Parenting When It’s Hard to Like Your Child — Understanding Blocked Care in Adoptive Families

By Darci Nelsen, PhD, LMHC, BC-DMT | October 13, 2022

“Why is my child withdrawing? And why am I tempted to give up and disengage?” This blog explains self-protective instincts for both adopted children (blocked trust) and parents (blocked care), how a child’s response may be rooted in early trauma, and strategies for parenting with empathy.

Film Review: Reckoning with the Primal Wound

By Elena Li | June 9, 2022

Reckoning with the Primal Wound documentary

Reckoning with the Primal Wound, a documentary, asks us to understand relinquishment trauma. The child and birth mother’s separation is a profound loss that needs to be acknowledged, seen, supported, and cared for.