Building Bridges: From Individual Awareness to Collective Action

A Practical Framework to Help Employees Navigate the Intersections of Identity & Professional Growth

By Cam Lee Small, MS, LPCC | adoptionliteracy.com

 

Thank you for attending Cam's training at the MN PAW and MEAD ERG!

  1. FEEDBACK: Would you please take 60 seconds to share feedback here, it's deeply appreciated!
  2. SCHEDULE CAM FOR AN EVENT: If any part of this training resonated with you and you'd like to go deeper with additional trainings or keynotes (or bring this specific training to your org!), visit my site here to browse options and schedule a discovery call with me today!
  3. Get the book The Adoptee's Journey: From Loss and Trauma to Healing and Empowerment (Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award Finalist)
  4. HANDOUT: Download the following handout and resources to reflect further on cultivating your professional growth in and beyond the Minnesota communities you serve.
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References

Core Adoption Literacy Framework (including RISEN)

Lee Small, C. (2025). Adoption literacy: A practical guide for counselors. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10664807241313132

The Adoptee's Journey (Book)

Lee Small, C. (2024). The adoptee's journey: From loss and trauma to healing and empowerment. InterVarsity Press.

TEDx Talk: Adoption Literacy

Lee Small, C. (2024, August 12). Adoption literacy at TEDx [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqCoMRUKVao

Books

Disrupting Kinship

McKee, K. D. (2019). Disrupting kinship: Transnational politics of Korean adoption in the United States. University of Illinois Press.

Full Title: Disrupting Kinship: Transnational Politics of Korean Adoption in the United States
Series: Asian American Experience
Author: Kimberly D. McKee
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Publication Date: March 2019
ISBN (Paperback): 978-0-252-08405-8
ISBN (Hardcover): 978-0-252-04228-7
Pages: 231 pp.

A Man of Two Faces

Nguyen, V. T. (2023). A man of two faces: A memoir, a history, a memorial. Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press.

Full Title: A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, A History, A Memorial
Author: Viet Thanh Nguyen
Publisher: Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press
Publication Date: October 8, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-8021-6050-8
Pages: 400 pp.
Genre: Memoir / Biography

Nguyen is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author (The Sympathizer, 2016). This memoir explores his family's experience as Vietnamese refugees, dual identity, and the immigrant experience in America.

Film & Television Clips

Wreck-It Ralph

Type: Animated Feature Film
Release Year: 2012
Director: Rich Moore
Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios / Walt Disney Pictures
Screenplay: Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee
Voice Cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch

The Devil Wears Prada

Type: Feature Film
Release Year: 2006
Director: David Frankel
Screenplay: Aline Brosh McKenna, based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci

Severance — Milchick & Ms. Huang Training Video / Ball Game Scene

Series: Severance, Season 2
Network / Platform: Apple TV+
Season 2 Premiere: January 17, 2025
Creator: Dan Erickson
Featured Actors: Tramell Tillman as Mr. Milchick; Sarah Bock as Ms. Huang
Clip Description: Scene depicting Milchick and Ms. Huang in a corporate training video context, introducing the "Ball Game" — an in-universe team-building / ice-breaker exercise used on Lumon's severed floor. The scene illustrates enforced professional boundaries, corporate compliance culture, and the absurdity of mandated relational performance in institutional settings.

American Born Chinese — Jamie Yao / Freddy Wong Scene

Series: American Born Chinese, Season 1
Network / Platform: Disney+
Premiere Date: May 24, 2023
Creator: Kelvin Yu, based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang
Featured Actor: Ke Huy Quan as Jamie Yao / Freddy Wong
Clip Description: Scene in which Jamie Yao reflects on his career and explains why he left show business — how he was repeatedly cast in stereotypical, racially reductive roles and was never allowed to be a relatable, fully human character. The scene draws directly from Ke Huy Quan's own real-life experience stepping away from acting after early roles typecasted him.

Jamie's monologue goes viral in-universe and mirrors Ke Huy Quan's personal history before his comeback via Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022).

Professional Bridge Builder Training & Next Steps:

For complete Professional Bridge Builder's toolkit, organizational training, and licensing inquiries contact Cam: [email protected] | 952-333-4688 

Browse additional training options at https://www.adoptionliteracy.com/speaking

© 2026 Cam Lee Small | Therapy Redeemed LLC | Adoption Literacy LLCÂ