Adoption Impacts the Whole Family

Adoption is often portrayed as a joyful new beginning, but for many adoptees and birth parents, it also carries layers of loss, grief, and unresolved trauma. Experiences like early separation, disrupted attachment, or difficult adoption circumstances can leave an imprint that affects emotions, relationships, and self-perception long into adulthood.

Finding the right therapist is an important step in your healing journey. Whether you are an adoptee, birth parent, or adoptive family, working with an adoption-informed therapist can make all the difference in how you process emotions, build resilience, and navigate relationships. But how do you know if a therapist is the right fit? Here are five key questions to ask before making your decision.

Adoption is a lifelong journey, and emotional well-being plays a crucial role in navigating its complexities. Whether you are an adoptee, birth parent, or adoptive family, therapy can provide the support and tools needed to process emotions, build resilience, and strengthen relationships. The Gladney Center for Adoption’s Counseling Services offers a variety of specialized therapies tailored to meet the unique needs of the adoption community. Here are seven evidence-based approaches available to support your healing journey.

At the Gladney Center for Adoption, we believe that adoption is a lifelong journey—one that requires both understanding and support. That’s why we’re proud to spotlight Caitlyn Ussery, LCSW-S, a highly skilled clinician who now serves in a leadership role guiding therapy team at Gladney Counseling Services.

Meet Robin Elkins, LPC: Healing Through Adoption with Sand Tray Therapy

At the Gladney Counseling Center, we know that healing from trauma, grief, and life’s challenges requires a unique approach for every individual. That’s why we’re excited to introduce Robin Elkins, LPC, a dedicated therapist who brings a specialized focus on Sandtray Therapy and trauma-informed care. With a passion for helping adoptive families, birth parents, and adoptees, Robin creates a safe, creative, and empowering space for healing.

Adoption is a lifelong journey, and while it brings love and connection, it can also come with emotional complexities. Whether you are an adoptee, birth parent, or adoptive family, seeking counseling can be a powerful step toward healing, understanding, and growth. But how do you know when it’s the right time to start? Here are six key signs that counseling could help support you or your family.

Healing Starts Here: Gladney Counseling Center at Our Fort Worth Headquarters

At the heart of Gladney’s mission is a commitment to serving children and families—and that mission comes to life every day at our Fort Worth campus, home to the Gladney Counseling Center. As the headquarters for all of Gladney’s operations, the Fort Worth office isn’t just where important decisions are made—it’s also where deep, meaningful healing begins for individuals, couples, and families across Texas.

Adoption is a beautiful and life-changing journey, but it also comes with emotional complexities that can affect adoptees, children affected by foster care, birth parents, foster parents, and adoptive families in different ways. Whether you’re struggling with identity, attachment, or past trauma, therapy provides a safe space to explore emotions, develop coping skills, and find healing. Here are eight common adoption-related challenges and how counseling can help you navigate them.

You are an important part of our strategy as we strive to make adoption better now … and in the future. 

For 136 years, the Gladney Center for Adoption has never wavered on one thing: our steadfast belief that every child deserves a loving and caring family.  

Adoption has evolved over the past century, and friends like you have enabled Gladney to adapt the ways we support those whose lives are connected to adoption. Thank you.