On February 28th Adoptions From the Heart hosted a virtual birthparent workshop that touched on the topics of Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence. Free for Birth Parents to attend via Zoom, the workshop went over many topics of discussion. These include:
- Learning how to identify typical characteristics of an abusive relationship.
- Learning how to identify barriers to leaving an abusive relationship.
- Learning about trauma-informed strategies to support people affected by partner violence.
- Learning about services for victims/survivors of relational abuse.
AFTH was privileged to have M.B. Gallagher, (She/Her, They/Them) as a presenter for the workshop. M.B. Gallagher has worked with the nonprofit organization Women Against Abuse for three years as a community educator. She holds a Ph.D. in American Literature and Gender & Minority Studies from Morgan State University. She has an extensive background in facilitating adult learning sessions thanks to her time spent teaching in higher education. Through her facilitation, MB seeks to encourage and create more advocates through her work.
“This workshop helped me realize how strong I am, and how much I have survived from what I went through…” birthmother.
“The meeting about domestic violence definitely made me feel not so alone, gave me much more knowledge and resources available to me and lastly gave me a place to discuss the trauma during and after domestic violence. Thank you AFTH and all the mentors who make this possible…” birthmother.
Throughout the domestic violence birthparent workshop participants were able to go through and break down every part of Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence answering any questions they may have and offering useful information about how to handle situations such as this. These workshops are geared toward birth parents and educate them on the different topics relevant to the birth parent experience. It provides a safe space to learn and be educated on important topics.
Along with these free workshops, Adoptions From the Heart provide many resources that can be utilized to learn more about different topics that can relate to adoption. Check out the education tab on afth.org, AFTHtv, and A Heart-to-Heart with Adoptions From the Heart Podcast for more educational material.
