DONOR CONCEPTION, NPE, & ADOPTION SUPPORT
Why Choose Support for your Donor Conception, Adoption or NPE journey?
Are you struggling with issues related to donor conception, adoption, or an NPE (non-paternity event/not parent expected)?Sperm/egg/embryo/surrogacy/adoption? Finding out your biological parent isn't who you expected them to be? Each method of conception can bring unique challenges to the offspring and families. These issues could be related to reactions and intense emotions, relationship, and family challenges – both with your social and genetic family members, questions about how it affects your identity, dealing with the impact of secrecy, grief, and loss, etc. This can sometimes result in feeling hurt, confused, or isolated.
Who works with donor conception, adoption, and NPE issues?
Having a therapist who is aware of the intricacies of the issues related to conception/family differences and surprises is important. Lynne Spencer is both personally and professionally experienced in the conception world. She spent her time in graduate school researching and completed her Master’s thesis on the experience of being a sperm donor offspring. Along with her research and personal experience, she is well educated on various donor conception topics and has attended numerous conferences related to donor conception, studied the ethics of reproductive technologies and genetics, and has many connections in the field.
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If you would like to receive assistance with sorting through these concerns, Lynne is available to help you navigate through your donor conception, adoption, or NPE journey. Please email info@timbercreekcounseling.com or submit an appointment request here.
Common Areas of Concern
- Secrecy – regret, anger, feeling of injustice
- Feeling different, discomfort telling others due to lack of understanding by others of the donor conception experience
- Feeling unable to fit in with family
- Differences with social family & the importance of acceptance of donor offspring for who they are
- Identity confusion – Who Am I?
- Search for donor and family, need for ancestral connection
- Search for half-siblings, feeling a connection with them
- Concern about the next generation and inherited medical concerns
- Feeling alone, having a need for contact with others and support
- Finding support and similar experiences in adoption groups
- Need to seek out information about donor conception
- Positive feelings: being special, interesting, wanted, grateful to be alive
- Negative thoughts and feelings: troubled, angry, injustice, loss, nonexistence, split feeling
- Wanting to normalize being donor-conceived or parent, accepting the reality
- Belief that knowledge of genetic and medical history is a birthright
- Becoming an activist, finding a sense of purpose, duty to speak up