I Finally Figured Out What It Means to Feel Safe”: A Qualitative Study of Adult Adoptees and Psychotherapy

This qualitative study explored 15 adult adoptees’ experiences with psychotherapy and other adoption-specific resources.Thematic analysis was employed to identify four themes: 1)relationships as a motive for pursuing psychotherapy, 2) the importance of the therapeutic relationship, 3) the role commu-nity plays in psychotherapy for adoptees, and 4) the adoptee’s evolving relationship with self. The findings demonstrate that relationships played a central role, both in adult adoptees’ deci-sion to pursue psychotherapy and satisfaction with the process.Practice implications include knowledge of middle age as apotentially critical time for adult adoptee awareness and the inclusion of adjunctive adoptee resources for satisfactory ther-apeutic experiences.