SUPPORT GROUPS

The Children's Home of Pittsburgh offers a variety of support groups, each formed in response to the needs of the individuals and families we serve.

Birthparent Support Group

For more than 15 years, The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh has offered people facing unplanned pregnancies a free birthparent support group. The group is open to anyone, whether you have received services from The Children’s Home or not. The group is a safe place where birthparents can talk about their deepest feelings while getting support and advice from people who have been in exactly the same situation.

The birthparent support group is open to:

• Birthmothers or birthfathers who haven’t decided what they are going to do
• Birthmothers or birthfathers who have decided to place their baby for adoption
• Birthmothers or birthfathers who have placed their baby for adoption, in the past or recently
• Close family members and friends of birthmothers and birthfathers
  

The group is facilitated by licensed social workers. You can attend as often as you like. There is no charge to attend. At the meetings, you will get support from other birthparents and you’ll probably find that you can give support as well. If you don’t want to talk, you can just listen, and that’s OK. The group talks about whatever is on the minds of the people there with no judgment.

The birthparent support group meets at least one evening every month. Call The Children’s Home for a schedule of meetings. There is no need to let us know you’ll be attending – you will be very welcome at any meeting.

Adoptive Family Support Groups

Some of The Children’s Home’s support groups are created and facilitated by our staff and others are formed by adoptive families who ask us to serve as a resource on an as-needed basis.

For example, a group of adoptive families meets several times a year for activities and parties. These are families who have adopted infants through The Children's Home and whose children are now ages 0-5.

A transracial adoption support group is also in its early planning stages.

For information about joining or forming a support group, contact Connie Bach, director of adoption, at 412-441-4884 ext. 2062 or email cbach@chomepgh.org.