Will having therapy in your past cost against you years later if you want to adopt?

People are giving you very idealized answers right now, but not very realistic ones. I would think that group therapy like that wouldn't present you in a negative light the same way that individual therapy would. Also, I don't know this for a fact, but I don't think the adoption agency has any way of accessing that information, either you disclose it or you don't. Doctor patient confidentiality would prevent them from checking that info behind your back, or it should, at least.

Now, having said that, if they have some way of knowing for sure that you've been in therapy, yes it will have a negative impact. Machines don't make these decisions, people do, and people are subject to biases. One of those biases is that therapy is exclusively for problems. It may show a willingness to work on your problems that you went to therapy, but it also confirms that you had a problem in the first place, and most psychological issues are chronic, so there's no shrugging it off with "I'm cured now." Will everyone be that closed minded? No. But the best case scenario is that it will have no impact, positive or negative, and the worst case scenario is that you'll be denied. So given that the two potential outcomes are neutral and negative, the net result is negative. I would still advise you to seek therapy though, because as I mentioned, I don't really think they have a way of catching you on that if you lie about it.

In a situation like that, no it won't. What the agency is going to want to know is if the issues between you and your mother have been resolved.

A lot of people become foster parents because of past traumas and they want to provide a safe home for kids experiencing the same kind of trauma.

What the agency is going to want to know is how healed you are. If you have a very contentious relationship with a foster daughter, how is your past going to or not going to effect, your relationship with that child.

They want to know that you are healthy enough that these children's issues and behaviors will not trigger any unresolved issues with you.

If you think that therapy will help you and your mom have a healthier relationship, then by all means, go. The agency will view this as a proactive measure and consider it a positive.

My honest reaction to this is that a possible adoption in the far future is way too far off and way too possibly not ever going to happen to be concerned about now. But your relationship with your own mother is Important and it is Here and Now. If you can't resolve difficulty with your own mother, how do you really expect that you are going to be able to mother the 5 children you already have who also are Here and Now ?

Go to therapy with your mother and do what ever and how ever you need to and find peace and love with our own parent. That will give you insights and ability to parent your own 5 children right Here and Now, instead of worrying about some possibly non existent child that may or may not be adopted in the distant future. Take care of Now and the 5 children you have, and your relationship with their Grandmother. Honest.

Therapy should not count against you at all. In fact, it may not even come up in the adoption process. However, if you are treated for depression, that very often does come up. Some states, adoption agencies, and foreign countries have policies against allowing adoptions to people who have been treated for depression and have taken anti-depressants. Good luck.

IF you do go into therapy You should disclose it when you are filling out all the papers for foster care--otherwise it appears you are trying to hide something. And there is always a paper trail.

Very good. It really goes to show how people who try to makes things better can actually end up making them worse. Perhaps it was a bit of an exaggeration with the aspirin, I doubt you would get in any trouble for that, but I agree with what you are trying to say. What is this world coming to? Surely one glace at our quickly deteriorating world should say that we are doing something wrong.

If there had been a problem and you refused to have any therapy I would see this going against you more. It speaks well for you that you are willing to address issues.

You are supposed to disclose any therapy you have had in the past. Unless it is for a serious mental illness or effects your ability to care for children, it should not stop you from adopting. If you are concerned about it, though, then just don't disclose it. They will only know about it if you tell them. I didn't disclose my prior therapy when I was approved to adopt simply because I didn't feel it was their business and didn't want to get into the details.

Nope. Therapy = good. Not addressing issues = bad.

If you are still having issues with your mom, you owe it to yourself to get some mental flossing and thought cavities drilled out and filled.

Everbody is happy when Mommy is happy.

Therapy with your mother won't be a problem. Mental illness is.