Post Adoption Support Groups at BPAR
Support Groups
(Click on a group name in this list to jump to its description.)
GROUPS FOR ADULT ADOPTEES
GROUPS FOR YOUNG ADOPTEES
GROUPS FOR PARENTS & CAREGIVERS
If you are interested in joining a group, would like to suggest a new group, or would like more information, let us know through the Boston Post Adoption Resources Peer Groups Form. Once we receive your form, one of our clinicians will call you to conduct an initial phone screen process before each new group member attends.
We are conducting groups through telehealth
except where noted.
At BPAR we are committed to the safety of our clients.
We will continue to monitor and follow the guidance of
state and federal regulations.
Please email info@bpar.org with questions about a specific group.
Adult Adoptee Group Therapy
(Note: This group is not currently running. We are accepting new members for a waiting list for future sessions. Please use the signup form below to express interest.)
Embodiment Skills Group for Adult Adoptees
Join us for a short-term, 6-session embodiment skills group for adult adoptees.
Learn simple practices to feel grounded, safe, and present in your body in a supportive group setting. This group will explore a mixture of approaches including short meditations, breathwork, and somatic (body-based) techniques.
Group leader: Seana Peterson, LICSW
Group cost: $35* per session.
Adult Adoptee Group
Please join us for a support group for adults who have been touched by adoption.
Group leader: Seana Peterson, LICSW
Group cost: $35* per session.
International Young Adult Adoptee Group
A group for international adoptees age 18-26 to promote self-exploration and emotional processing of the experience as international adoptees
This young adult adoptee's group explores the unique/complex factors related to international adoption including integration and loss of dual identity, birth country, culture and language, ethnicity and race, naturalization, etc.
Group leaders: Mirela Caron, MA and Sahita Pierre-Antoine, MA
Group cost: $35* per session.
People of Color Support Group
A POC group for people touched by adoption, ages 18+
This group is a brave therapeutic space for adult adoptees who identify as a person of color, bi-racial or multi-racial. The group will explore and process what it is like to be a person of color in the world today. Racial identity development is already complex before adding adoption to it.
Group leader: Lillian Hexter, MA
Group cost: $35* per session.
Parenting as an Adoptee Group
An open support group for adoptees who are parents or caregivers or are in the process of starting a family.
For many adoptees, life events such as starting one’s own family can be a catalyst for thinking about adoption, identity, and family. This group is a support space for adopted adults who are parents or caregivers themselves– whether through having their own biological children, adopting, or becoming step-parents. This group is also for adoptees who are actively in the process of starting their family. The goal of this group is to provide a safe and contained environment for adult adoptees to seek peer support around the unique joys and challenges of parenting and becoming a parent as an adopted person.
Fall 2025 sessions at 6 p.m. on these dates:
September 25
October 23
November 20
December 18
Group leader: Lillian Hexter, MA
Group Cost: $35* per session
Young Adoptee Group Therapy
In-Person Kids Adoptee Group
Please join us for a support group for kids age 7-11 who are adopted. This group meets in person.
The group offers a brave space for kids to meet other kids who are adopted and share their stories and experiences through writing, discussion, and activities.
Location: BPAR offices at 235 Cypress Street, Suite 310, Brookline, MA 02445
Group leader: Sahita Pierre-Antoine, MA and Eli Lauzé-Yesayian
Group cost: $35* per session.
Tween Adoptee Group
A therapeutic group for kids age 11-12 who are adopted.
(Note: This group is not currently running. We are accepting new members for a waiting list for future sessions. Please use the signup form below to express interest.)
The group offers a brave space for kids to meet other kids who are adopted and share their stories and experiences through writing, discussion, and activities. It is a virtual group.
Group leaders: Angela Smith, LICSW
Group cost: $35* per session.
Expressive Arts Therapy with Teen Adoptees (13-15)
A creative arts group for adoptees age 13-15
When words are too much, find ways to express yourself through the creative arts (dance and movement, visual arts, crafts, etc.)!
This group will focus on exploring themes related to the adoptee experience, identity development, peer pressure, social media use, social and family dynamics, in a laid-back, expressive arts environment. Teen adoptees will have the opportunity to connect with their peers all while building skills to communicate and express themselves clearly.
Location: BPAR offices at 235 Cypress Street, Suite 310, Brookline, MA 02445
Group leaders: Madison Janke, LMHC, R-DMT and Sahita Pierre-Antoine, MA
Group Cost: $35* per session
In-Person Older Teen Adoptee Group (age 16-18)
An open support group for teen adoptees age 16-18.
This group will offer a relaxed, contained, co-created space for teens to meet other teens who are adopted and to share stories and experiences through discussion and connection. Group members might also engage in writing or other activities.
Location: BPAR offices at 235 Cypress Street, Suite 310, Brookline, MA 02445
Group leader: Mirela Caron, MA
Group Cost: $35* per session
Parent Group Therapy
Parenting through Disconnection Group
Parents of adopted children of all ages are welcome to join this virtual group.
