I  am an expert by experience, studies in attachment theory, pre and perinatal psychology and over two decades of working as a professional counsellor and psychotherapist to adoptees, adoptive parents, birth parents and professionals working in the field of adoption and fostering. I have been a member of committees associated with the adoption and fostering processes. Placed for adoption four days after my birth and adopted at twenty two months of age I was an adult who needed therapeutic interventions throughout my twenties and thirties for adoption, abandonment trauma and issues, especially as I navigated my own search and reunion with my birth family. I have the lived experience, encountered and healed the issues that adopted people may have and I suffered the impact of it, needing to adapt and create a way of living and working that integrated the trauma of it and gave special meaning to it by working with others affected by adoption, abandonment, fostering and attachment fragility or disorder.

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I work with adoptees offering counselling and psychotherapy. When I decided to end my psychotherapy practice I decided that this was the only cohort of client that I would continue to offer psychotherapy to short term or medium term. I provide once off sessions or short term counselling, mentoring and coaching to others related to the world of adoption. A spouse, sibling, parent and professionals wanting to understand, support, help or even support themselves as the adopted person moves through their journey.

 

I am passionate about this work I do. There are only a handful of professionals offering these services to the adopted person and most are terrible at it with no real understanding or even theoretical background to the experience, trauma and impact. Many either make adoption the sole focus of the therapy forgetting about the whole person in front of them (holding a fascination with the others experience and wanting to learn about it and to “fix” it) while others downplay, overlook or ignore the story of adoption its importance, effect and trauma by not having any empathic understanding of adoption. I have personally experienced both types of professional and both were harmful.

 

I would be delighted to be of service to anyone affected by or working in the field of adoption. You will find some long ago written articles by me online. More to follow, I have a lot to say about it.