Adoption Therapists in 61702
Jan Holmes Counseling
Counselor, MA, LCPC
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Bloomington, IL 61702 (Online Only)
I specialize in working with people around issues of shame that result from addictions, co-dependency, trauma, adoption related issues and more.
I specialize in working with people around issues of shame that result from addictions, co-dependency, trauma, adoption related issues and more.
Has life thrown you off balance? Is your headspace not feeling the best? Are you not quite feeling yourself? Or maybe you just want life to move in a new direction? Sometimes life takes hard left turns, sometimes it doesn’t work out the way we hoped or planned or expected, sometimes it gives us difficult obstacles and challenges to overcome, and sometimes things happen to us that we didn’t see coming. Life sometimes just deals us a bad hand, and moving through that can be really tough.
Has life thrown you off balance? Is your headspace not feeling the best? Are you not quite feeling yourself? Or maybe you just want life to move in a new direction? Sometimes life takes hard left turns, sometimes it doesn’t work out the way we hoped or planned or expected, sometimes it gives us difficult obstacles and challenges to overcome, and sometimes things happen to us that we didn’t see coming. Life sometimes just deals us a bad hand, and moving through that can be really tough.
Lisa N. D. Flanagan
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LCSW
Verified Verified
Bloomington, IL 61702
I recently retired from more than 25 years in hospice. I have learned so much from my the patients and families in hospice, both in how they approached dying and death, and how learn they learned to live with grief while still finding joy and purpose in their lives. Both as a guide and a witness, I have helped my clients move through their grief to weave their loss into the larger tapestry of their lives. I believe that people can grow through their grief, in spite of the fact that grief really never ends.
I recently retired from more than 25 years in hospice. I have learned so much from my the patients and families in hospice, both in how they approached dying and death, and how learn they learned to live with grief while still finding joy and purpose in their lives. Both as a guide and a witness, I have helped my clients move through their grief to weave their loss into the larger tapestry of their lives. I believe that people can grow through their grief, in spite of the fact that grief really never ends.
Genesis A. Hall
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified Verified
Bloomington, IL 61702
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Adoption Therapists
Does my adopted child need therapy?
Not every adopted child needs therapy. However, many can benefit from seeing an adoption-informed therapist, especially if they were victims of abuse or neglect, appear withdrawn or disconnected, have behavioral or developmental issues (which may or may not be related to their adoption), are struggling with feelings of grief or loss surrounding their birth parents, or find it difficult to establish an identity, a challenge that often becomes most apparent during adolescence.
When should adoptive parents seek therapy?
Prospective parents can benefit from therapy even before an adoption—for example, to voice worries and fears; to reconcile infertility struggles, if relevant; or simply to prepare themselves for parenthood. After the adoption, parents who are struggling to bond with their child; are unsure how to talk about adoption or related issues, such as race; or whose child is dealing with developmental, behavioral, or psychiatric concerns can address these and other issues with the help of an adoption-competent therapist.
Is family therapy appropriate for adoptive families?
Family therapy can be invaluable for strengthening the bond between adoptive parents and children, helping the latter feel more secure in their place in the family. Family therapy can also help adoptive families navigate complex communication issues—for example, parents who feel uncomfortable discussing race with their child, who in turn feels invalidated by their silence, or a child who has questions about his birth parents but avoids asking them out of fear of hurting his adoptive parents’ feelings.
What therapy is not appropriate for adoption issues?
A discredited therapy known as “attachment therapy” (sometimes called “holding therapy” or “rebirthing therapy”) should not be used to treat adopted and foster children, though it was largely designed for this population. Attachment therapy involves restraining, coercing, and punishing the child in order for them to “release” negative emotions and attach to their new caregivers—techniques that are abusive and dangerous and have even proven fatal in some cases.