Adoption and Healing: Proceedings of the International Conference on Adoption and Healing, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, 1997

Until perhaps the 1970s, adoption was generally regarded in Western countries as beneficial to all parties involved. It was seen as a one-off event, after which life for the adopting family was assumed to carry on as normal. Over the past 20 years, this attitude has altered significantly. It has become obvious that adoption is a lifelong process. Although many adoptions have benefited those involved, others, notably some birth mothers and adopted people, have experienced a range of psychological and emotional problems. Some of these problems have commonalities with known areas of treatment, some may require a specific and different approach. This book contains papers presented to an international conference held in June 1997 in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand on issues resulting from the adoption experience. The authors include many of the leading professional authorities in the adoption field from Holland, the U.S., the U.K., and Australia, as well as New Zealand.