Coaching adopted people

Supporting adults impacted by historical adoption

As an accredited coach, I am passionate about providing tailored coaching support to adults affected by historical adoption, people adopted between 1949 and 1976. I offer a safe, respectful, and confidential space for you to explore your experiences, build resilience, and move forward with greater clarity and confidence.

My lived experiences and reflections of my own adoption in 1963 informs every part of my work with adult adoptees. Whether we walk together, write together, or sit in a coaching session, I bring with me not just professional training—but lived understanding.

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Individual coaching

I work one-to-one with historic adoptees, offering sessions either in person or remotely.

In-person coaching takes place in a privately booked room at a mutually convenient location across Somerset and Devon, or you can book an in person coaching adoption walk – a unique, nature-based support initiative for adult adoptees. I am based near Taunton in Somerset.

I hold Professional Liability Insurance.

Availability

Walks take place in-person at various peaceful, rural locations. You can choose to join a small group walk or arrange a one-to-one walk by request once we have worked together and trust has been developed.

For those who prefer or require remote sessions, I am available via MS Teams, Zoom, FaceTime, or WhatsApp (video or audio). All walks carry risk. Health and safety & accessibility are considered. I provide a safety disclaimer for you to read and sign before any walks.

Post-adoption walks for wellbeing

Since 2018, I have been offering Post-Adoption Walks for Wellbeing.

As an expert by experience, I host these walks in the calming, restorative settings of the Somerset and Devon countryside. These facilitated walks provide a gently held space to explore and reflect on the complex themes of identity, love, loss, abandonment, and belonging often associated with adoption.

Please note: These walks are not a substitute for therapy. Instead, they offer recognition, validation, and connection with others who share similar life experiences, while also benefiting from the calming effects of nature, movement & creative practices.

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My approach

Telling your adoption story through life cycles is central to both my individual coaching and group wellbeing walks. Together, we work to make sense and meaning of your adoption journey through:

  • Walking & Talking
  • Guided journaling and writing activities supported by narrative based and life writing methodologies
  • Storytelling and Co-Creation
  • Mindfulness Practices
  • Creative connection with nature to inspire new meaning and a pathway to healing

My aim is to help build healthier, more resilient, and happier individuals and communities of adult adoptees.

Whether you’re seeking personal coaching, group connection, or both, I am here to support you.

My aim is to help build healthier, more resilient, and happier individuals and communities of adult adoptees.

Whether you’re seeking personal coaching, group connection, or both, I am here to support you.

Post-adoption life writing workshops

Throughout the year, I offer Life Writing Workshops specifically for historical adoptees. These workshops provide a safe, supportive space to explore and shape your personal narrative through reflective writing.

The workshops are designed to help you:

  • Make sense of your adoption experience
  • Express your identity through written word
  • Connect with others through shared storytelling

Workshops run periodically, depending on interest and availability. If you'd like to receive updates about workshop content, locations, and upcoming dates, please email me directly or check the News & Events page.

Professional role with Adopt South West

Since 2021, I have served as an Independent Adoption Panel Member with Adopt South West, contributing to the agency’s rigorous and compassionate decision-making process.

In this role, I work alongside five other panel members to:

  • Interview and assess individuals or couples seeking approval to become adopters
  • Scrutinise adoption and Fostering for Adoption (FfA) applications
  • Review and discuss proposed matches between children and prospective adopters

As part of our commitment to safeguarding and best outcomes for children, I provide professional recommendations regarding the suitability and readiness of potential matches, considering both strengths and vulnerabilities.

Panel members are also involved in quality assurance processes, offering feedback on the standard of reports such as the Prospective Adopter Report (PAR), Child Permanence Report (CPR), Adoption Placement Report (APR) Adoption Support Plan (ASP) as well as the quality of social worker presentations at panel. This supports Adopt South West's continuous improvement and helps ensure the highest standards in adoption service delivery.

As part of my role and responsibilities, I have an advanced DBS certificate for the Child Workforce working for Devon County Council of which Adopt South West is part of their Children, Families and Education provision.

Up to date training for this role

  • Data Protection E-learning for 2025 Adoption Panel
  • Cybersecurity Introduction
  • AI Training
  • GDPR Awareness
  • Social Media Awareness
  • Web/email best practice
  • Mobile and flexible best working practices
  • Information Security best practice
  • Posting Information Securely
  • Internet and mobile security - staying Safe
  • Phishing Awareness

My story of adoption

I was adopted in 1963. On the surface, mine would be described as a successful adoption. I formed secure, loving attachments with my adoptive parents, who gave me a safe and supportive upbringing.

Yet, even within that love and security, there was always a persistent sense of something missing. A quiet, sometimes aching absence. If you're reading this, perhaps you’ve felt it too.

Questions about who I am, where I come from, and where I truly belong have accompanied me throughout my life. These are not questions with simple answers—and over time, I've come to understand they are not problems to be solved, but truths to be explored, revisited, and redefined.

You're not alone in asking these questions. I'm here to walk alongside you as you find your own answers.

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Many historical adoptees experienced what is now framed as, “forced adoptions” due to the unmarried status of the birth mothers.

This Government report offers context: Joint Committee on Human Rights: The violation of Family Life: Adoption of Children of Unmarried Women 1949-1976.

(2009) Published Article: Titled - Adoption, Love and the Struggle to be Born by Viv Grant. Available at: researchgate.net

(2023) BBC Somerset Radio Interview in which I share aspects of my adoption narrative.

(2023) Big Issue Interview in 2023 as part of “The You can Adopt Campaign”.