POST-ADOPTION COUNSELING

The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh’s licensed counselors are available to members of all families who have adopted an infant, whether through The Children’s Home or elsewhere, recently or years ago. Adults who were adopted as children are also eligible for our services. Counseling is available on a fee-for-service basis, with reasonable rates.

Counseling for Adults Adopted as Children:

For adults who were adopted as children, life’s milestones – for instance marriage, the birth of a child, or the death of a parent – can bring adoption-related issues to the surface. We are available to help adults explore any such issues that might arise.

Counseling for Children:

When a child’s behaviors and attitudes are a concern for parents, often the first step is determining what is and is not adoption related. Adoptive parents can rely on The Children’s Home’s years of experience to help them with that “sorting out” process. A professional social worker or counselor can work with children to help them understand their feelings related to adoption and overcome the associated challenges. The counselor can also help parents identify and access any additional help their child may need.

Counseling and Support for Adoptive Families:

Whether they’re created biologically or through adoption, all families are “works in progress,” continuously adapting to life’s changing circumstances.

But while most families deal with similar basic challenges, adoptive families can also face issues specific to adoption. We can help families understand one another better and work through adoption related concerns.

Children understand adoption differently at each stage of their lives, and different questions and issues arise. We can offer support to parents who want to answer their children’s adoption-related questions in ways that are both honest and appropriate for the child’s age.

Other questions adoptive families may face:

• How do I talk to my child about adoption?
• How do I know if my child’s moods and emotions and/or misbehavior are a normal part of his or her growth and development or if they are related to adoption?
• Extended family members, and sometimes complete strangers, ask us questions about adoption. How do we discuss our experience in a way they will understand – or, when appropriate – how do we politely ask others to respect our privacy?

We help each family find its own way to comfortably discuss the adoption experience. The Children’s Home can provide support and information to help you find the answers your questions.

Open Adoption Consultation, Guidance, Facilitation and Mediation:

Our counselors can help adoptive parents, adoptive children, and birthparents navigate their relationships. Relationships can change over time, and it’s important that everyone involved be comfortable with those changes. As time goes on, sometimes birthparents and adoptive families can have differing opinions on what amount of contact is appropriate. We can help adoptive families and birth families find comfortable new ways to relate. In cases where there is tension, we can be a resource for resolution.

For more information on post-adoption counseling contact Connie Bach at 412-441-4884 ext. 2062 or email cbach@chomepgh.org.