Adoption Consultants, Inc.
Birth Parent Line:
1-800-605-4588
(1-800-605-4LUV)
Adoptive Parents:
(818) 766-2222
Testimonials
Adoption Consultants, Inc.
E-mail: info@adoptionconsultantsinc.com
Choosing to adopt was one of the hardest decisions my husband and I have ever had to make, but after three years of "trying," we were prepared to move in a new direction in order to build our family. After scouring the web for days and buying out the local bookstore on adoption books, we decided on independent adoption. Many books warned of a possible three to five year wait to adopt an infant through an agency, and mentioned that some people chose to work with facilitators to locate birthparents in an effort to speed up the process. Of course, in the same breath, the "experts" also warned there was no governing body to monitor or license facilitators, and one had to be wary of people selling themselves as such.
I stumbled upon Adoption Consultants, Inc’s. web site after seeing the company’s ad in the Yellow Pages of our local phone book. The web site was well put-together, and I liked that I could check the company’s AAA BBB standing. But still, the nagging voice from the adoption books - beware of facilitators! So I decided to do some research of my own, and began inquiring on an Internet adoption site if there was anyone working with Adoption Consultants, Inc. who would be willing to share their experience. Two women responded, both of them with nothing but praise for Cathy Mantell and her work.
Hearing first hand such glowing statements about Cathy and her company, I made the leap and called Cathy one afternoon. We ended up speaking about two hours. She took the time to answer each and every one of my questions. Not only did she know the ins and outs of her business, but she educated me on the home study process, the legal requirements, everything! Because Cathy’s background prior to starting her company entailed running nationwide law offices, she was quite familiar with the entire process, not just the matching process, which made me feel very comfortable and reassured we would be in good, experienced and well qualified hands. When I mentioned to Cathy that I'd gotten referrals online, she asked with whom had I been in contact. Of course, I only had first names. When I began to mention names, before I could get the name out, Cathy knew exactly who each client was. And then most amazing thing happened! This friendly, intelligent, insightful business woman recited off every single detail about the couple's situation, from the area in which they resided, to how long their adoption search had taken, to the other agency this couple had unsuccessfully used prior to working with Cathy. I have to admit I was impressed, especially when Cathy proceeded to do the same thing with the next person I had heard from. This helped reassure me Cathy’s clients don’t get lost in the shuffle. She is fully aware of each client, their particular needs and wants, as well as their background. You don’t feel like you are just a nameless number with Cathy and her company. That was just what we needed - this woman had her finger on the pulse of her company - we knew we wouldn't "fall through the cracks" with Cathy.
We began working on our birthmother letter and sent it off to Cathy on February 1, 2005. Every couple weeks we'd hear from Cathy, checking in on us, seeing if there were any changes in what we were looking for in our criteria for the right birthmother or inquiring if we might be open to a situation slightly different than our stated criteria. For the entire first month, our hearts would stop each time the phone rang, and we'd have to talk ourselves down. "It won't happen so quickly, be patient, it'll happen eventually..." Over and over we'd say these things to each other. And then, on an ordinary Monday in the middle of March, 2005, just a little over a month after contracting with Adoption Consultants, the phone rang. And my husband and I, having
convinced ourselves we wouldn't be matched so quickly, had returned to our habit of screening calls. Hearing Cathy's voice had us running to the phone. She told us there was a birthmother who wanted to have a conference call with us, and proceeded to tell us about her. Five minutes after we'd gotten off the phone with Cathy, the phone rang again. It was Cathy, telling us the birthmother was on the other line and ready to speak to us. After we finished talking to the birthmother, Cathy was there to help sift through all of the information we had just received in order to help us to make an informed decision about whether we felt this was the right match for us. We never felt pushed or rushed in our decision making. It was clear Cathy would support any decision we made, whether we chose to move forward and match, or whether we chose to pass on the match. We decided to go ahead with the placement and met our birthmother four days later! We simply adored our birthmother. It was odd in that this would have been a woman we would have been friends with if we had met any other way!
Almost a month after matching, our daughter was born! Cathy was there to support us during each and every aspect of the adoption, checking in with us and our birthmother from the time of our match all the way through to delivery, and everyone's return back home. Whenever we needed to speak with Cathy at any time, she was easily accessible. Because our daughter's birth was in Central California, Cathy wasn't able to attend the birth personally, but her presence was certainly felt. She made sure all of the hospital staff knew of the adoption plan, that the hospital social worker was informed of the placement and would be there to assist us, and that all of our birthmother's needs were being attended to. She also repeatedly invited us to call her 800 number (a number normally for birthmothers only) at any hour, day or night, if we needed her during this time. My husband and I never felt alone throughout the process. We especially appreciated Cathy's gentle support immediately after the birth. Cathy was in almost constant contact with us, reminding us of any missed details we needed to take care of, and making sure we were comfortable with the situation. She also kept in close contact with our birthmother, even after our birthmother had returned home, in addition to acting as liaison for both our agency and ourselves. Knowing that Cathy was willing and available to support our birthmother through such a difficult time meant so much to us.
To this day, Cathy continues to still be on the ball - checking in to see how the baby is doing, and asking for updated pictures like a doting auntie. And that truly is how we feel about Cathy. She will always be an integral part of our family - she single handedly brought our sweet angel baby into our lives! In my opinion, if independent adoption is the path you choose...Cathy Mantell and Adoption Consultants, Inc. is the ONLY way to go. Matching birth families with adoptive families isn't Cathy's occupation - it's her divine calling in life. She works diligently to help create families, and you can tell Cathy is truly dedicated to providing the highest quality of care. She puts heart and soul into her work, and that is a hard thing to find these days.
The day we decided to lay our dream of a family in Cathy's gentle hands
was one of the most blessed days in our lives...
And the day Cathy brought our beautiful daughter into our lives
has been the biggest blessing of all!
Thank you, Cathy for the wonderful person you are, and all you do!
Ryan & Heather
-Madera, CA
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