Rosenfeld, Zoé
Representations of Family and Filiation in the Adopted Adolescent and His Parents
- 2010.
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Epidemiologic studies indicate an over-representation of adopted adolescents in consultation centers and child psychiatric hospitals as well as in schooling structures or boarding schools for adolescents with problems. Are adopted adolescents more at risk to develop a psychopathology than adolescents who are not adopted? Why should adoption be considered as a predictive factor for a poorer psycho-affective development? Are there some conditions that allow for adoption to take place in optimal circumstances? As part of this workshop, we shall explore the representations of adopted adolescents and their parents about adoption and their filiations. We shall emphasize the importance for therapists to work with these representations in order to support and even reinforce the feeling of being part of a family and if possible to help with the process of “mythical graft” developed by Robert Neuburger.