Holding space for different speeds and needs in family contact and reunion

by Hana Crisp | Nov 19, 2025 | Articles & factsheets, Resources

By Cheyne Bull, General Psychologist & Adoptee Family contact and reunion The decision to try and make contact with people from your family of origin can be a long time in the making. As we discuss in other VANISH articles, people impacted by family separation can...

Navigating searching for birth family and relationship with adoptive family

by Hana Crisp | Oct 21, 2025 | Articles & factsheets, Resources

By Cheyne Bull, General Psychologist & Adoptee The right to search for family    Knowing your birth family (family of origin) is part of our fundamental human right to know our identity. It is natural and normal to want to know about and try to develop a...

Are you searching for a lost family member?

by Hana Crisp | Sep 24, 2025 | Articles & factsheets, Resources

Right now, across Australia many people are searching for a lost family member. In some cases, the cause of the separation is adoption, but this is not always the case. For example, a person may have grown up in a single parent household and now wishes to search for a...

Understanding adoption through an attachment lens: Common impacts and experiences

by Hana Crisp | Sep 24, 2025 | Articles & factsheets, Resources

By Cheyne Bull, General Psychologist & Adoptee What is attachment?  Attachment refers to the patterns of bonding that develop between an infant and their primary caregivers. These relational experiences are key to a baby’s survival and deeply impact comfort,...

Disenfranchised grief, ambiguous loss and adoption

by Michelle Blanchard | Sep 1, 2025 | Articles & factsheets, Resources

By Cheyne Bull, General Psychologist & Adoptee Loss and adoption   No matter how safe and loving an adoptive family may be, being adopted involves extensive loss. This can include the denial of access to your birth family, identity, language and a sense of...

For friends, partners, loved ones: Understanding the experience of being adopted

by Michelle Blanchard | Aug 19, 2025 | Articles & factsheets, Resources

By Cheyne Bull, General Psychologist & Adoptee Adoption isn’t an interesting anecdote – doing your own learning For non-adoptees, there is something about adoption that is naturally fascinating, and can understandably make you curious or excited to know more. In...