Shoreline and Olympia, WA (Telehealth available statewide)
Therapy for adult adoptees experiencing anxiety, depression, and grief that others may not recognize.
This space honors the complexity of adoption and supports you in finding clarity, connection, and validation.
Adoption is not always recognized as a form of loss, but for many adoptees, it is.
The grief is real, even when others do not see it. This is called disenfranchised grief — the kind that society does not know how to talk about.
You may have heard, “You should be grateful” or “You were chosen.” While those phrases may have been well-intended, they can also leave you feeling unseen and emotionally shut down.
Adoptees often carry a deep sense of loss and confusion. It can show up later in life, especially during transitions like adolescence, starting a family, or navigating change. You might feel anxious without knowing why, or stuck in a cycle of self-doubt and shame. These feelings are not character flaws. They are natural responses to complicated experiences that have rarely been given space. You are not the problem to be fixed.
If traditional therapy has not worked for you in the past, that does not mean healing is out of reach.It might mean you were never in a space that recognized how adoption has shaped you.
I help adoptees understand their anxiety and depression, not just manage it.
You may have spent years wondering why you feel the way you do. Maybe you have been told to be grateful when what you really feel is confusion or loss. Maybe you have blamed yourself for being too sensitive or too emotional when your reactions were shaped by experiences no one helped you make sense of.
Anxiety and depression often begin in places that were never acknowledged. They can manifest when grief is not fully addressed. They can show up as overthinking, emotional exhaustion, self-doubt, or a quiet belief that something is wrong with you.
These responses are not personal failures. They are signs that your story has been carrying weight that was never meant to be carried alone.
In therapy, we will not just try to make the symptoms go away. We will slow down, get curious, and understand what your mind and body have been trying to tell you. Together, we can begin to bring more clarity to your experience, more compassion to the parts of you that have been trying to cope, and more connection to what feels true for you.
ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION THERAPY FOR:
Adoptees experiencing grief, anxiety, or emotional disconnection
Clients seeking support that understands the impact of adoption
Adoptees who feel stuck in patterns of perfectionism or burnout
How I approach Anxiety & Depression Therapy
Adoption-competent therapy begins with understanding, not pathologizing. I work with you to explore how anxiety and depression may have formed in response to early loss, identity disruption, or emotional silence.
Our work may include practices from trauma-informed, relational, and cognitive approaches. We focus on building safety, developing emotional awareness, and creating new ways to relate to yourself with care instead of criticism without defining you as the problem.
You do not have to feel ready to fix everything. We begin with what is real for you right now.
Things we can work on in Anxiety and Depression therapy:
Naming and processing grief that has been ignored or invalidated
Exploring how anxiety and depression relate to adoption, identity, and early separation
Understanding the connection between your emotions and your survival strategies
Creating space to feel without judgment or the need to explain
Building skills for emotional regulation and nervous system support
Developing a stronger, more compassionate relationship with yourself
Relief is possible.
For many adoptees, anxiety and depression begin in places that were never acknowledged. These experiences can include early separation, identity confusion, and the quiet expectation to stay grateful. Therapy offers a space to understand what you have been carrying and why it makes sense. Over time, you may feel more grounded, more connected, and more able to show up as yourself.
If this feels familiar, you do not have to carry it alone. Let’s connect and talk about next steps.
FAQs
-
You may notice patterns that feel hard to explain, like a persistent fear of rejection, people pleasing, or emotional shutdown during conflict, even somatic complaints and feeling numb. These responses can be linked to early separation, identity confusion, or the pressure to be grateful. Therapy can help you explore these connections in a safe and supportive way.
-
Many adoptees have felt misunderstood in therapy. I bring both clinical training and lived experience to our work. I will not dismiss your story or rush to apply surface-level solutions. Instead, we will move at your pace and make space for the complexity of what you have lived through.
-
That is completely okay. Therapy does not have to be all or nothing. We will begin wherever you feel most comfortable. Your pace, your boundaries, and your readiness are always respected.