Newsletter & Updates – Adoptee Retreat
Hi everyone
As you may be aware, we are running an online event / virtual retreat on Saturday 15th October, aimed at adoptees. Timings for the event are 10:00 to 3:30 BST, and we are excited to announce the agenda has been finalised. The following are the main sessions of the day:
- Yoga and meditation with Claire
- “Adoptee Guilt” with Lara
- “Our Stories” with Gilli
- Q&A
- Breakout sessions
- ** Guest Speaker – Anne Heffron **
- Self-care activity
We are truly excited about the agenda because adoptee-focussed events are still quite few and far between, and feedback has been really encouraging. We know how much these events mean to adoptees who have rarely had such recognition.
To have Anne Heffron confirmed is a pretty big deal – a major coup for us! You can read all about Anne and her work here: https://www.anneheffron.com/, and she will be joining from the US for the later part of our day.
If you would like to attend this event and haven’t reserved your place yet, please click the link below to do so:
In other news
- Towards the end of last year, I was interviewed by Amanda Medina of This Adoptee Life (https://thisadopteelife.com/). Amanda is Colombian but describes her struggles with life being brought up in a different culture. If you’re interested in her Podcast and/or my episode, you can catch it by clicking one of the below links depending on how you’re listening:
Amanda Medina interviews Lara Leon : APPLE PODCASTS; SPOTIFY
- National Adoption Week here in the UK begins week commencing 17 October 2022. Last year, Post Adoption Centre (PAC-UK), hosted a full day dedicated (for the first time ever) to adoptees. Guest speakers included authors, psychologists and many others who told their stories about adoption from a very personal point of view.
I am proud to have been asked to speak at this event and will be doing so on Monday 17th October as they are dedicating the first day to adoptees once again.
- We (collectively) are still working hard to lobby for individual counsellors/therapists here in the UK to be able to work with adoption specific issues without having to first register (for a hefty fee) with Ofsted. There is movement on that front, and we will hopefully be able to report good news in the forthcoming months. It is now recognised that adoptees need to be able to easily access therapeutic interventions. Adoption is not a one-time thing; it has lifelong impact. Meanwhile, we have published a list of ‘adoption-competent’ therapists. Many of them work over Zoom and I know some of you have already begun therapeutic work. You can find the list here: https://howtobeadopted.com/adoptee-counselling
- I also want to take this opportunity to thank those of you I haven’t met but who have taken the time to contact me via my website after seeing my YouTube content to tell me how much my work resonates with you. It means so very much to know that you find value in this. My research is currently being redacted so that you can digest the finding more easily. When it’s ready I will upload it to the website.
With love to you all, as always.
Lara
Links in this newsletter:
Anne Heffron: https://www.anneheffron.com
Book for virtual retreat 15 October 2022: BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW
Amanda Medina – This Adoptee Life: https://thisadopteelife.com/
Amanda Medina interviews Lara Leon on Apple Podcasts & Spotify: APPLE PODCASTS; SPOTIFY
Post Adoption Centre: (PAC-UK)
List of Counsellors/Therapists: https://howtobeadopted.com/adoptee-counselling