Attachment disorders in post-institutionalized adopted children: art therapy approaches to reactivity and detachment

Intimate relationship challenges in early parenthood among lesbian, gay, and heterosexual couples adopting via the child welfare system.

“…They felt that their children (all of whom were older school-age or teen-age) were purposefully “splitting” them (Henley, 2005), or trying to divide them against their partners, which had often worked, causing an eruption between partners. Again, the high degree of correspondence between partners’ reports of this theme indicates that their child’s reported “splitting” was a salient and unavoidable source of stress for both partners.…”

“…Eight participants (one lesbian couple, one gay man, one heterosexual man, and two heterosexual couples) identified a slightly different and more extreme version of parental preferences as causing relational conflict. They felt that their children (all of whom were older school-age or teen-age) were purposefully “splitting” them (Henley, 2005), or trying to divide them against their partners, which had often worked, causing an eruption between partners. Again, the high degree of correspondence between partners’ reports of this theme indicates that their child’s reported “splitting” was a salient and unavoidable source of stress for both partners.…”

“…Some parents who identified their children's preferences as a stressor further emphasized their children's efforts to "split" them from their partners. This was particularly common among parents of older children, who were perhaps more adept at manipulating the couple by dividing them, which often resulted in conflict between the parents (Henley, 2005). Therapists who work with parents who are adopting older children should be mindful of the unique challenges faced by these families.…”

Exploring a dyadic approach to art psychotherapy with children and young people: A survey of British art psychotherapists

“…While anecdotal evidence suggests that this relatively new way of working is gaining momentum, with a few notable exceptions (e.g. Henley, 2005;Proulx, 2003) there is scant literature describing this approach.…”

A Bird with No Name Was Born, Then Gone: A Child’s Processing of Early Adoption through Art Therapy

“…For example, she examined how the permanency placing of children in foster care in the United States might have compounded their experience of ongoing instability, undesirability, lack of secure attachment, and having a limited voice in the system guiding their immediate family situation. Issues related to secrecy, shame, and limited communication around the process often exacerbate the traumatic, pre-verbal experience of children trying to navigate who they are [ 4 , 6 ]. As Ryan [ 7 ] concluded after researching the experiences of post-adoption families, “Mental health concerns among adopted children and adolescents are common and complex, and that parental stress and need for post-adoption support is high” (p. 215).…”