When attempts at parenting with empathy, compassion, and cultivating joy are met with withdrawal, avoidance, or defensiveness, parents may experience a stress response called blocked care that creates disconnection in the parent-child relationship. This support group will be a space for adoptive parents to share with one another and receive support around the challenges of parenting through disconnection, as well as to learn tools for supporting healthy connection.
Group discussion will include:
- How does blocked trust/blocked care show up in your parent/child dynamic?
- What might some of your child's "big" behaviors be communicating?
- What are the roles you play in the disconnected dynamic?
- How can you find moments of repair?
- The importance of self-care and compassion.
This one-hour virtual "closed" group series will meet monthly on Thursdays starting with the following session dates:
September 18 at 1 p.m.
October 16 at 1 p.m.
November 20 at 1 p.m.
December 18 at 1 p.m.
Attendance is expected for each session, unless in the case of illness or emergency. Note that BPAR will complete a brief phone intake prior to the group.
Group leader: Sahita Pierre-Antoine
Group Cost: $35* per session.
Learn more about "blocked care" in our blog, Parenting When It's Hard to Like Your Child — Understanding Blocked Care in Adoptive Families.
Anti-Racism Parent Group
BPAR’s Anti-Racism Parent Group is designed for any parent with adopted children to discuss race.
This is a virtual group. If you are interested use the Sign Up button below.
A learning and support group for parents who have adopted transracially to expand their racial literacy and to discuss issues as they relate to race, racism, anti-racism, and transracial adoption. Participants should expect to be operating outside of their comfort zone. During this group you may feel frustrated, defensive, sad, or even angry—and that is a good thing! Growing and doing anti-racism work calls for us to expand beyond our own comfortable world views and bubbles and listen to voices that challenge us. In service to that, we are looking to foster an environment of humility, honesty, learning, and self-reflection. This is predicated on a belief that we all have something to contribute and something to learn.
The "closed" group will meet for six sessions and it will be structured with pre-work and activities. Attendance commitment for the series of sessions is required. A 15-minute phone chat with each participant is required prior to joining the group to assess learning needs.
*All meetings are currently being held via teleconference*
Winter 2026 sessions at 6 p.m. on these dates:
Group leader: Darci Nelsen, LMHC, BC-DMT
Group cost: $35* per session.
Parenting as an Adoptee Group
An open support group for adoptees who are parents or caregivers or are in the process of starting a family.
For many adoptees, life events such as starting one’s own family can be a catalyst for thinking about adoption, identity, and family. This group is a support space for adopted adults who are parents or caregivers themselves– whether through having their own biological children, adopting, or becoming step-parents. This group is also for adoptees who are actively in the process of starting their family. The goal of this group is to provide a safe and contained environment for adult adoptees to seek peer support around the unique joys and challenges of parenting and becoming a parent as an adopted person.
Fall 2025 sessions at 6 p.m. on these dates:
September 25
October 23
November 20
December 18
Group leader: Lillian Hexter, MA
Group Cost: $35* per session
Parents of Young Adoptees Group
Please join us for a monthly support group for parents of young adoptees ages 4-7. This group meets virtually.
This group offers a safe space for parents and caregivers of young adoptees to meet others and share their stories and experiences. Group members will be invited to discuss all aspects of parenting—the challenges, joys, frustrations, and successes.
*All meetings are currently being held via teleconference*
Group leader: Darci Nelsen, LMHC, BC-DMT
Group cost: $35* per session.
Parents of Kid Adoptees Group
Please join us for a support group for parents of adopted kids ages 8-12. This group meets virtually.
The group offers a safe space to meet other adoptive parents and caregivers and share their stories and experiences.
Group leaders: KC Craig, LICSW
Group cost: $35* per session.
Parents of Teen Adoptees Group
A support group for parents of teen adoptees age 13-18. This group meets virtually for one hour.
This group for parents of teen adoptees offers a safe space to meet other adoptive parents and caregivers and to share stories and experiences.
Group leader: Sahita Pierre-Antonine, MA
Group cost: $35* per session
In-Person Social Skills Group for Pre-Teen and Teen Adoptees (11-15)
A social skills group for adoptees age 11-15
This is a social skills group for pre-teen and teen adoptees who struggle to join in, connect, get along with peers, and navigate their social worlds. Supported by expressive arts and movement-based therapy techniques and teamwork challenges, group members will practice and reinforce their self-awareness, communication connection, and perspective-taking skills. Themes of belonging, connection, and identity development as an adoptee will serve as a framework for this group.
Location: BPAR offices at 235 Cypress Street, Suite 310, Brookline, MA 02445
Group leaders: Madison Janke, LMHC, R-DMT and Sahita Pierre-Antoine, MA
Group Cost: $35* per session
Upcoming schedule>>