VANISH

17/06/2026

For over 35 years, VANISH has reminded people impacted by adoption of two important facts: you’re not alone and you have a voice. 🤝

While the public understanding of adoption and support for post-adoption services may have a long way to go, we are still here. We are a safe space to share the unspoken and to find a sense of belonging without having to explain yourself. Everyone deserves that kind of place. 🌻

At VANISH, we believe self-expression and connection are part of how people heal. Many of our team members with lived experience are walking alongside our community on their own journeys.

On Saturday, VANISH team members Hana and Emily went to the opening reception of Breaking Ground, a group art show by 18 emerging artists, to support fellow adoptee and colleague SallyRose.

SallyRose has 3 works in the show, using eco-printing, collage and stitching techniques, including a self-portrait. We also ran into former VANISH Chair Simon Pryor, whose wife Judith Cooke is also exhibiting! 🤗

Breaking Ground is showing until 19 July (Wed-Sun) at Big Elma in Coburg – a charming community café with great food.

11/06/2026

Many adoptees tell us: “I never really thought about being adopted until I became a parent.”

Becoming a parent is one of the moments when adoption can show up unexpectedly – in a big way.

In this excerpt from our interview with adoption therapist and researcher Dr Jenny Conrick from The University of Melbourne, Jenny shares what she's observed in her research with adoptees who have become parents, including anxiety so intense some describe barely leaving their baby's side, and at the other end of the spectrum, difficulty allowing themselves to bond out of a deep-seated fear of loss.

Research from the Australian Institute of Family Studies confirms that parenthood can prompt adoptees to reflect on their own birth and early separation, and that some will need specific support to navigate this experience. Despite how common these feelings are in our community, research in this area is limited.

🌿 If you’re a practitioner:

Parenthood can be a significant trigger point for adoptees, surfacing grief and attachment patterns rooted in early separation. Taking a trauma-informed, holistic approach that asks about adoption history and recognises these unique experiences can make a real difference to the families you support.

🌿 If you’re an adoptee:

If parenthood has brought up unexpected feelings or questions around what it means to be adopted, you're not alone. VANISH can provide further resources or connect you with an adoption-competent counsellor from our register. Contact us on (03) 9328 8611 (Mon–Fri, 9am to 5pm) or email [email protected] to get started.

🔗 Read the full interview with Dr Conrick on the lifelong impacts of adoption on our website: https://vanish.org.au/understanding-adoptions-lifelong-impact-and-what-helps-an-interview-with-dr-jenny-conrick/

04/06/2026

After one of VANISH's recent webinars on the impacts of adoption on interpersonal relationships, a partner of an adoptee wrote to us:

"I was really blown away. It was so relatable — it gave me a very clear understanding of the adversity she is working through."

This EOFY, we're raising funds to expand our free psychoeducational webinar series — bringing expert-facilitated sessions on the lifelong impacts of adoption to adoptees and their loved ones, wherever they are.

We're 40% of the way to our $5,000 goal. If you're in a position to give before 30 June, every contribution is tax-deductible and goes directly toward making this happen.

👉🏻 Donate here: https://givenow.com.au/vanishwebinars

01/06/2026

Over the past few months, we've been grateful to partner with our friends at Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland to offer the Fathers and Sons Group to men in Victoria.

The group is a safe, online space for men who were adopted or fathers who lost a child to adoption, facilitated by psychologist Michael Chamberlin.

📩 To RSVP for this month's session, email [email protected] with your postcode by 5pm Friday 12 June.

28/05/2026

How many practitioners ask if their clients have an adoption experience?

In this excerpt from our interview with adoption therapist and researcher Dr Jenny Conrick from the University of Melbourne, Jenny raises an uncomfortable truth: the ongoing impact of adoption often goes unrecognised – even in the therapy room.

Many helping professionals meet adopted clients without knowing it, or without understanding how early separation and loss might be intertwined with the issues someone brings to counselling. This means adoptees can spend years in therapy without their lived experience being truly understood or addressed.

