Adoption: Adverse Childhood Experience Explained with Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker

    IAMAdoptee sat down with Chaitra Witra-Leiker and had the opportunity to more deeply understand the Adoption and Adverse Childhood Experiences Score.       Darci Siegel: My name is Darci Siegel, I use she/her pronouns, and I am a content developer with IAMAdoptee. I’m excited to sit with Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker, licensed psychologist […]

Dunbar Number

The Dunbar number suggests that most people’s brains can handle 150 casual relationships, 15 close friendships and 5 best friends. – Frost Science Museum, Miami FL   I am quick to smile, it’s a nervous habit and the most comfortable of masks.  But.. I cry when I get angry I cry when I am sad […]

Therapy Interventions

. There are many different approaches therapists use as forms of intervention and modalities of work.  Oftentimes, therapists are eclectic and use a variety of different techniques and approaches to getting to healing and understanding.     . IAMAdoptee asked JaeHee Chung Sherman, LCSW to explain the various common modalities many clinicians use in their work.  […]

Untitled Thoughts by Joy Lieberthal Rho, Co-Founder of IAMAdoptee

How do we feed ourselves when we were raised on pasta and pizza? It’s a facetious question, because I have nothing against pasta or pizza, but I distinctly remember that pizza was an acquired taste and I never crave pasta the way I crave rice.  I still hold my memory of pizza for the first […]

Adoptees of South America creates community!

IAMAdoptee meets Adoptees of South America.  We are so thrilled to have a chance to speak with Maria and Megan, adoptees from Ecuador, and learn about their ambitious goal of creating community for intercountry adoptees born in South America.  Our contributor Emma, sat with them to hear all about them and their project! Adoptees of […]

Holidays as Adoptees

  Holidays As Adoptees This article presents a video conversation with international adoptees Katie Naftzger, LICSW and Kathy Sacco, LCSW and their wisdom on the challenges, the opportunities, the tough parts and the ways we can authentically navigate the holiday season.   IAMAdoptee is grateful to all of you who shared your thoughts on how being adopted has impacted the […]

Colombian Adoptee Katie Betancourt on Searching for Birth Family and Self

Emma, IAMAdoptee Contributor: Do you go by Katie Cicneros? Katie: My legal name is that, but in terms of Facebook, I have it as Betancourt because that’s my birth name. And I just do it in case somebody’s searching, but my legal name is Cicneros. Emma: Is that how you would like us to identify […]

This Song Is About Mental Health – IAMAdoptee’s Moment with DanAKADan

In continuing our efforts to address wellness in the intercountry adoptee community, IAMAdoptee connects with Dan Matthews, musician, rapper, documentarian and creative. Dan Matthews, DANakaDAN, is an alternative rap artist from Los Angeles, CA. As a Korean adoptee he’s produced several documentaries about the adoptee experience, as well as his very personal journey reuniting with his […]