Adoption Therapists in 94302
Michelle Leao, MFT
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified Verified
3 Endorsed
Palo Alto, CA 94302
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist that works with children, couples, families, and individuals that are experiencing relational challenges in their lives and are in need of healthier emotional experiences and accompanying behaviors. My goal is to help clients navigate the complexities of life with a sense of security, peace, and learning. I have extensive history working with individuals, families and couples who are strained from challenging behaviors, unproductive familial patterns, and ongoing parent-child conflict.
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist that works with children, couples, families, and individuals that are experiencing relational challenges in their lives and are in need of healthier emotional experiences and accompanying behaviors. My goal is to help clients navigate the complexities of life with a sense of security, peace, and learning. I have extensive history working with individuals, families and couples who are strained from challenging behaviors, unproductive familial patterns, and ongoing parent-child conflict.
Skye Nashelsky
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified Verified
5 Endorsed
Palo Alto, CA 94302
You have the capacity to lead a fulfilling and meaningful life! There are multiple forms and layers of oppression that impact our daily lives and self worth. I support clients in acknowledging and addressing shame, grief, trauma, and anxiety. I specialize in issues concerning gender, sexuality, intimacy, relationships, and identity. As your therapist, I act as a support working collaboratively alongside you to identify goals, action steps and interventions tailored specifically to your individual needs and identity.
You have the capacity to lead a fulfilling and meaningful life! There are multiple forms and layers of oppression that impact our daily lives and self worth. I support clients in acknowledging and addressing shame, grief, trauma, and anxiety. I specialize in issues concerning gender, sexuality, intimacy, relationships, and identity. As your therapist, I act as a support working collaboratively alongside you to identify goals, action steps and interventions tailored specifically to your individual needs and identity.
A seasoned psychotherapist with a strong appreciation for how difficult change can be, my approach is straightforward, compassionate, tinged with humor, and terribly reliant upon our ability to form a collaborative partnership. If you are reading this then something is not working for you, some aspect of your life is disappointing or dissatisfying and you have likely exhausted your own efforts to resolve things independently. You may feel baffled as to why the same patterns of interpersonal problems are happening again.
A seasoned psychotherapist with a strong appreciation for how difficult change can be, my approach is straightforward, compassionate, tinged with humor, and terribly reliant upon our ability to form a collaborative partnership. If you are reading this then something is not working for you, some aspect of your life is disappointing or dissatisfying and you have likely exhausted your own efforts to resolve things independently. You may feel baffled as to why the same patterns of interpersonal problems are happening again.
See more therapy options for 94302
Adoption Therapists
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 behavioral 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, behavioral, 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.