You went through so much to share your home and life with this child, but things aren’t going as you had hoped. You may be finding it hard to bond to the child, or maybe the child is not bonding to you or their new family.
Having the opportunity to bring an adopted or foster child into your home is a blessing. You have a lot of love and attention to give and that should be enough, right? Things might not be that simple. Despite all the love you have to share, the history the child brings along with him or her cannot be ignored. While plenty of support will usually help the child to adjust, chances are they might need some professional counseling so they can learn how to live in a healthy family environment and cope with the families and relationships they left behind.
You might be feeling like no one understands and you’re all alone to cope with the difficulties your family faces in trying to hold things together. There are so few people like you who have brought a child into their home, but that doesn’t mean you have to go through it by yourself.
Our counselors have years of experience in working with adoptive families and the unique challenges they face. We specialize in counseling children from foster care who were over the age of 3 at the time of adoption. You may also qualify for your counseling to be completely covered through state funding, including family counseling for the adoptive family. In addition to our ability to offer a caring and supportive atmosphere, we are also trained in play therapy to give children the ability to express themselves in their own language.
Some challenges that adoptive or foster families face include:
- Difficulty bonding with the adoptive family.
- Difficulty bonding with foster parent(s).
- Behavioral issues.
- Communication challenges.
- Speech problems.
- Defiance.
- Difficulty trusting.
- Acting out feelings.
- Lack of community support for adoptive and foster families.
- Academic difficulties.
- Relationship difficulties with other children.
- Boundary confusion.
You are not alone in this. With some support from our knowledgeable family counselors, you can provide a loving, nurturing environment for your whole family. We can help you help your child to cope with their unique challenges so that they can feel secure.
