Adoption Therapy in Newton Mearns & Online

Welcome to our dedicated Adoption Therapy service. Our professional therapists offer a compassionate, confidential space to help you navigate the unique emotional complexities of your adoption-related experience. Join us in-person at our Newton Mearns practice or connect UK-wide via secure video call or phone.

What is Adoption Therapy?

Adoption Therapy is a specialist, private process designed to help you navigate the profound emotional complexities that can accompany any part of the adoption journey. We provide a dedicated, professional space for anyone impacted by adoption in Glasgow and across the UK, including:

Adults who have been adopted.

People considering adoption or currently navigating the process.

Parents who have adopted, regardless of the age of their child.

Birth parents or biological relatives impacted by an adoption within their family.

Anyone else affected by adoption seeking specialist, professional support.

How can Adoption Therapy help ?

We provide a safe, supportive environment to help you process the various emotional stages of the adoption journey. You may find this specialist support helpful for:

Exploring questions of identity or a sense of belonging that often arise for adopted adults.

Finding clarity during the decision-making phase for those moving between fertility challenges and the choice to adopt. Including strengthening relationships that may be under strain due to the unique stressors of fertility-related losses and the adoption process.

Navigating the transition into adoptive parenthood, including the adjustment to family roles as children grow into adulthood.

Managing the complex feelings of loss or trauma that can be experienced by birth parents and biological family members.

Supporting you if you are impacted in a way not listed here. However adoption has touched your life, your experience is valid and important, and we are here to provide a dedicated space for you.

HOW IT WORKS

Our Process

Get in Touch

Begin by sending a brief enquiry about how you are hoping our support can help you, so we can ensure our specialist care is the right fit for your unique needs.

Finding a Time Together

We’ll email you with our current availability to determine whether we can establish a regular session time that works for everyone.

Free Consultation Call

This confidential call is a vital part of the assessment, providing a supportive space to explore your needs and decide, without any pressure, if our approach is right for you.

Is Adoption Therapy for Individuals or Couples?

Whether you attend individually or as a couple depends on your unique needs. If you wish to explore personal feelings or internal conflicts, 1-1 Therapy sessions are often best.

If adoption-related stress is straining your relationship, attending together can be highly beneficial. This is also a useful option if you have shared decisions to make.

Where is Adoption Therapy Available?

We offer four flexible ways to access support, ensuring you can find the format that best suits your lifestyle, availability, and comfort level:

• In-Person Sessions: We welcome you to our comfortable, private therapy room in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire (G77). This location is conveniently situated for those across the Southside of Glasgow and surrounding areas.

• Online Video: For maximum flexibility, we provide secure video sessions UK-wide. This allows you to receive specialist support from the privacy of your own home or another convenient location.

• Phone Therapy: A great option for those who prefer a non-visual approach or are experiencing screen fatigue, also available UK-wide.

• Home Visits: If you find it difficult to travel, have childcare commitments, or simply feel more at ease in your own environment, we can often bring the therapy to you. Please note these are subject to availability and location; contact us for a personalised quote.

Choosing between these formats allows you to prioritise what works best for you, whether that is the physical presence of a therapy room or the convenience of fitting a session around a busy schedule.

Start Your Adoption Therapy Journey

Contact us today for a confidential, no-obligation discussion to explore how our Adoption Therapy can support your healing and well-being.

FAQS

Adoption Therapy FAQ's

What is the process for starting Adoption Therapy (including a free consultation call)?

Our process is designed to ensure our specialist support is the right fit for your unique needs before you commit to a full session:

Initial Enquiry: You begin by sending us an enquiry via email or our contact form, including a brief summary of how you are hoping couples therapy can help you.

Availability Check: We will email you with details of our current ongoing availability to determine if we can establish a mutually suitable, regular session time. We will also advise you if we believe our specialist service is not the right fit for your particular situation.

Free Consultation Call: If we confirm that we have a suitable ongoing slot and our service is a potential fit, we will then arrange separate, free, confidential consultation calls with each of you. This is a vital part of the assessment, allowing both partners to explore their needs individually, ask any questions, and help you decide, without any pressure or obligation, if our approach is suitable for your relationship.
First Appointment: If we mutually agree to proceed after the consultation, we then book your first paid appointment.

How often are the sessions?

Sessions are usually scheduled weekly to fortnightly, to begin with, as consistent attendance is crucial for creating momentum and implementing changes. The frequency may reduce over time as you become more confident in managing your challenges.

How long does Adoption Therapy last?

