has built her career around advocacy, empowerment, and trauma-informed support. She believes every family's journey is unique and is committed to helping parents strengthen connections, navigate challenges, and build resilient, thriving relationships.
Dee McGee
AACC
Washington, D.C. (Eastern Time)
Works with: Late discovery adoptees and DNA discoverers
Deidra "Dee" McGee is passionate about helping others transform their lives through the spoken and written word, as a storyteller, public speaker, and coach. As a Late Discovery Adoptee and DNA Discoverer, she takes part in podcasts, weekly support groups, and national conferences with adoptees, foster alums, birth parents, adoptive parents, siblings, extended relatives, and everyone in the constellation. She holds degrees in communication from the University of Pittsburgh and Drexel University, and is a Distinguished Toastmaster. Beyond her work, Dee enjoys fine dining, museums, the performing arts, wellness practices, and travel.
Professionals
Tammy Murphy
AAPC
Works with: Group coaching for all triad members
Tammy is a same-race adoptee. In 2011, she became passionate about helping other adoptees when she saw how much being adopted had affected her. Her coaching business, Life! Despite Adoption, helps adoptees see that there is life beyond their adoption experience when they are ready to put the past behind them and start LIVING. She coaches groups of all triad members using the Murphy Method, MADE (Motivation, Ambition, Determination, and Execution). Her future goal is to work with children in foster care. She holds an associate's degree and technical certificate in Human Services and a bachelor's degree in general studies.
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