Adoption Therapy for Adult Adoptees in Lafayette, LA & Online

In-Person in Lafayette, LA | Online in Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, & Ohio

You’ve always been "fine" — but fine and whole aren't the same thing.

Whether you’ve known for years that adoption shapes how you move through the world, or you’re only now beginning to connect the dots, you deserve a therapeutic space where you don’t have to explain basic adoption dynamics—or justify having feelings about your own story.

Does this sound familiar?

  • You feel like you're not "allowed" to be upset: Your adoption story isn't "dramatic enough," so you feel guilty for carrying grief, confusion, or anger.

  • New life milestones triggered unexpected feelings: Questions or emotions suddenly surfaced when you held your own baby, stood in a doctor's office with no medical history, or lost an adoptive parent.

  • You're exhausted by the expectation of gratitude: You love your family, but you're tired of being told how "lucky" you are or feeling like wanting answers about your origins is a betrayal.

  • Relational patterns keep repeating: You notice yourself holding on too tight, pushing people away right when things get good, or maintaining extreme self-reliance to protect against rejection.

  • Search and reunion feel overwhelming: You're considering reaching out to biological family—or navigating the messy emotional reality of contact—and need a safe, grounded space to process it.

The "Both/And" of Adoption

You can love your family, be deeply grateful, and still carry pain or questions you’ve never said out loud. Both things are allowed to be true at the same time. Wanting to understand where you came from is not a betrayal of the people who raised you.

Adoption Competency Rooted in Lived Experience & Clinical Training

You don't need a therapist who learns about adoption from a textbook—or one you have to educate during your own sessions.

As an adult adoptee, an aunt to a nephew placed for adoption, and a Licensed Professional Counselor working in the adoption community since 2018, I bring both lived experience and specialized clinical expertise to our work together.

In our sessions, we gently examine how early attachment, loss, and identity dynamics show up in your daily life today. We often explore therapy through the lens of the 7 Core Struggles in Adoption:

  1. Loss & Abandonment: Processing initial relational rupture and unearned loss.

  2. Rejection: Addressing hypervigilance and sensitivity to perceived abandonment in adult relationships.

  3. Grief: Creating room to mourn lost connections, lineage, and medical context.

  4. Guilt & Shame: Moving past the pressure to be the "good adoptee" or feeling inherently flawed.

  5. Identity: Exploring who you are beyond expectations and roles.

  6. Intimacy & Connection: Unpacking boundary struggles, fear of vulnerability, and relational walls.

  7. Control: Navigating the deep need for autonomy after early choices were made for you.

Areas of Focus for Adult Adoptees

  • Exploring who you are, where you come from, and how adoption has shaped your sense of self, self-worth, and purpose.

  • Understanding how early experiences affect your current relationships—helping you move from anxiety and hypervigilance into secure, authentic connection.

  • Support during major life shifts—marriage, pregnancy, parenting, career changes, or aging—that often bring adoption dynamics back to the surface.

  • Providing non-judgmental guidance before, during, and after searching for or reconnecting with biological family, including setting healthy boundaries.

  • Navigating racial isolation, cultural displacement, and the unique layers of identity formed when growing up in a family or community of a different race or culture.

 Looking for Self-Guided Reflection?

Explore Belonging: A Guided Workbook for Adult Adoptees.

It’s designed to help you process your story, identify relational patterns, and cultivate self-compassion at your own pace.

Frequently Asked Questions About Adoption Therapy

 

What if I’m not sure adoption is "the problem" — I just feel off?

Many adult adoptees experience anxiety, boundary struggles, or relational fatigue without realizing these patterns link back to early attachment and identity dynamics. In therapy, we focus on what you're feeling today and explore how your story plays a role.

Do I have to want a search or reunion to benefit from adoption therapy?

Not at all. Search and reunion are only one aspect of the adoptee experience. Many clients come to therapy to focus on internal identity work, adult relationship patterns, or simply processing feelings they've carried alone for years. Your goals drive our sessions.

Can I do virtual adoption therapy if I live outside of Louisiana?

Yes! In addition to offering in-person sessions at my Lafayette, Louisiana office, I am licensed to provide virtual adoption therapy via telehealth to adult adoptees living in Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio.

Ready to start honorably holding your whole story?

Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to discuss in-person or telehealth options.