Adoptive Family Blog

March 30, 2007

Looking for support during our adoption process.

Megan, we are thinking of joining a support group in our area. What do you know about support groups for adoption? We also participate some in forum chats online, but find those to be helpful sometimes and not so helpful other times. Do you or American Adoptions have any recommendations?

Hi there, thanks for asking for input on this subject. There are many great support groups and forums out there that are designed to genuinely help members of the adoption triad, however there are always going to be groups that are formed for the wrong reasons who you may find to be more hurtful in the long run than helpful. So, it is important that your family and friends are only involved in support groups that are led by knowledgeable and supportive people. It can be very helpful to be surrounded by those in the community who are going through or have gone through similar experiences as there is something very healing and comforting in knowing we are not alone. Many families visit with small groups of their friends, family, or co-workers for support about adoption and do not belong to a formal support group as they feel comfortable with the support they get from these relationships. However, some families are members of support groups with adoption groups in their community or church. These support groups as stated previously can be very educational and supportive, but we caution families to make sure they are joining a positive environment as everyone knows those who can get together and bring others down, so it is important that it is benefiting you. When it comes to forums, I just say to use caution. There are many people who utilize adoption forums to learn and to share information in a very positive way and they can be very helpful when used this way. Like anything on the internet, it is important to know exactly where the information is coming from and exactly who you are interfacing with. The internet is fabulous for gathering information and staying in touch, but there are many people out there who use it in the wrong way. This is evident when people scam prospective adoptive parents and people claim to be pregnant birth mothers or legitimate adoption professionals and are not. Obviously this is the cruelest way that someone can use a forum, but I have found that some people have a negative opinion about adoption or certain practices and do not have an understanding of the process and can be hurtful or destructive by their remarks in this way as well. Let me know what options you have found in your area and what your thoughts are and I can provide you with more specific feedback. Thanks!