Grief and counseling
Maybe you’ve had questions about your adoption for a long time. Or maybe you’ve never thought twice about it. Either way, creating the space to process your identity as an adopted person can be an important step for your long-term mental and emotional health.
No matter how many years it’s been since you were adopted, our team at the Adoption Support Center can help you explore the feelings that come with processing your adoption. And we can point you toward an adoption-informed counselor as a partner in your healing journey.
No matter how many years it’s been since you were adopted, our team at the Adoption Support Center can help you explore the feelings that come with processing your adoption. And we can point you toward an adoption-informed counselor as a partner in your healing journey.
Give us a call to get connected to help.
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FAQ: Why did my birth mom put me up for adoption?
Placing you for adoption doesn’t mean your birth mom didn’t care about you or deeply love you. It simply means that at the time of birth she didn’t feel like she had the support, stability and resources it takes to raise a child.
Many expectant moms live in situations where raising a child would be a major challenge. They may face poverty, a lack of stable or safe housing, no family support, loss of employment, or abuse in a relationship, for example. Whatever the case was for your birth mom, she chose to place you with a family that could give you the life you deserve.
Many expectant moms live in situations where raising a child would be a major challenge. They may face poverty, a lack of stable or safe housing, no family support, loss of employment, or abuse in a relationship, for example. Whatever the case was for your birth mom, she chose to place you with a family that could give you the life you deserve.
Coping with feelings of loss
Identifying and processing loss
Regardless of where they’re from, how old they are or what the circumstances surrounding their adoption were, one thing connects every single person who has ever been adopted: loss.
That loss can be a hard feeling to put a finger on, especially if you were adopted when you were a baby. But exploring those feelings of loss is the first step to processing them and healing.
That loss can be a hard feeling to put a finger on, especially if you were adopted when you were a baby. But exploring those feelings of loss is the first step to processing them and healing.
- Loss of biological connection — You might not think of it as a loss, but as someone who was adopted you have lost a connection to other people who share your DNA. You’ve lost your birth family, your siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.
- Ambiguous loss — Ambiguous loss is when someone is physically absent from your life but psychologically present. Even if you were adopted as a baby, you might still feel a sense of ambiguous loss about your birth mom and dad or even siblings. You might fantasize about relationships with those people, or just want to know more about them.
- Loss of cultural connection — If you were adopted by a family who doesn’t share your race, you might feel a loss of connection to your heritage or culture. You may have lost your language or origin, and the racial and ethnic connections that come with it.
Professional help for grieving
Adoption grief counseling for adoptees
As part of our lifelong commitment to supporting you, we can point you toward adoption-informed counseling in your area. There are licensed professionals across Indiana who are skilled in working with adopted people, and can help you explore the grief that you may bump into throughout your life.
If you’d like to get connected to an adoption-informed counselor or therapist, please give us a call!
If you’d like to get connected to an adoption-informed counselor or therapist, please give us a call!