Adoption
Adoption is a process that can be enormously challenging. The issues that emerge are varied and can impact on the best functioning of the adoptive family and adopted child.
Prospective adoptive parents might be coming to terms with infertility, dealing with the negative attitudes of those close to you when considering adoption, considering the implications for yourself and your immediate family of adopting a child, managing the screening process and coping with anxiety of waiting for the placement of a baby or child.
Being an adoptive family is challenging. Managing the sibling relationships is more complicated in adoptive families, whether all children are adopted or there is a combination of biological and adopted children. Being a conspicuous family can add stress to the usual difficulties families have to deal with and for adoptees, adolescence is an especially complicated phase in which issues of identity and belonging become central. Being an adult adoptee can also be challenging, whether you have known that you are adopted from childhood, or if you have only found out as an adult. Managing relationships with your adoptive family as well as your biological family can be complicated. Being a transracial adoptee, has further complications. Being raised in a predominantly white environment as a black person exposes you to racism and creates potential identity and other conflicts. Your adoptive family will not always be able to assist you with these challenges, so addressing these issues with a professional or in a group can be very effective.
Jean Luyt
Cape Town Adoption Support is run by Jean Luyt. I am a clinical psychologist and adoptive mother who is passionate about the need for children to be raised in families and see adoption as one option to create stable families for vulnerable children in South Africa. I have been working with adoptive families since 2008, supporting adoptive parents to grow their parenting skills and increase their awareness of the complexities of raising an adopted child, particularly a transracially adopted child. I also work with adoptees, both within their families and individually.
I aim to demystify the process of adoption, so that those who are considering adopting, can make the decision to adopt with all the necessary information and support. Parenting an adopted child requires expert parenting, and the ability to anticipate the needs of the child in relation to their adoption. One of the biggest challenges to adoptive families and adoptees is feeling isolated and misunderstood. I am passionate about creating spaces for adoptive families to share experiences with other adoptive families and other adoptees. This is the most appropriate and effective way to support people affected by adoption. Groups, whether informal or therapeutic, offer opportunities to develop the strength of adoptive families and to face the day-to-day challenges in our personal relationships and in parenting our children.
Services offered
Cape Town Adoption Support (CTAS) aims to offer support to the adoption community of Cape Town in a range of ways, including sharing information about adoption, supporting adoptive families psychologically, increasing the awareness of the public about adoption and networking with relevant stakeholders to collaborate on important campaigns including lobbying and research.
Online services
Cape Town Adoption Support runs a public Facebook page which acts as a hub for sharing relevant adoption-related resources, relevant to the South African community.
https://www.facebook.com/CT.Adoption.Support/
Cape Town Adoption Support also runs a closed Facebook group called Passionate about Adoption. The group offers social support and sharing of information and advice to those considering adopting or parenting adopted children.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/108112469210569
Joining the Passionate about Adoption group requires answering some questions about your interest in adoption and agreeing to abide by the group norms.
Please note that we do not allow women experiencing crisis pregnancies to join the group. This is to ensure that no informal arrangements can be made between hopeful adoptive parents and expectant mothers. All adoption placements need to be facilitated by an accredited adoption social worker. All those wishing to place a baby for adoption are referred to appropriate crisis pregnancy services (link to list of crisis pregnancy services).
Cape Town Adoption Support is also on X (ex-twitter). https://twitter.com/CTAdoptSupport which is used to share resources relevant to adoption in the South African context.
Social support services
Cape Town Adoption Support has organised many informal social events to offer support for adoptive families over time. We also collaborate with others who arrange such in-person and online support. These include movie clubs, monthly adoption picnics, and What’sApp groups. You are welcome to share your local support networks with us, so that we can alert others to these resources or ask us for contact details for these informal resources and social support networks.
For more information on the informal social support refer to the Passionate about Adoption Facebook group or email me on ctas@newlandstherapycentre.co.za for details of social events in your area.
Therapeutic services
Therapeutic services are offered by Jean Luyt, Clinical Psychologist. She offers therapeutic services are offered to individuals, couples and families in the adoption community.
She sees adoptive families throughout the adoption life cycle, from the time prospective adoption parents are considering adoption as a way of growing their family, while being screened for adoption, at the time of placement and throughout the lifespan of the adopted person, from childhood to adulthood. She also sees children and adults who have been adopted. In addition, she counsels those considering placing a child for adoption, or birth parents who have placed a child for adoption, particularly after reunion.
