IN-PERSON IN LAFAYETTE, LA | ONLINE IN LOUISIANA, GEORGIA, INDIANA, MINNESOTA, & OHIO

Therapy for Adoption

INDIVIDUALS, COUPLES, & FAMILIES

 

A safe space to explore the complex emotions related to adoption.

Does this sound familiar?

  • You've always been "fine" — but fine and whole aren't the same thing, and lately something feels off

  • Some questions didn't show up until you were holding your own baby, or standing in a doctor's office with no medical history to give

  • You're not sure you're even allowed to have feelings about being adopted — your story doesn't feel "dramatic enough" to matter

  • The anger that comes with adoption doesn't get talked about — and you're tired of pretending it's not there

  • You repeatedly hold on too tight or push people away right when relationships get good

  • You're unsure how to navigate conversations about adoption with your own child

  • You feel like others just don't understand your experience — including therapists who've tried before

Whether you're an adoptee who's always suspected this is part of the picture, someone who never connected the dots until now, or someone who's known it for years and is done being told to be grateful — you deserve a therapist who understands adoption from the inside, not just from a textbook.

 

"I didn't know I needed a therapist who was also an adoptee — until I had one."

— Adoptee in Lafayette, LA

A Lifetime of Experience

I have a literal lifetime of experience with adoption as an adoptee, an aunt whose nephew was placed for adoption, and a professional who has worked in the adoption community since 2018.

I work with teen and adult adoptees, parents and caregivers, and all members of the adoption constellation — from international, domestic, and foster care adoptions — navigating trauma, grief, identity, attachment, parenting, life transitions, and relationships. That includes the anger. Wanting to understand where you came from is not a betrayal of the people who raised you, and being frustrated with how you were treated doesn't make you ungrateful.

I typically approach therapy through the lens of the 7 Core Struggles in Adoption: loss/abandonment, rejection, grief, guilt/shame, identity, intimacy, and control.

Who I Work With

Child & Teen Adoptees · Adult Adoptees · Adoptive Parents · Biological Parents · Prospective Adoptive Couples · Foster Care · International Adoption · Domestic Adoption · Open Adoptions · Closed Adoptions · Transracial Adoption

Areas of focus:

  • Identity & Belonging — Exploring who you are, where you come from, and how adoption has shaped your sense of self.

  • The Both/And — You can love your family, be grateful, and still carry something you've never said out loud. Both things are allowed to be true.

  • Grief & Loss — Processing the unique grief that comes with adoption — for adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive families alike.

  • Attachment & Relationships — Understanding how early experiences have shaped your relational patterns — and how to shift them.

  • Family Conversations — Helping parents navigate age-appropriate adoption conversations and build openness with their child.

  • Search & Reunion — Support before, during, and after searching for — and reconnecting with — biological family.

  • Cultural Identity — Navigating the complexities of transracial or transcultural adoption and developing a whole sense of self.

Adoption Therapy Available Across Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio

Whether you're in Lafayette, Columbus, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Indianapolis, or anywhere in between — adoption-competent therapy is available to you via telehealth. Melissa LaCour is licensed in Louisiana, with privilege to practice via telehealth in Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio and is currently accepting new clients in all five states.

FAQs

 

Do you work with adoptive parents, not just adoptees?

Yes — I work with every member of the adoption constellation.

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

Yes, via telehealth in Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio.

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

That uncertainty is common and a good reason to start with a free consult.

Looking for self-guided reflection? Explore Belonging: A Guided Workbook for Adult Adoptees.

Know yourself. Show up fully.

In-person in Lafayette, LA · Telehealth in Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio.

Schedule Free consult