The Family of Adoption

Pioneering family and adoption therapist Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao is the first to demonstrate that there are predictable and understandable developmental stages and challenges for adopted people. Through stories of work with children and families, she shows us that adoptive parents, as well as teachers, therapists, and all who work with children must come to understand these developmental stages as normal—challenging, but normal. The Family of Adoption is a timely and powerful argument for the right kind of "openness" within adoptive families.

"The Family of Adoption, Pavao's insightful, informative, and at times very moving look at adoption from all sides, remains true to her premise that 'at the bottom of each and every adoption—no matter which kind—for all of the birth and adoptive parents, is a child.'"


—Diane Daniel, The Boston Globe
"Pavao's own adoption and years of experience as a psychologist working with adoption issues enables her to offer practical advice, a unique and empathetic understanding, and wise counsel."


—Marian Wright Edelman, president, the Children's Defense Fund
"Many have written about adoption. Few have Joyce Maguire Pavao's unique combination of personal experience, professional expertise and eloquent voice. She . . . offers us new insights and understanding. Her stories . . . have an authenticity that is invaluable."


—Annette Baran, coauthor of Adoption Triangle and Lethal Secrets
"A commitment to placing the best interests of the child first informs every page of this excellent study."


—Publishers Weekly