The duration of therapy is highly individual and depends entirely on the complexity of the issues and your specific goals. While some people gain significant clarity in a fixed, short-term block (e.g. 3 to 4 sessions), others require longer-term work to address deeper, long-standing patterns. We will regularly review your progress to ensure the pace feels right for you.

How much does each session cost?

Our fees reflect our specialist level of training and extensive experience. Fees are payable either electronically two working days in advance of your session or in cash on the day of your session.

£99 per session: Alison Barr MSc PGDip BSc HONS MBACP. Alison is the Director of The Green Rooms and has been working full-time as a Psychotherapist and Counsellor since 2003.

What Qualifications and Experience do your Adoption Therapists have?

Alison Barr (Director of The Green Rooms) is our sole practitioner for Adoption Therapy.

Alison possesses a profound understanding of adoption that goes beyond clinical practice, allowing her to offer a deeply insightful and empathetic space to everyone she supports.

Alison holds a Masters Degree (2005) and a Post Graduate Diploma (2003) in Counselling and Psychotherapy from the University of Strathclyde. With over 21 years of specialist experience, she is also a qualified Therapeutic Supervisor, providing advanced professional support to other therapists in this field. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and adheres to the highest ethical standards of practice.

Do you offer in-person and online Adoption Therapy?

We offer four flexible options to ensure you can access high-quality support in the way that feels most comfortable for you:

In-Person: We welcome you to our private and calm therapy room in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire (G77). This location is easily accessible for those across the Southside of Glasgow and the surrounding areas.
Online Video: We provide secure, confidential video sessions. This service is available UK-wide, allowing you to receive specialist Adoption Therapy from the comfort and privacy of your own home or another convenient location.
Phone: We offer sessions via phone for those who prefer a non-visual approach or are experiencing screen fatigue. This service is also available UK-wide. Please note that phone appointments are available for 1-1 therapy only and are not suitable for couples.

Home Visit Appointments: We can often offer sessions in the comfort of your own home for those who find it difficult to travel, have childcare commitments, or simply feel more at ease in their own environment. Please note that home visits are subject to practitioner availability and are not guaranteed. Fees are based on the specific service and your location; please contact us for a personalised quote.

Do you support ADHD and Autism within Adoption Therapy?

We provide neuro-affirming support that moves away from ‘fixing’ and towards understanding. Whether you have a formal diagnosis or are self-identified, we adapt our communication and environment to suit your sensory and cognitive needs. This includes professional ADHD and AUTISM screenings (if you wish) and neuro-affirming sessions that focus on your specific cognitive strengths.

We focus on the particular ways you may experience the intense emotional demands of the adoption journey. This might include how neurodiversity impacts the way you navigate family dynamics or how you communicate with professionals during times of high stress. We don’t believe in a ‘one size fits all’ approach. We work with how your brain actually works.

Do you support the transition from fertility challenges to adoption?

Yes. We understand that the decision to adopt often follows a long and emotionally exhausting journey with fertility challenges. This transition can involve a complex mix of hope for the future and grief for the path that didn’t go as planned. We provide a specialist space to help you process these fertility-related losses, ensuring you feel emotionally prepared and supported as you move toward adoption. If you are still navigating the earlier stages of this journey, we also offer dedicated Fertility Therapy.

Do you support those whose adoption experience is impacted by menopause?

Yes. The hormonal and psychological shifts of menopause often overlap with various stages of the adoption journey. For adoptive parents, these changes can occur regardless of the age of their child, potentially adding extra strain to family dynamics and your own emotional resilience during an already complex time. For birth parents or adults who were adopted, this life stage can trigger deep reflection on identity and the passing of time. We provide a space to explore these overlapping experiences, acknowledging that the emotional impact of menopause is valid and important. For more focused support on this transition, we also offer specialist Menopause Therapy.

Do you offer Animal Assisted Therapy?

Yes. For in-person sessions in Newton Mearns, you may have the option of sharing the room with Coco, our small, hypo-allergenic and extremely friendly dog. Many clients find that the presence of an animal provides extra comfort during Adoption Therapy sessions. Please let us know if this is something you would be interested in (subject to availability).

Is Adoption Therapy Confidential?

Your privacy is our priority. Your sessions are confidential, and your identity is protected. In line with professional requirements, practitioners discuss their work within therapeutic supervision and internal case management to ensure the highest standard of care. These professional consultations are always conducted without disclosing identifying information.

Beyond this, information is only shared in extreme circumstances, as detailed in our client contract. Our practitioners are members of the BACP or BABCP and strictly adhere to their professional codes of ethics.