We continue to find great resources on various grief topics out on the net. Here are a few that we’ve found interesting recently…
The loss, grief, and shame in adoption
We liked this article purely because it’s one of very very few that speaks to the loss and grief in adoption. So often there is a focus on the narrative of adoption as a “happy ending” to a child’s story, with little to no acknowledgement of the great loss and grief in losing one’s birth family (and everything else that has already become familiar to the child’s sensory system. The loss and grief in adoption can feel both vague and all-encompassing, as well as non-finite … attributes that can be such a challenge to being able to articulate and make meaning. Have a read, and please let us know if you’ve come across any other good articles acknowledging the loss and grief in adoption!
Continuing bonds, explained
“Continuing bonds” is professional speak for remembering our loved ones after they’ve died. Well, that’s typically how it’s explained, but we’d like to acknowledge that continuing bonds happen in the ongoing relationship that birth/ first families and their children continue to have with each other, even in the event of never having any further contact with each other after adoption. We think this is a lovely article to share with clients, especially teens!
https://whatsyourgrief.com/grief-concept-care-continuing-bonds/
Resources for adoptive families
Beacon House in the UK is an organisation providing support to families involved with fostering and adoption. They’ve created a wonderful range of resources that are free for you to download, read, and share. These can be such a helpful way to open up conversations with school and friends and family, and to help them to understand the many very difficult impacts that the loss of a first/ birth family can bring into a child’s world, and how best to work together support these grieving children. We love how non-pathologizing, relational, and systemic these resources are.