Acknowledging loss in adoption

Watch Video: Acknowledging loss in adoption by Maureen Donley, MA, MFT, ...
Acknowledging loss in adoption | Kids in the House
KidsInTheHouse the Ultimate Parenting Resource
Kids in the House Tour

Acknowledging loss in adoption

Comment
127
Like
127
Transcription: 
It is important to acknowledge loss in adoption because it's real. Sometimes parents think that they have to put a totally positive thing on all things adoption. And there are many positive, wonderful things about adoption. And it's also true that there are losses to grieve. So it's really important to give yourself and your child the space to grieve them. And one of the most effective ways to assist your child in integrating loss is to listen, to really, really listen to them, whatever it is they have to say, to accept it and be willing to hear it again and again. It's the listening and the acceptance and the receptivity and the validation that heals loss.

Watch Video: Acknowledging loss in adoption by Maureen Donley, MA, MFT, ...

Transcript

Expert Bio

More from Expert

Maureen Donley, MA, MFT

Adoptive Mom & Therapist

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Maureen's practice spans all ages and holds a focus in creative professionals, adoption and trauma work.  She earned her MA in Clinical Psychology with a Child Studies specialization from Antioch University in Los Angeles. She has also worked as a Counselor in both K-8 and high school settings and is finishing her third year as a Counselor at the Southern California Counseling Center working with individuals, families and couples. She completed the Family Training Program Certification there, and will hold both TRM and EMDR trauma certifications in July 2013. In addition, she is working with Jeanette Yoffe in a monthly adoption support group on the Westside, as part of her new non-profit, The Celia Foundation, dedicated to all members of the adoption constellation. Maureen also facilitates both parenting and adolescent groups at Dr. Bonnie Goldstein’s Center for Psychological Services on the Westside. 

Before joining the psychology field, Maureen's first love was the arts.  As a producer and studio exec, she was part of the Feature Animation team at Disney during the Renaissance years of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Toy Story. Maureen subsequently had a production deal at Fox under which the animated feature Anastasia was released. Prior to moving to Los Angeles to join the Mermaid team, she was based in New York City.  While there, she was on the faculty at The Juilliard School (Drama Division), and was a visiting professional for the Yale School of Drama. Maureen worked on many theatrical productions as a stage manager including the Broadway production of The Glass Menagerie with Jessica Tandy, the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Pump Boys and Dinettes and the 1st and 2nd National Tours of Cats in Boston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles. She says, "being part of telling timeless tales was great preparation for helping people discover the true stories of their own lives."

 

More Parenting Videos from Maureen Donley, MA, MFT >
Enter your email to
download & subscribe
to our newsletter