Adoption

NOTE: We are able to support you through the psychological aspects of adoption and not with adoption itself

To adopt, from the latin words “ad” meaning “and” and “optare” meaning “to opt for, to choose”, means to choose, to take - after certain course of actions, as your son or daughter, someone who is not biologically your son or daughter, to admit them in your environment and by extension to turn towards, attach to, and approve of them. There is a movement of adoption inherent to parenthood in all its forms, as attachment to a baby is never automatic, but rather the construction of a bond, always in progress. It’s not enough to merely bring a child to the world and raise him/her; a parent needs to embrace them as an entity that’s different to his/her own, and welcome them in their world, and this is a dynamic that concerns biological children, as much as it does adopted children.

Particularly in adoption, families can be faced with numerous challenges that can impact the child’s and the parents’ wellbeing. The trauma of their originary abandonment installs a fear of being abandoned again. This fear together with the lack of a sense of familiarity that can stem from physical resemblance, can make the adopted child feel like they do not really belong in their family. These anxieties could lead them to overcompensate by being submissive or overly accommodating to anything the adoptive parent might request of them. The adopted child’s concerns and questions about his/her biological parents can be felt not only as disrupting the family equilibrium, but also as challenging the adoptive parents’ place and authority. Secrets and/or revelations about the child’s origins, taboos in the extended family, oversharing or staying secretive about the process of adoption with the child and the family’s social circle, can all impact the quality of the relationship between the child and his/her adoptive parents.

At Thrive Wellbeing Center, our aim is to support and accompany intended parents who are undergoing a process for adoption, and support them through what can be a lengthy and testing process. Our aim is also to support adoptive parents adjust to the various challenges their family might be facing as the child develops, but also to support adopted children, particularly triggered when they become parents themselves.

Call us now and let us be a part of your parenting journey, helping you support your family in all its uniqueness.