Open Adoption Project – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode, we sit down with Anna Lehnardt, an international adoptee, to learn about the personal and emotional challenges from her experience of growing up in a family across borders. From navigating identity to facing the complexities of belonging, this conversation sheds light on the realities of international adoption.

In 2019, when Beth Syverson's adopted son Joey was 15, he was hospitalized with a mental health crisis. While there, Beth discovered he had been using cannabis, psychedelics, and more. It has been a sometimes-excruciating marathon since then, with runaways, overdoses, psych hospitals and treatment centers, relapses, suicidal ideation, and anxiety & depression. But Beth's family is now on a healing journey, and they are committed to walking beside each other with positive and compassionate relationships, no matter what. Beth has discovered that Joey’s relinquishment trauma from his inter-country adoption at 7 months old is one of his core issues.

Beth wants to help other families struggling with adoption, addiction, mental health, and diversity. Join her in this heartfelt episode where we sit down with Beth Syverson, the author of Adoption and Suicide. Beth shares her deeply personal journey, discussing the sensitive topics of suicide and suicidal ideation. We advise listeners to approach this episode with care. Beth's son, Joey, who has faced his own struggles, is still with us and fully supports his mom in sharing their story. Join us for this important conversation that sheds light on these critical issues.

If you or someone that you know is struggling with suicidal ideation, please call 988.

https://unravelingadoption.com/

https://www.instagram.com/unravelingadoption/

In this episode, Shaun and Lanette discuss the Family Communication Pattern Theory, by McLeod and Chaffee, and its adoption application. focusing on conformity and conversation orientation, and how these patterns can impact families, particularly in the context of adoption. They analyzed various family dynamics portrayed in movies and TV shows, identifying different communication patterns and their implications. Family Communication Patterns help us understand how childhood family structure impacts adulthood. The model suggests that families fall into four patterns, which vary in degrees of conformity and conversation. The importance of balance in family communication patterns and the need for open dialogue, and the potential influence of parenting styles on children is discussed.

In this special mini episode of The Open Adoption Project, our kids interview some of their adoptee friends about their thoughts and experiences with adoption so far. Rocklyn, Kyson, Zack, Luke and Jace share their stories as adoptees.

In this episode DaKota, an adult adoptee, shares his experiences growing up with a very open adoption. He also talks about how the openness of his adoption contrasted with his siblings who were adopted and had different levels of openness. He discusses the shift of the responsibility of maintaining open adoption relationships from his parents to him as he moved into adulthood. DaKota is the founder and President of the Destiny Foundation. Find DaKota on Instagram: @dakota.aitken

What’s in a name? In this episode we talk about meeting expectant parents over an online video call and how that experience differed from face-to-face meetings. We also talk about different thoughts on naming adopted children. We conclude with a brief interview with our son, a five-year-old adoptee.

In this episode we hear from five teenage adoptees. They share their thoughts and experiences involving adoption in this special mini interview episode hosted by our oldest daughter. You’ll hear from Summer, Mishell, McCoy, James, and Gracie. They’ll talk about how their feelings toward their adoption stories have evolved up to this point, what they wish people understood about adoption, and their advice for other young adoptees who struggle with being different from their peers.

In this episode Melaina, an adoptee, shares her experiences and thoughts about life as a transracial international adoptee. She was born in Colombia and raised in the United States. She shares the struggles and joys she’s experienced and advice for loved ones supporting adoptees in their search for their first family. For more from Melaina, you can follow her on Instagram @melainakrogers where she talks about self-love.

Also, you can see the interviews that she does with others about adoption on her YouTube channel.

We love talking about beautiful open adoption relationships and experiences, but it’s also important to talk about the questionable, unethical and unlawful aspects of adoption. In this episode we talk about the unethical treatment an expectant mom we became friends with experienced, and what hopeful adoptive parents can do to promote better practices in adoption.

In this episode we share about an IVF attempt after adopting our first two children, what IVF looked like for us, and the feelings we had when it didn’t work out.

Follow us on Instagram @OpenAdoptionProject.