Adoption Literacy
Keynote Speaking & Training on Foster Care & Adoption
Practical Tools & Resources for Mental Health & Child Welfare Professionals.
Using the Adoption Literacy framework to help child welfare professionals, therapists, and organizations serve families better.
I give your team practical tools they can use Monday morning (not just theories they'll forget next week!).
Every child welfare professional wants to help children and families thrive, but they're either exhausted from high caseloads and systemic constraints, or discouraged by yet another person telling them they're doing it wrong.
With 20+ years of experience as an adoptee, former foster youth, and licensed clinical counselor, I help professionals organize their interventions more effectively to empower families and increase collaboration across disciplines.
Having been on this journey myself, as a Korean American transracial adoptee and professional, I want to help you navigate it, too.
Schedule Free Discovery CallMeet Cam Lee SmallÂ
Speaker. Clinician. Adoptee. Advocate.
Cam brings lived experience and professional expertise to every keynote and training he delivers. He’s not just telling stories – he’s designing community conversations that lead to long-term transformation.
Whether you're planning a child welfare training, corporate leadership retreat, educational conference, or community event, Cam's presentations help any audience organize their understanding of diverse experiences with practical skills and frameworks they can implement Monday morning to create lasting change in their families, organizations, and communities.
Schedule Free Discovery Call
Where You've Met CamÂ
With 65+ professional trainings delivered since 2019 and extensive clinical experience, Cam’s work has been recognized by major media outlets, leading organizations, and academic institutions. His book The Adoptee's Journey was nominated for the FORWARD INDIES Book of the Year Award.
Schedule a Free Discovery CallCam offers a unique lens shaped by his clinical training, thought leadership, and identity as a Korean American adoptee raised in the Midwest.
Cam’s keynotes and workshops provide more than inspiration. They are expertly curated, interactive experiences to deliver clarity, compassion, and strategy – the key ingredient to launch your team’s mission from ideas to impact.
 Why Cam’s unique adoption expertise translates everywhere: Â
✓ Resilience & Adaptability - lessons to strengthen any workforce
✓ Identity & Belonging - insights crucial for inclusive cultures
✓ Trauma-Informed Leadership - improves team dynamics and retention
✓ Authentic Storytelling - inspires connection and engagement
✓ Diverse Lived Experience - resonates universally across audiences
✓ Clinical expertise - in human behavior and growth
âś“ Research-backed insights - to drive measurable outcomesÂ
2025/2026 Speaking Topics To Strengthen Your Skills & Impact:
For Child Welfare & Healthcare Professionals:
- Adoption Literacy in Practice: A Framework for Serving Families Impacted by Child Welfare
- Adoption Literacy: Deepening Professional Impact with the RISEN Framework
- Digital Citizenship and the Adoptee Experience: Navigating Identity in the Online Age.
For Educators & Ministry Leaders:
- Adoption Literacy Tools for Counselors & Leaders [church curriculum available]
- Supporting Transracial Families Through Conscious Identity Development
- Cultivating Trauma-Responsive Spaces for Youth and Families
For Corporate & Community Organizations:
- The Adoptee’s Journey: From Loss and Trauma to Healing and Empowerment (based on Cam’s book)
- Leading Communities Where Every Story Matters
- Building Cultural Bridges: From Individual Awareness to Collective Action
Adoption Literacy is a Community Practice
Check out these resources that show how the Adoption Literacy framework empowers individuals, equips families, and strengthens communities as a powerful and dynamic intervention.
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 Why Adoptees Need a New Kind of VillageÂ
In his TEDx talk, Cam introduces the Adoption Literacy framework for understanding the emotional and societal impacts of adoption - so communities can help adoptees reclaim their narratives, heal, and thrive. He shares four key relational cues to equip parents, professionals, and allies to be part of lasting positive change.Â
 The Adoptee's Journey
Cam explores the nuances and complexities of the adoptee experience, revealing how history and faith communities have shaped adoption practices and outcomes over time. Through Adoption Literacy, Cam offers a path for adoptees to discover agency, embrace identity, and strengthen meaningful relationships across all their family systems.Â
 Community Awareness
In the interview with WCCO - CBS Minnesota, Cam shares about his personal journey from isolation to connection, and reflects on identity, grief, and healing in adoption. He discussed his return to Korea and the experience of meeting birth family in his book The Adoptee's Journey, offering hope and guidance for adoptees, families and communities alike.Â
