Voices Unheard

Adoption is based on loss, often yielding deep feelings of inner turmoil, grief, disconnection, and, at times, overwhelming fear and anxiety stemming from those old, unattended wounds. Yet it is common for the actuality of childhood relinquishment to be minimized or unheard by others who are not adopted.

For an adoptee, coming out of the fog often follows self-reflection, therapy, and peer support-processes well understood by author Lisa Coppola, a mental health counselor whose earliest memories include adoption support group meetings in her home. Her 52-week writing journal, Voices Unheard: A Reflective Journal for Adult Adoptees, offers prompts based on core themes that arise in therapy, space for writing, resources including a glossary, and guidelines plus a script to help volunteer moderators run peer groups.

-Adult adoptees can use the journal as a guide individually or under the care of a therapist.

-Therapists can use the journal as a tool in their practice with adopted clients.

-Peer-led support group moderators can use the prompts as weekly assignments, enabling attendees to share their thoughts and build connections in a group setting.

Voices Unheard: A Reflective Journal for Adult Adoptees provides an opportunity for adoptees to process their experiences in their early lives to build a better understanding of how that key part of their personal history has consciously or subconsciously affected their instincts, behaviors, and emotions. Through the act of reflective journaling, they can build a better understanding of their own stories of being uprooted and replanted into an often (though not always) non-biological family. The creative process can enable the writer to recognize, validate, and learn how to comfort feelings, an essential step on the path to leading a healthy and productive life.