Therapy for Couples & Couples Shaped by Adoption
Expert Therapy for Couples & Couples Shaped by Adoption
Hi, I’m Karl. Dedicated to assisting couples as they navigate the intricate dynamics of relationships where adoption is part of the story.
It can be hard to believe that adoption could adversely influence so much. Yet, it can and does have deep and lasting effects on adoptees and those who love them. I work with couples whose relationship is struggling due to the challenges of being adopted or the stressors of having adopted children.
Healing a relationship takes hard work and commitment. It often includes the need to heal yourself individually at the same time. Your or your partner’s adoptive history may be having a bigger influence than you realized. So often we don’t know how impactful adoption is to us as individuals and especially the effect on our romantic life.
I offer the experience, compassion and specialized support to guide you on this important journey towards a deeply fulfilling and profoundly connected relationship.
“We are hurt in relationship, and it is in relationship that we find healing.”
Adoption & Attachment
Adoption has no choice but to impact attachment. Attachment after adoption can either make that impact more challenging or aid in its repair. Attachment is the wound and the healer.
Together we will explore your story of relinquishment, adoption and attachment experiences.
If you are not adopted but have attachment breaks in your history, such as being a birth parent, the loss of a parent, divorce, medical separation, the results can be equally as impactful. The need for healing is equal.
Relationships
You aren’t sure if your relationship can be fixed. There was so much love and passion before; somehow it all went wrong. But life without your partner seems unimaginable. Every relationship has challenging times. For some those rough spots become traps and you don’t know how to break free. For others, those hard times are magnified by hurts experienced many years before you ever met your partner.
We will work together to understand how those hurts are now showing up in your relationship. Finding a way to stop the cycle that leads to arguments, loneliness, lack of intimacy and more.
Self
Somtimes the best path to a healthy relationship and happy life is to find healing and growth before that special someone. Other times navigating multiple painful relationships brings the desire for personal healing and self-growth.
Maybe you love someone who is adopted or has a wound in their attachment history. You are coming to therapy to learn how to better love your spouse, partner, friend, parent, child.
No matter what brings you in the door, I am glad you are here.
Trauma
You might wonder if being adopted is really a trauma. After all, you probably had a pretty good life, right? You may even feel like saying you were traumatized by your adoption experience is too dramatic, it happened so long ago and I should be over it by now. Unfortunately, that isn’t how trauma works.
Attachment trauma is both complex and insidious. We will work to identify if trauma is part of your dynamic and from there start the process of bringing safety back to you and your relationship.
What Karl is sharing is so compelling it could well do more than provide support to those who share similar histories, but also those of us who rarely think of what adoption actually means.
Karen Campbell
Karl has been our go-to Adoption Consultation Expert for more than a decade. His depth of knowledge and experience make him invaluable to us and any adoptive family.
Kristie Cain, LMFT, RPT
Connected Life Center
Transform your Relationship
Are you ready to start your journey towards a healthier, more connected relationship?
Karl Stenske, MA, Adoption Specialist, AMFT 139068
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist working under the supervision of Sari Rose Barron, LMFT, MFC 87400
“Family leaves an indelible mark on your life; demanding to be noticed and woven into every piece of your story”