Post Adoption Support Group | Adoption Therapist

Post Adoption Support Groups

The Cradle offers virtual, psychoeducational post-adoption support groups moderated by Nina Friedman, LCSW, Director of Post Adoption Support. These series provide a safe space to connect with others who truly understand and share your lived experience. Led by a clinically trained therapist, the groups offer a supportive environment to discuss both the unique challenges and joys of your adoption journey.

Registration is required and space is limited. Payment is due before the first session.

To learn about Cradle and Illinois post adoption support services go to Post Adoption Support. Additionally, The Cradle provides private and personalized counseling to anyone touched by adoption.

How is a psychoeducational support group different from a traditional, peer-led support group?

A psychoeducational support group blends the encouragement and shared experiences of a traditional, peer-led support group with the guidance of a trained professional.

In addition to hearing from others who share similar experiences, participants receive expert insight and practical information from a clinically trained therapist who helps guide the conversation. This approach allows participants to both connect with others and gain helpful tools and perspectives.

Search and Connection: Post Adoption Support Group

This group is for adult adoptees over the age of 21 who have searched for and connected with birth parents or other birth relatives. Together, we will explore the initial motivations for your search, what you expected and your hoped-for outcomes. We will discuss the actual results of your search and how to integrate new information and people into your life. Finally, we will reflect on what these connections mean to you, examine how you processed the experience and share ways to manage the complex emotions involved.

Beneath the Mask: Post Adoption Support Group

This group is a six-session program for adult adoptees over the age of 21. Based on the book by Debbie Riley, LCMFT, and John Meeks, MD, the group explores six emotional “stuck points” unique to adoption: Reason for Adoption, Identity, Difference, Mission or Difficult Information, Loyalty, and Permanence. While the book focuses on youth, these vulnerabilities impact adult adoptees too. Participants will look past common coping “disguises,” discuss why identity formation is so complex for adopted people, and share personal challenges in a safe space. Together, members will process these experiences to build mutual understanding and a clearer sense of who they are.

7 Core Issues in Adoption Support Group

This group is designed for adult adoptees over the age of 21 to explore the 7 Core Issues in Adoption identified by Silverstein and Kaplan: Loss, Rejection, Guilt/Shame, Grief, Identity, Intimacy, and Mastery/Control. Understanding how these core issues impact your life can provide deep validation. Participants will have the opportunity to share their personal experiences, listen to others’ struggles and joys, offer mutual support and gain insight into the lifelong impact of adoption.

Across Generations of Adoption

This group, for descendants of adopted people and descendants of birth parents aged 21 and older, offers a supportive space to connect, share experiences and reflect on the multi-generational impact of adoption. Participants will explore family dialogues surrounding adoption, including how it was or was not openly discussed, and examine how these histories shaped their parents’ choices, relationships and parenting styles. The group also highlights the importance of accessing information or making connections while providing tools to help you understand how this history influences your own life and family today.

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Descendants of Adopted People and Descendants of Birth Parents

Price:

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Are you a descendant of an adopted person or a descendant of a birth parent, age 21 or older?(Required)

Yes

Required to attend

Birthday(Required)

Did The Cradle facilitate the adoption?(Required)

Yes

Not Sure

Please share anything that will help prepare for the group.

Address(Required)

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Consent(Required)

I have read and agree to The Cradle's confidentiality policy.

Read Our Confidentiality Policy

OPTIONAL: Consent to Share Contact Information

I would like my contact information included in a shared list for participants who wish to stay connected following the sessions (optional)

Credit Card(Required)

Total

14oct7:00 pm8:15 pmVirtual Support Group: Across Generations of Adoption

Event Details

A three-session psychoeducational support group for descendants of adopted people and descendants of birth parents.

Dates: Wednesdays, Oct. 14-28 (three sessions)
Time: 7-8:15 p.m. Central Time
Cost: $50 (payment due before session one)
Group Size: Limited to 20 people
Who it is for: Open to all descendants of adopted people and descendants of birth parents, ages 21 and older, even if the Cradle did not facilitate the adoption

In this psychoeducational support group, over three guided sessions with Nina M. Friedman, a clinically trained social worker, you will connect with others to discuss, share, and reflect on the following:

Family Dialogue: When and how adoption was discussed in your family, or wasn’t
Generational Impact: How adoption impacted your parent’s choices, relationships and parenting style
Information and Connection: The importance of having information or making contact
Personal Reflection: How this family history directly impacts your own life

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Descendants of Adopted People and Descendants of Birth Parents

Price:

Name(Required)

First

Last

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Are you a descendant of an adopted person or a descendant of a birth parent, age 21 or older?(Required)

Yes

Required to attend

Birthday(Required)

Did The Cradle facilitate the adoption?(Required)

Yes

Not Sure

Please share anything that will help prepare for the group.

Address(Required)

Street Address

Address Line 2

City

State / Province / Region

ZIP / Postal Code

Country

Consent(Required)

I have read and agree to The Cradle’s confidentiality policy.

Read Our Confidentiality Policy

OPTIONAL: Consent to Share Contact Information

I would like my contact information included in a shared list for participants who wish to stay connected following the sessions (optional)

Credit Card(Required)

Total

Time

October 14, 2026 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm(GMT+00:00)

About the Moderator

Nina M. Friedman has an in depth understanding of adoption issues. She has extensive experience working with adoptive and foster children and their families, adult adoptees, and birth parents. Prior to joining The Cradle’s staff in 2004, she worked with adoptive and foster families at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois and Community Counseling Centers of Chicago. She also had a private social work therapy practice working with individuals, couples, and families.

Nina has a Master of Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis with a concentration in Mental Health and a specialization in Family Therapy. As an undergraduate, she majored in Psychology with a minor in Family Relations and Human Development at The Ohio State University. Nina is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Illinois, has her DCFS Child Welfare Employee Licensure and is a Licensed Direct Child Welfare Services Employee. She represents The Cradle on the Illinois Adoption Registry-Confidential Intermediary Advisory Council, the Illinois Post Legal Adoption Services Meeting of Agencies, the Original Birth Certificate Access Oversight Committee, and the Stakeholder Advisory Team for the National Quality Improvement Center for Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation.

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Post Adoption Support Groups

How is a psychoeducational support group different from a traditional, peer-led support group?

Search and Connection: Post Adoption Support Group

Beneath the Mask: Post Adoption Support Group

7 Core Issues in Adoption Support Group

Across Generations of Adoption

Event Details

Event Details

Time

About the Moderator

Unplanned Pregnancy?

Adoptive Families & General Inquiries

Join Our List