Adoption Issues

I have personal experience of being adopted and adopting a child, which I feel makes me feel uniquely qualified to discuss the process, pain and triumph that comes with both.

I have worked with not only adoptees, but birth parents, adoptive parents and related family members who have been impacted by adoption. It is important to know and understand the complexities of adoption, including separation, loss, grief, trauma and related issues. I work with adults and teens in all aspects of adoption, pre and post adoption and search and reunion. I focus on the 7 core struggles in adoption (loss/abandonment, rejection, grief, guilt/shame, identity, intimacy and control)

As a person who experienced a step-parent adoption, I have been through the process & understand the important role therapists plays in the process. I have worked on every side of the adoption process. I've seen the heart break, the silver lining & the hope. I know how sensitive these adoption processes are & honor the role a therapist plays in either helping induce healing or causing more pain. Currently, I am in an intensive training process to become a certified Adoption Competent therapist.

I also have extensive experience supporting parents and caregivers in newly formed and blended families including birthing individuals, kinship families, as well as adoptive families formed through foster care or private placement. I work from a trauma informed and attachment based perspective. I work with families preparing for placement and provide post placement support.

I work with adopted and foster children, teens, and adults. I am an adoptee myself and have specialized training to serve this community from my participation in Portland State University's Foster and Adoption Therapy Certificate Program.

If you are adopted, it is likely the experience of being adopted is one of the most significant influences in your life. Many adults who were adopted as infants or young children, and were loved, accepted and valued by their adoptive families, still struggle with feelings of melancholy, grief and fear of loss, or are anxious about their capacity to belong, despite the experience of having loving adoptive parents and families. It seems that even with a wholesome family experience, the primal separation and loss that is a part of every adoption experience can fuel many anxieties in adoptees, especially fears of loss and abandonment and confusion about identity. Being adopted can influence a person throughout their lives. It is common for these influences to appear – or reappear. If you are seeking support to explore and process the impact of adoption in your life, having a therapist who understands both personally and professionally can be especially helpful. I'd like to help.

I have a special passion for providing support and services to adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, resource parents and anyone from the foster, adoption and kinship circle. As an adoptee myself, it is an honor for me to be able to give back to the community I am also a part of. I have completed the Permanency and Adoption Competency Certification (PACC) and Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) training to become an adoption-responsive/aware therapist.

I have completed the Center for Adoption Support and Education's accredited training in Adoption Competency program (TAC) and have supported adoptees of all ages and their families working on identity, grief and loss, and life transitions. In my work, I often support adoptees and their families going through the search and reunion process, processing trauma, and understanding neurodivergence.

The primal wound theory holds that “severing the connection between the infant and biological mother [through adoption] causes a primal wound which often manifests in a sense of loss (depression), basic mistrust (anxiety), emotional and/or behavioral problems and difficulties in relationships with significant others… affect [ing] the adoptee’s sense of self, self-esteem and self-worth throughout life.”

As an adoptive parent and member of an extended birth family in reunion, I bring my own experiences and sensitivity to the task of providing adoptees, adoptive parents, and birth family members the support they need to tackle the complex issues inherent in adoption. I provide support groups, individual consultations on adoption-related issues, parenting coaching, and ongoing psychotherapy. I work primarily with teens and adults, both adoptees, first family and those parenting adopted children.

I’m an advocate for adoptees and families impacted by adoption. I have an extensive background with foster care and adoption and have worked with all sides of the triad, including adoptees, birth parents, foster and adoptive parents. I understand how difficult and complex these issues can be and the significant impact on families.

I have provided services to those in the world of adoption including a support group for foster and adoptive parents, helping bio sibs adjust to foster sibs being returned to their families and working with adoptive children and youth in mental health crisis. In addition, I am an adoptive mother of three all of whom were adopted at older ages.

As an adoptee, you often wonder if you are in the wrong. You second guess your conversations with coworkers, new acquaintances, and even friends. You're wanting to build self confidence and self esteem. You may notice unexpected emotional reactions to situations that typically wouldn't elicit deep visceral responses from colleagues, adoptive family, or friends. You want to explore these with someone who has similar lived experiences. You hope for stronger connections and exploring your past.

The impact of adoption comes up a different times throughout the lifetime - starting school, graduation, moving away, getting married, starting a family. As an adoption competent therapist, and transracial adoptee myself, I know having better understanding the separation and loss caused by ambiguous losses of adoption can be so painful. Adoptees hear messages like, "you should be grateful" instead of holding space for the loss which can lead to anger, hopelessness, guilt, and isolation.

While working previously as a home study evaluator, I first became familiar with the interpersonal dynamics and adjustments that families encounter when deciding to grow their family by adoption. Since then, I've undergone additional training on adoption issues and read anything I can get my hands on related to adoption! I take an adoptee-centered approach and support adoptees in positive identity formation, exploring grief and loss, and bravely sharing their unique stories.

I have a special passion for providing support and services to adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, resource parents and anyone from the foster, adoption and kinship circle. As an adoptee myself, it is an honor for me to be able to give back to the community I am also a part of. I have completed the Permanency and Adoption Competency Certification (PACC) and Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) training to become an adoption-competent therapist.

As adoptees, we know better than anyone that the impact of adoption lasts a lifetime. As an adoption competent therapist, and transracial adoptee myself, I know having better understanding the separation and loss caused by ambiguous losses of adoption, developmental trauma, and confusion about identity. Adoptees hear messages like, "you should be grateful" instead of holding space for the loss which can lead to anger, hopelessness, guilt, and isolation.

I have lived-experience with adoption and birth parent and adoptive parent support.

The separation between you and your birth family can lead to a deep sense of abandonment, rejection, loss, confusion, identity issues, guilt/shame, and issues with control. It can also leave you vulnerable with a strong desire to search for acceptance and a sense of belonging often in unhealthy places. Without healing this trauma fuels expectations of further abandonments, relationship issues, and addictions. It's time to begin the work of acknowledging how having been adopted has affected you.

As an adoptee myself, I understand the unique emotional challenges adoption can bring, such as feelings of abandonment, identity struggles, or difficulties forming secure attachments. Whether you’re an adoptee, adoptive parent, or navigating the adoption process, these issues can deeply impact your sense of self and relationships. In therapy, we’ll explore these emotions, work toward healing, and help you develop a strong sense of identity and belonging on your adoption journey.