Denver Adoption and the Holiday Season
The holiday season has begun, and for most, it’s a time of joy, but for you, it might not be. Whether you are going through the Colorado adoption process or you have just completed your adoption journey, the holiday season can cause you more stress, and you can be dealing with more grief. These emotions can be heightened for you because of the emotions that come with the holiday season.
At Adoption Choices of Colorado, we understand that the holiday season can cause you elevated levels of stress, grief, and depression which is why we keep our offices open during the holiday season. We are here to aid you and support you in Denver and across Colorado.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
Dealing with Post-Placement Grief
The holiday season is typically a time where families get together to celebrate. This time can be extremely emotional for a birth mother who made the difficult decision to proceed with a Colorado adoption. During this time, they can be thinking of what might have been if they did not go with the adoption process. They can be imagining how their life would look at this time being able to celebrate with their child. You can be having these thoughts as well, which can bring on unbearable pain. This can cause you to question the adoption process and your adoption plan. These thoughts can also cause you to feel resentful to the adoptive family that your child was placed with. It is okay for you to be feeling these feelings. Other birth mothers experience the same feelings, so it is not uncommon.
During this time, it is important that you do what you can to take care of your mental health rather than holding all of these emotions and feelings in and carrying them with you. Our adoption services, which include post-placement counseling, are open during the holiday season, where you can make an appointment with one of our counselors, and you can work through your grief and emotions together.
Another option you can look into is a post-placement counselor who specializes in helping birth mothers deal and work through the emotions that come with post-placement. Adoption Choices of Colorado is partnered with Lifetime Healing.
Lifetime Healing is an organization that specializes in providing post-placement care for birth mothers who have gone through the adoption process and placed their child with an adoptive family. If counseling is not for you or you want to try something else to help cope with the feelings you’re having, there are birth mother support groups. Lifetime Healing provides support groups on the second Monday of each month for birth mothers. You can also look into other support groups in your area. There is no one better to help you work through what you are feeling than other birth mothers. They have extensive knowledge of the Denver adoption process, and chances are they have experienced the same feelings and emotions that you are experiencing. A birth mother support group can be a great comforting resource for you, especially during the holidays.
If You Have an Open or Semi-Open AdoptionTry Reaching Out to the Adoptive Family
If your Denver adoption plan and situation allow it, do not be afraid to reach out to your child and the adoptive family. You can do this by sending them a holiday-themed card or greeting. This can be a nice way for you to let your child know that you are thinking of them and that they still mean a lot to you.
If you are in a situation where you are not able to send something to your child, there are a few other options you can go with to honor your child. You can donate to a charity in your child’s honor. Depending on what holidays you celebrate at this time of the year, you can also light a candle or hang an ornament as a way to pay tribute to your child.
With Adoption in Colorado Alway Remember to Take Care of Yourself
It is important that you are not so hard on yourself, especially during the holiday season. Mental health is very important, so give yourself time to relax and destress your mind. If you are in a situation where you are struggling financially, remember we can help. Adoption Choices of Colorado has resources and services in place to assist you. These include and are not limited to support with rent, groceries, utilities, and any other necessary expenses.
We are here for You During the Holidays
The holiday season is never easy for birth mothers. The time of joy and happiness that families experience never goes unnoticed by birth mothers, which can elevate the emotions they are dealing with. Adoption Choices of Colorado is here to assist you and support you during the holiday season if you are struggling. Do not hesitate to reach out to us for help. We are here for you and are ready to do what we can to aid you during this holiday season.
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Meet the Author: Nickolas Cooney is a senior at Arizona State University working through his final semester to get his bachelor’s degree in Sports Journalism. Nick also attended the University of Alabama for his first year and a half of college when he was a biology major. He decided to move back to Arizona and transfer to ASU when he changed his major because he saw more opportunities at the Walter Cronkite School of Mass Communication and Journalism. Since transferring to ASU, Nick has been a reporter for the AIA in Arizona for a semester and worked with the Phoenix Suns and Rising for stories. While writing about sports and creating content about sports is Nick’s passion. He also is very passionate about playing sports as well. He grew up playing baseball, basketball, and racing motocross. Nick still does his best to ride and race motocross when he has time, but he has been focusing on his schooling and another one of his passions, gaming. Nick is an avid gamer, and he is even a streamer on Twitch. He has built up a fan base to be a part of the Twitch Affiliate program.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!