Adoption Counselling in EC3M
Joanna Wajszczuk
Psychotherapist, MUKCP
Verified Verified
London EC3M
I am an accredited UKCP Gestalt Psychotherapist working in English and Polish. I have been working as a psychotherapist in private practice for over 10 years. Before becoming a psychotherapist I have worked in various mental health settings – social care, outreach support, family support, supported living accommodations, project management, NHS and Mind.
I am an accredited UKCP Gestalt Psychotherapist working in English and Polish. I have been working as a psychotherapist in private practice for over 10 years. Before becoming a psychotherapist I have worked in various mental health settings – social care, outreach support, family support, supported living accommodations, project management, NHS and Mind.
Dr Daksha Hirani
Psychologist, PsychD, CPsychol
Verified Verified
London EC3M
With over 20 years of experience, I am passionate about tailoring psychological intervention, so clients address their best hopes with their work with me in a relatively short space of time, be it alleviation from depression, burnout, anxiety or symptoms of trauma. Whilst providing a safe and contained space, I aim for clients to report a marked sense of well-being, increased ease and effectively in their lives from our work together. When necessary, I offer diagnostic neuropsychometric assessment that can help with the management of autism, dyslexia and other related neurological conditions, including brain injury and memory loss.
With over 20 years of experience, I am passionate about tailoring psychological intervention, so clients address their best hopes with their work with me in a relatively short space of time, be it alleviation from depression, burnout, anxiety or symptoms of trauma. Whilst providing a safe and contained space, I aim for clients to report a marked sense of well-being, increased ease and effectively in their lives from our work together. When necessary, I offer diagnostic neuropsychometric assessment that can help with the management of autism, dyslexia and other related neurological conditions, including brain injury and memory loss.
Adoption Counsellors
Does my adopted child need therapy?
Not every adopted child needs therapy. However, many can benefit from seeing an adoption-informed therapist, especially if they were victims of abuse or neglect, appear withdrawn or disconnected, have behavioural or developmental issues (which may or may not be related to their adoption), are struggling with feelings of grief or loss surrounding their birth parents, or find it difficult to establish an identity, a challenge that often becomes most apparent during adolescence.
When should adoptive parents seek therapy?
Prospective parents can benefit from therapy even before an adoption—for example, to voice worries and fears; to reconcile infertility struggles, if relevant; or simply to prepare themselves for parenthood. After the adoption, parents who are struggling to bond with their child; are unsure how to talk about adoption or related issues, such as race; or whose child is dealing with developmental, behavioural, or psychiatric concerns can address these and other issues with the help of an adoption-competent therapist.
Is family therapy appropriate for adoptive families?
Family therapy can be invaluable for strengthening the bond between adoptive parents and children, helping the latter feel more secure in their place in the family. Family therapy can also help adoptive families navigate complex communication issues—for example, parents who feel uncomfortable discussing race with their child, who in turn feels invalidated by their silence, or a child who has questions about his birth parents but avoids asking them out of fear of hurting his adoptive parents’ feelings.
What therapy is not appropriate for adoption issues?
A discredited therapy known as “attachment therapy” (sometimes called “holding therapy” or “rebirthing therapy”) should not be used to treat adopted and foster children, though it was largely designed for this population. Attachment therapy involves restraining, coercing, and punishing the child in order for them to “release” negative emotions and attach to their new caregivers—techniques that are abusive and dangerous and have even proven fatal in some cases.