Adoptmom
Counsellor in Cape Town

Counsellor Dip C (Inst NH) I specialise in Infertility, adoption and crisis pregnancyI work with individuals and groups to provide support and guidance to people. My theory on life is: “You don’t need to be all things to all people. I am able to assist with study methods, peer pressure bullying and more. My background is in infertility and adoption but over time, I have seen that those two issues can lead to other issues like stress, anger, grief, relationship problems etc. I will help you find the most suitable adoption agency and assist with all the info and contacts you need.  I am an adoptive mom, counsellor, author of "The Greatest Gift" and public speaker.I also have a 12 year background in teaching at a tertiary level so my passion for young adults is enormous. Ask someone for a little help and you will go a long way.”.

As many of us who have adopted, placed or fostered already know, there are many ups and downs in the process and even in the years that follow. She has walked a long and very difficult journey in her bid to become an adoptive mom. During her own personal journey, Angela started reaching out to others and offering support. We have two children that God gifted to us through adoption, our daughter Rebecca who is 9 years old and our son Jesse who is 4 years old. It has made my own adoption journey so much easier. My adoption journey has consisted of 3 crazy, happy, sad, confusing years. Since taking over Adoptmom from Terri I’ve only seen one or two couples for an adoption information session, counseled a few people via telephone and sold a few books in the last few months. I’ve also recently been given the opportunity to make my part time job more full time. She also popped in to the Cape Fertility clinic every few months and dropped of cards and flyers. It would obviously need to be someone who has a passion for adoption and possibly even has a Counselling diploma or something similar, although it’s not necessary as you are really only sharing your experience as someone whose life has been touched by adoption and telling them how to get started, giving them guidance. It is important to note that the Department of Home Affairs is responsible only for the recording of the adoption of a child in the child’s birth register if so requested by the adoptive parents. Our little people need to know their stories though. And you need to be ready to tell them their stories, to answer their questions. My social worker told me to start telling him he was adopted straight away, to talk about his birth family and to tell him his story from the day we got him. This is when they wonder who they are and what this means about their previous family. Our job is to get our kids ready for these questions, their own as well as their friends’ questions. If you have personal issues and feelings for your child’s birth family, keep them to yourself. Most birth parents are normal people who were in a tough position or situation and couldn’t parent a child at that time in their lives. Talk about the birth parents often, it helps all members of your family get used to it and lets your child feel comfortable asking you questions about them and the past. We had a rough first year with our little man’s adoption. We didn’t have the wait, but that first year was damn hard. Sometimes adoption just feels like a long, hard slog and you can’t imagine coming through the other side. Facebook has dramatically changed the way information is exchanged in adoption.