Our Address:
12200 Fairhill Road, Floor A3
Fairhill Partners Collaborative Campus
Cleveland, OH 44120

Monday Evening Speaker Series

Monday, May 18, 2020
8:00 pm9:00 pm
Virtual using Google Meet

Welcome to the House of Mirrors: The Importance of Preparing for Reunion
with Leslie Pate Mackinnon

One aspect of reunion that “almost” everyone shares, is the ability to see oneself, in the other. Adoptees have often felt something was missing, but meeting birthparents for the first time, frequently changes that perception. Today, with DNA and access to records, we locate kin in a few hours instead of a few years. Because folks are connecting more quickly, it is even more important to prepare for a variety of feelings, which you likely have never even considered as part of reunion. As novices, we think that reunion will fix what has been ailing us. And while that is somewhat true, it's the unexpected and intense feelings that can cause a reunion to crash & burn. While reunion is not for the faint of heart, it always preferable than not knowing.

Bio: Leslie Pate Mackinnon is a therapist who presents nationally and internationally on issues that impact families conceived through adoption and third-party reproduction. She was led to the field after placing her two firstborn sons for adoption and led to specialty following reunion. Today her passion is educating therapists to this verifiably complex field. She’s served on the board of Catholic Social Services, CUB & Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute. She’s been on GOOD MORNING AMERICA w/ Robin Roberts, and on CNN discussing the impact of the internet on adoption. She was featured in DAN RATHER’s investigative report; ADOPTION OR ABDUCTION and was on the Katie Couric show along with her oldest son Pete. Leslie’s story is included in the book; The Girls Who Went Away, and the documentary A GIRL LIKE HER For more information please visit www.lesliepatemackinnon.com.