Voices of Adoption

with Janet Sherlund


Conversations inspired by her book, Abandoned at Birth

Author Janet Sherlund revealed the darker side of adoption in her poignant and powerful memoir, Abandoned at Birth: Searching for the Arms that Once Held Me. Now she is talking to people within the adoption world—therapists, social workers, researchers, legal experts, parents, and the adoptees themselves—to explore the many sides of this institution.


Painted as a loving, unselfish act, adoption is not the carefree happily ever after portrayed in media and entertainment. In her series, Sherlund is willing to explore the reality of adoption. Why does adoption always come with trauma? What are the legal rights of adopted people? Should we be shielded from upsetting origin stories? Is it better to know?


Sherlund will explore these topics and more in her monthly conversation series, Voices of Adoption with Janet Sherlund, on her YouTube channel, Instagram and Facebook.

EPISODE 2:

"I Was Found On A Doorstep"

A Story of Community, Reslilience, and Adoptee Identity

with Beth Steury

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, I had the chance to speak with Beth Steury, adoptee, member of the National Association of Adoptees and Parents and DNA search expert. We discussed the complexities of adoption, personal stories of searching for biological families, and the emotional impact of these journeys. 


Beth shared her experiences as a foundling adoptee, the role of DNA in uncovering family histories, and the importance of community support for adoptees. It was a pleasure to discuss the need for understanding and compassion within the adoption community, as well as the significance of identity and belonging for those who have been adopted.

In this conversation, Janet Sherlund (adoptee + author of debut memoir Abandoned At Birth) and Dr. Jeffrey Werden (psychoanalyst-psychotherapist with more than four decades of dedicated clinical practice who brings a nuanced and integrative approach to psychotherapy) explore the multifaceted emotional experiences of adoptees, discussing the trauma associated with early separation from birth parents, the challenges of identity and belonging, and the importance of therapeutic support. They emphasize that while adoptees can experience love and care in their adoptive families, they may still grapple with feelings of otherness and a lack of connection to their origins. The discussion highlights the need for open dialogue around the trauma of adoption and the genealogical bewilderment anyone suffers who is separated from their family of origin. 

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In this conversation, Janet Sherlund (adoptee + author of debut memoir Abandoned At Birth) and Dr. Jeffrey Werden (psychoanalyst-psychotherapist with more than four decades of dedicated clinical practice who brings a nuanced and integrative approach to psychotherapy) explore the multifaceted emotional experiences of adoptees, discussing the trauma associated with early separation from birth parents, the challenges of identity and belonging, and the importance of therapeutic support. They emphasize that while adoptees can experience love and care in their adoptive families, they may still grapple with feelings of otherness and a lack of connection to their origins. The discussion highlights the need for open dialogue around the trauma of adoption and the genealogical bewilderment anyone suffers who is separated from their family of origin.