Individual psychotherapy
For those in the adoption community, individual therapy can be useful for those considering adoption, being screened for adoption and parenting adopted children.
Individual therapy is also helpful for adults or adolescents who were adopted and who want to process their life experiences and make life-affirming choices. Individual psychotherapy is a useful treatment for mental health disorders such as depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety, PTSD and personality disorders which are sometimes present in adoptive families. It is also helpful to manage stressful life experiences and life transitions for adoptive families including relationship difficulties, parenting stress and work and academic pressures. Individual therapy is also useful in processing stressful or traumatic events, which may be part of an adoption story.
Individual therapy is also useful to support members of biological family of those placed for adoption, whether they have no contact with the adopted family member or where they are in reunion.
Couple psychotherapy
Couple psychotherapy is a conjoint therapy with both partners in a relationship. It is useful to overcome relationship difficulties, improve intimate relationships and plan for separation and divorce. Couple therapy is also useful for adults considering adoption and going through the screening and placement process and parenting adopted children, who want to ensure that their relationships remain healthy during these stressful experiences. In many instances members of a couple have differing views on adoption and conflict can be reduced during the decision-making stage if these discussions are medicated by a mental health professional.
Going through the screening and placement process is very stressful and demanding. Getting additional support at this stage can reduce anxiety, alleviate frustration, and support good decision making for the couple. Parenting adopted children presents additional challenges, and accessing additional support for the couple improves the chances that the intimate relationships remain healthy during these stressful experiences.
Parenting support
Parenting support is particularly helpful for people parenting adopted children. Parenting an adopted child presents many additional challenges and requires deliberate and thoughtful action.
Parent support is useful for those struggling with any parenting issues, especially for those parenting adopted children. It can also be useful create and maintain parenting plans after separation.
Family therapy
Family therapy is particularly useful when adoptive families are going through stressful life events or parents have concerns about children’s behavioural or emotional difficulties. Family therapy can be very useful in enhancing attachment relationships and is the evidence-based best practice for adoptive parents and adopted children, especially in adolescence.
Family therapy can be useful to navigate relationships between adoptive and biological family, and can be helpful is the adult adoptee is considering searching for or making contact with their biological family.
Family therapy is considered best practice therapy modality for supporting the adoption community. It addresses behavioural and emotional difficulties in families and focuses on how to manage family relationships, focussing on building the attachment relationships in adoptive families. It is a systemic approach, which aims to support the family as a whole, or to support a family to help an individual member of the family who is struggling. It is a strengths-based approach which aims to leverage the existing strengths in the adoptive family for the best outcome for the adopted individuals.
Family therapy can be useful to navigate relationships between adoptive and biological family and can be helpful is the adult adoptee is considering searching for or making contact with their biological family. Family therapy is also useful when families are going through stressful life events or parents have concerns about children’s behavioural or emotional difficulties. It can also be useful when children are facing serious health concerns, undergoing medical treatment, and for families going through bereavement.
Group therapy
One of the biggest challenges for people in the adoption community isolation and being misunderstood by those with no experience of adoption. Groups offer the opportunity to share adoption-related experiences with others in the adoption community. This reduces the isolation, normalises the challenges and offer opportunities to develop interpersonal relationships and to get support to face daily challenges. This is why group therapy is often the most effective support available, for adopted individuals and adoptive parents.
Groups on offer
Parenting adopted children requires expert parenting, and the ability to anticipate the needs of the child in relation to their adoption. I have been working with adoptive parents for many years, supporting them to grow their parenting skills and increase their awareness of the complexities of raising an adopted child, particularly a transracially adopted child.
I run monthly online adoption support groups on Tuesday evenings 7:30 – 8:45 pm for adoptive parents (those considering adoption and being screened for adoption, and parenting adopted children) and adoptees (adolescents and adults).
Please click here or email me for more information about a group that might be suitable for you is available.
CONTACT US
Newlands Therapy Centre
info@newlandstherapycentre.co.za
082 872 0192
Jean Luyt Clinical Psychologist
jean.luyt@newlandstherapycentre.co.za
https://www.facebook.com/jeanluytclinicalpsychologist
Cape Town Adoption Support
