Hiding and being seen: An exploration of the value of, and challenge to, person-centred counselling when working with adult adoptees who have been adopted in infancy

Abstract

Adult adoptees comprise a relatively unexplored population (Melero et al., 2023). This may be due to their ability “to function and appear normal in society” (Sexton, 2013, p. 5). However, this does not mean they are not impacted by their adoption. Many adult adoptees go on to seek out support in the form of counselling, but what are the benefits of this form of support and is it useful for this client group? This research seeks to answer the following question: What is the value of, and challenge to, person-centred counselling when working with adult adoptees who have been adopted in infancy? The aims of this research are to gain insight into the experience of adult adoptees who were adopted in infancy, and to explore what adult adoptees, who were adopted in infancy, gained from, or struggled with in, accessing person-centred counselling to explore issues related to their adoption. Ten research participants, who self-identified as being adopted in infancy and having experience with person-centred counselling, were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2022) was used to elicit the depth and richness of the experience of both phenomena. Participants were encouraged to describe their childhood experiences related to their adoption and the perceived impact of this, before relating their experience of person-centred counselling, paying attention to both the perceived values and challenges. Six group experiential themes emerged: 1) Self-Perceived Experience of Adoption, 2) Accessing Counselling – The Nuts and Bolts, 3) Experiencing the Qualities of Person-Centred Counselling, 4) Experiencing the Process of Person-Centred Counselling, 5) Self-Discovery and Perceived Outcomes, and 6) Observations and Advice. Whilst person-centred counselling was found to be largely beneficial for this group, a number of challenges to engagement were also identified. The importance of establishing psychological contact and providing an attuned, emotionally present therapeutic relationship, particularly in the early stages of person-centred counselling was highlighted. Psychoeducation, when offered sensitively, supported meaning-making and reduced shame. A new attachment style, insecure-dysregulated, is identified and proposed as a valuable area for future research. This aims to capture the relational and emotional presentation of some high-functioning adoptees who appear grounded yet experience internal dysregulation, self-suppression, and chronic shame. These findings point to the need for lifelong, adoption-competent support and affirm the value of responsive, flexible person-centred counselling that honours the adoptee’s lived experience.