Whether you reside within the adoption, MPE or 3rd Party Reproduction constellations, building relationships with genetic relatives can be dicey. Emotional triggers abound in each of these groups. Enduring relationships are possible but require clear intentions and direct communication. This session explores how to say the hard thing without losing the relationship, or yourself. Participants will learn how to prepare for difficult conversations, how to stay grounded when emotions run high, and how to hold their own truth alongside someone else's. Whether you're in reunion, in an open adoption, had a recent DNA discovery or connecting w/ a donor, or donated offspring, education and preparation will increase your chances of success. Our goal is to talk about using a compassionate approach and practical language that will support your relationships over time.

Leslie Pate Mackinnon, LCSW is a therapist and trainer who specializes in issues that impact families and individuals who were conceived via adoption or third-party reproduction. She’s been sharing her expertise on these topics at conferences and events across the country and around the world during her five-decade career. She was drawn to the field following the relinquishment of her two firstborn sons for adoption as a teenager. She’s been featured on Good Morning America, CNN, Dan Rather Reports and The Katie Couric Show. Leslie is featured in the book The Girls Who Went Away, and a documentary A Girl Like Her. She served as the psychiatric consultant and reunion coach for participants on the tv program Long Lost Family. Learn more at www.lesliepatemackinnon.com.

Elizabeth Barbour, M.Ed., is an adoption reunion coach, speaker and author. A reunited adoptee and an adoptive mother, she brings a rare dual lived-experience perspective to her work with adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, and the professionals who support them. Elizabeth is the author of the award-winning Sacred Celebrations: Designing Rituals to Navigate Life's Milestone Transitions and is currently writing a book about adoption reunion. She speaks and trains widely, helping audiences build practical tools for navigating reunion and the complex family relationships it creates. She’s a frequent podcast guest and has spoken at Adoption Knowledge Affiliates, National Association of Parents and Adoptees, Untangling Our Roots, the American Adoption Congress and more. Learn more at www.elizabethbarbour.com.