A Russian girl will get counseling to help her overcome psychological damage that social workers say was sustained while living with the American family that adopted her and her siblings.
Alexei, Anastasia and Svetlana Klimov — born in the Perm region — were adopted by Michael and Penny Deckert in 2003, but in March 2013, the two girls were placed with a foster family after one of them said she was sexually abused by their adoptive father.
The accusation was later withdrawn, and a Texas court accepted the Deckerts' request to have their parental rights over the two girls revoked in May.
The sisters were then sent to live with Michael and Linda Tice, who became their new foster parents. The girls are treated well by their new family, and they like living there, social worker Shary Pulliam told RIA Novosti Wednesday.
However, Anastasia, 16, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of her time spent living with the Deckerts and has been placed in a U.S. medical institution, another social worker Diane Black was quoted as saying.
The younger sister, Svetlana, 15, is allowed to visit Anastasia once a month and to talk on the phone every day. Svetlana was diagnosed with depression, but does not require medical treatment, the Tices' said.
Alexei, 17, ran away in 2012 and his location is unknown.
The Deckert case was one of a series of scandals touted by Russian officials as proof that a ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian children was justified.
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