Once upon a time, an adoptee’s life was thought to begin when they were adopted; that love was enough, that belonging to a family was more important than one’s ethnic or racial identity, that if “adopted at birth” there would be no impact on a child; that separation from a birth mother/family/foster family and being placed in a permanent home would supersede that history. While not all adoptees consciously question or struggle with these themes, these are complex ideas that adoptees can wrestle with over a lifetime. I’ve often wondered what choices I’d have made if today’s support and resources had been available when I was a child/adolescent adoptee and an adoptive parent. Whether through educational and mental health resources, enjoying a peer experience of my ethnic identity, or by the support of a community of adoptive families, my early sense of self could have felt so different! My clinical goals with adoptees/families that I work with are unconditional acceptance, attunement, and connection with each person’s unique experience; to encourage the development of a healthy adoption narrative, and to help adoptive families to develop an educated, aware, and informed parenting perspective. While there is still much to learn and promote in the field of child welfare, adoption practices and the many layers of identity that are impacted by adoption, we now have the opportunity to learn and engage with our community in so many ways! I welcome you all to these fourth-quarter community opportunities.

… Read the rest “Once I dreamt I had blonde hair, it’s not hard to see why . . .”