QUALITATIVE RESEARCH:
Current Insights from Adult Adoptees
"This isn't something that happens when you're little and then it's over. Adoption is an experience you carry with you for the rest of your life. It's not over because you're an adult. In a lot of ways, it's just beginning..."
-"Renee", age 40
"Adoption impacts the rest of our lives..we carry things in our body that we don't know how to articulate...we need a therapist to help us dig down to these places, one who is open to recognizing adoption as trauma"
-"Barbara", age 57
"My therapist made all the difference in this experience for me, she was vital in my ability to overcome it...if I had tried to do it alone it would have been ugly...I couldn't have done it without her"
-"Stacey", age 41
"I Finally Figured Out What It Means to Feel Safe":
Exploring Adult Adoptees' Relationships with Psychotherapy & Community
(Amy Geller, 2023. Manuscript submitted for publication)
*approved by the Rutgers University Institutional Review Board (IRB) 12/20/22
The voices of adult adoptees have been under-represented in research about adoption. I conducted a qualitative research study to fill this gap by amplifying adoptee voices about their lived experience. I interviewed a diverse cohort of 15 adult adoptees from across the United States. In an effort to inform clinical practice with adult adoptees, my research set out to answer these questions:
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What is the experience of adult adoptees in psychotherapy?
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How did resources outside of psychotherapy play a role in the therapeutic process?
Thematic data analysis revealed the overarching importance of relationships to adult adoptees who have engaged in therapy & online communities.
The following four themes emerged:
1
Relationship difficulties as a motive for pursuing psychotherapy
Almost all of the study participants cited relationship issues as a motive for pursuing therapy. Many adoption-specific concerns that were brought to therapy, such as abandonment fear, identity confusion, or family secrets also have the potential to impact an adoptee's relationships. During the course of therapy, many adult adoptees eventually connected these issues back to their adoption experience.
2
The importance of the therapeutic relationship
Study participants who reported positive therapy experiences said that the quality of the therapeutic relationship mattered more than the adoption expertise of the clinician. This is an encouraging finding because it means all therapists can potentially address the needs of adult adoptees. Three important factors contributed to a positive therapy experience: 1) a strong therapeutic alliance, 2) trauma-informed practice & acknowledgement of adoption as trauma, 3) a collaborative psychoeducation approach.
3
The role adoptee community relationships play in the therapeutic process
All of the study participants interfaced with online adoptee support communities & other adoption-related resources such as memoirs, podcasts & social media accounts. Participants cited relationships with a "diverse community" of adoptees who "share similar feelings" as providing validation, support, and a sense of community. They found it useful to be referred to adoption-specific resources by their therapist and described processing what they had learned on their own in therapy.
4
The adult adoptee's evolving relationship with self
All of the participants endorsed a combination of psychotherapy & adoption-specific resources as ultimately increasing their self-awareness about being an adoptee. Many expressed the belief that the impact of being adopted & the evolving awareness continued to unfold in adulthood.