Finding Healing One Song At a Time

  “Do you know BTS?” – Min YoonGi, SUGA   by IAA Co-Founder, Joy Lieberthal Rho My first favorite song of BTS was “Idol”, the sound of Korean traditional instruments in a pop song caught my ears.  Yet, when a dear big sister/friend of mine asked to join her and her daughter to go to […]

Laura Cerrano shares her journey to becoming a Feng Shui Master

IAMAdoptee interviews Laura Cerrano, adopted from Colombia and citizen of the world, as she shares her journey to becoming a Feng Shui Master.   What is your name(s)?  Silvia Céspedes Serrano (my birth name) + Laura Cerrano (the name I use today). I’ve had a few names over the years and I feel each name […]

Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy by Kacy Ames, LCSW

During my first year of postgraduate training in Family and Couples Therapy, my supervisor said something so simple and yet so surprising that it permanently shifted my sense of self.  I was working with a couple that had been struggling with trust, closeness and commitment.  My supervisor advised “Kacy, think about romantic love in terms […]

Attachment Theory Explained by Kacy Ames, LCSW

Nearly 11 years ago, I presented a workshop at the KAAN conference about navigating attachment, intimate partner(s) relationships and love.  It was an extremely memorable experience, predominantly because I went into labor (5 weeks early) on the car ride home.  Everything ended up being fine but I will forever associate these themes of attachment with […]

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. To learn more about Chaitra, you can find a full professional bio on our About page. Darci Siegel: My name is Darci Siegel, I use she/her pronouns, and I do Content Development with IAMAdoptee. […]

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 I […]

Therapy Interventions

Now you have some working knowledge of how to find a therapist and the kinds of therapists that practice (click to read Seeking Counsel).  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 […]

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 […]