In our Staff Spotlight Series, we catch up with the talented, dedicated, and compassionate individuals who help make everything our organization does possible. This month we’re featuring Chantel Mitchell, Adoption Worker and Family Support Coach. “My husband and I began our family through adoption when we adopted our oldest son through LSS in 2005,” she said. She joined CH & LSS in her current role in 2024. Read more about Chantel’s work and life below!
What is your current role, and what are some of your primary responsibilities?
I have a dual role as an Adoption Worker in the Foster Care Adoption (FCA) program and as a Family Support Coach (FSC). My role in FCA allows me to license families who chose to provide foster care and/or adopt a child who has been placed in foster care throughout the state of Minnesota. Once they are licensed, I work with families to match them with children, take on placements, and see their cases through to finalization. As a FSC, I work with families all over the country who have placement of children they are fostering or have adopted through our agency. This includes families from the FCA program, International and Infant Adoption programs.
What originally drew you to the field of foster care and adoption?
I have several connections to the adoption world. My first was when I was 13 years old, and my dad told me that he had a child in high school that was placed for adoption. He was beginning the process to search for my half-sister. I met her for the first time when I was 15, and she has become an important person in my life.
My husband and I began our family through adoption when we adopted our oldest son through LSS in 2005. We have been navigating the journey of open adoption for almost 20 years. Throughout that time, I have served on boards and panels to talk about my experience as an adoptive parent.
In 2022, I coordinated the private adoption of an infant born in prison. It was this experience that nudged me to look into working in the adoption field. I have a degree in Human Services and have worked with individuals impacted by trauma for the past 25 years, so the transition was a marriage of my professional and personal history.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding part of my job is helping families navigate the challenges of parenting and parenting through adoption. I consider it an honor to be allowed into people’s lives in such an intimate way. To be part of a process that allows for lifelong impact on children in the homes they are placed in is a role I do not take lightly. On a day-to-day basis, I enjoy my conversations and face-to-face interactions with the families I support — I love people!
Based on your experience working in the field of foster care and adoption, what is something everyone should know about foster care and/or adoption that they might not?
Often families come into the foster care program seeking the adoption of infants, toddlers or very young children. The majority of the children in the foster care system are preteens and teens. People often assume that by adopting a younger child they will not be faced with the challenges they expect to see parenting older children. When, in fact, choosing to adopt an older child allows you to know the challenges you might be facing because the child may already have a diagnosis, their behaviors have been seen, and often already have supports in place to help them. People adopt a younger child and naively think that child has not been impacted by trauma. They feel surprised when they see challenging behaviors.
What advice would you give to families thinking of beginning their adoption journey?
I think families should really sit down and think about the “why” behind their reasons to coming to this program. It isn’t just about wanting to expand your family, it’s about wanting to be a nurturing and loving guide for a child. It’s important for families to feel ready for significant change when children come into their lives and to consider the impact on their day-to-day life in terms of their job, hobbies and lifestyle. Families need to set realistic expectations and to understand that every child is unique, with their own set of gifts to be nurtured. Parenting is the hardest job they will ever take on, and when they set realistic expectations it can then be joy-filled and rewarding.
Switching gears to life outside of work – what does an ideal weekend look like for you?
My ideal weekend would definitely happen during the summer months. It would include doing something active in nature. This might be kayaking down the Kinnikinnick River near my home, boating on the Saint Croix, paddleboarding on a nearby lake or hiking in the woods. After a day in the sun, I love finding a great restaurant, sitting outside on a patio with friends or family for conversation and great food. I also love a stellar day trip — it feels like a mini vacation for me!
If you could travel anywhere in the world in the next year, where would you go and what would you do?
Realistically, Costa Rica is on my list for next year. I’d like to do some jungle exploring, see monkeys in the wild, and chill on the beach. If time and money were no object, Bali would be my pick. I’d love to do a solo trip for a yoga retreat, eat local food, and soak up the culture. I love to travel, so I could go on and on… I have a list!
What is the last book, movie or TV series you loved?
I’m currently trying to watch all the Oscar-nominated movies, as I attend an Oscar party each year. I have been slightly obsessed with the series Yellowjackets, which is pretty dark but set in the mid 90s, so the soundtrack is on point for me! I typically read a book for learning and then an opposite one for fun. My current read is “When the World Feels like a Scary Place,” which supports anxious parents and worried kids.
What is something that always brings a smile to your face?
My kids. I’m the proud mom of three sons: Matthew (19), Aiden (18) and Isaac (17). Any time I get with them is a gift, and there’s really nothing that makes me happier. (I also have a pretty cool partner in life: my husband, Ron.)
