Making an adoption plan is an act of courage that deserves ongoing support. At Spence Chapin, we provide free counseling to help process relinquishment grief and evolving open adoption relationships. Through support groups, workshops, events, and resources, you can find connection and understanding. Your voice and story matter – let us support you before, during, and after adoption.
Spence Chapin’s support does not end when your child goes home with their adoptive family.
Making an adoption plan for your child is never easy. It is normal to feel many emotions. You may experience feelings of sadness or anger while grieving the loss of a child you gave birth to. Even in an open adoption, there is grief. These emotions can be complicated if you feel like you made a good plan for your child or you have few people you can talk to or who understand. You may wonder about the best way to communicate with your child’s adoptive parents. You may find yourself struggling with wanting more or even less contact than you originally agreed to. You may question your place in your child’s life or worry about intruding on their family even though you will always be an important person to your child.
At Spence-Chapin, we care about you and want to make sure that you have the support you need. We provide a package of free counseling sessions for all Birth Parents to help process your emotions and/or navigate your new and evolving relationship with your child and their adoptive parents. We can help you determine how to move forward with your goals and plans. We can assist you in speaking with your family or other people in your life. We are available to you at any time, even years after placement.
Join Spence-Chapin’s Birth Parent Support Group, a virtual gathering welcoming individuals who have made an adoption plan, whether through Spence-Chapin or elsewhere. This supportive space offers solace and camaraderie, ensuring you feel understood and supported at any stage in your placement journey. Discussions cover various themes: from managing grief and navigating open or closed adoption to the challenges of communicating with friends and family regarding your adoption plan.
Our free supportive sessions occur on the last Tuesday of each month at 7 pm EST. For more details, reach out to Sarah Quasarano, LMSW, at 212-360-0264 or via email at SQuasarano@spence-chapin.org.
Our team is excited to offer a series of free workshops tailored for Birth Parents, available both virtually and in person throughout the year. Workshops will be led by a Spence-Chapin social worker and will cover topics that birth parents face every day such as navigating open adoption, grief and loss, sharing your adoption story with loved ones, talking to your child about your adoption plan, and more. You can register for upcoming workshops by visiting Spence-Chapin’s Calendar of Events.
We host a range of events tailored for Birth Parents to connect, along with gatherings open to everyone within the adoption community. Events such as our Annual Birth Mother Gathering and Birth Mother Dinners, inclusive community events like Halloween festivities, and our Stories of Adoption panel during National Adoption Awareness Month, unite birth parents and their families and provide diverse voices and perspectives within the adoption constellation to foster connection and understanding.
We’re looking for people willing to become Birth Parent ambassadors to share their unique journey to aid and inspire others navigating similar paths. Your story holds the power to support individuals considering or currently experiencing the complexities of the Birth Parent process. Join us in empowering and connecting with those seeking guidance to make a meaningful difference through your lived experiences as a Birth Parent.
Head to our blog to discover and read Birth Parent stories, offering authentic insights and personal journeys that shed light on the diverse experiences within adoption. As a proud Member Agency of BraveLove, our collaboration enhances support programs for Birth Parents, amplifying communication that celebrates the bravery in choosing adoption. Reach out to us to explore additional resources and connections available for your journey.
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