🌿 If you’re a practitioner:

We encourage you to get curious about the impacts of adoption and family separation, and learn from those with lived experience. For information, training and resources, visit our website or contact us.

🌿 If you have a lived experience of adoption:

You deserve a therapist who understands. VANISH can connect you with adoption-competent practitioners from our register who recognise these nuanced impacts.

We’ll be sharing more excerpts from this interview over the coming weeks. You can also read the full interview – where Dr Conrick shares her insights on different therapeutic approaches and the small shifts that can make a real difference over time – on our website: https://vanish.org.au/understanding-adoptions-lifelong-impact-and-what-helps-an-interview-with-dr-jenny-conrick/

Need support? Call us on (03) 9328 8611 (Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm) or email [email protected]

27/05/2026

We often say: "The DNA doesn't lie." For adopted and donor conceived people, online DNA testing has revolutionised how we search for family members – empowering individuals to take searching into their own hands.

At the same time, having someone walk alongside you as you navigate life-changing findings and new connections is vital.

In this article, VANISH CEO Michelle Blanchard talks to the ABC about the impact of DNA discoveries for adopted and donor conceived people, and where to find more information and support from there.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-27/finding-out-you-are-adopted-or-donor-conceived-via-ancestry-dna/106690862

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing kits are often given as gifts or purchased "as a bit of fun", which means people often aren't prepared to discover unexpected parents, siblings and other relatives.

22/05/2026

It’s National Volunteer Week and we’d like to send a BIG THANK YOU to all of our wonderful volunteers! Thank you for sharing your time, expertise, and care – and for brightening the VANISH office with your presence. We’re so grateful for you! 🤩

Here are just a few of our amazing volunteers:

🌟 Marianne, who is currently archiving historical VANISH documents
🌟 Rayne, the co-creator of our library catalogue and coordinator of our Master of Information Studies student volunteers
🌟 Mandy, a longterm volunteer and adoptee who has transformed our balcony garden
🌟 Emma, a qualified early childhood teacher who is cataloguing our collection of historical children’s books

VANISH’s work has been made possible with the help of hundreds of volunteers over our 35+ year history. Every contribution has made a difference. Thank you for supporting our vision of a society where everyone has the right to know their origins and identity, and for helping to build our vibrant community! 🌷

15/05/2026

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing excerpts from an interview with adoption therapist and researcher Dr Jenny Conrick from the University of Melbourne, reflecting on the lifelong impacts of adoption for adoptees.

In this video, Jenny speaks about how early separation and trauma can shape how people see the world, influencing relationships, confidence and mental health across the life span—even in adoptions that are described as successful.

These reflections are not about labelling or pathologising adoptees. They are about understanding why certain feelings and patterns can emerge, and why they make sense in the context of early loss and maternal separation. If you’re an adoptee, we encourage you to engage with this content at your own pace. 💙

🌿 If you’re a practitioner:

We encourage you to get curious about the impacts of adoption and family separation, and to listen closely to voices of lived experience. For information, training and resources, visit our website or contact us.

🌿 If you have a lived experience of adoption:

You don’t have to navigate this on your own. Connecting with specialised support and people who understand the nuanced impacts of adoption can make a real difference. You can:

✨ find an experienced, adoption-competent counsellor or psychologist from the VANISH register
✨ join one of our peer support groups to connect with others who get it
✨ have a chat to someone from our team—many of whom also have lived experience

Call us on (03) 9328 8611 (Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm) or email [email protected] to get started, or visit our website to learn more.

11/05/2026

We're proud to partner with our friends at Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland to offer the "Fathers and Sons" Group—a safe, online space specifically for men impacted by adoption.

Each month the group covers a range of topics—from identity and grief to the practical and emotional obstacles of search and reunion—and participants have found that being with other men going through similar things makes it easier to open up.

To RSVP for this month's group, email [email protected] with your postcode by 5pm this Friday 15 May.

11/05/2026

Happy 50 Years, Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland! 🎉🥳🎊

As our CEO Michelle shares, we have loved working alongside our generous friends at Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland over the years. A huge congratulations to President Jo-Ann Sparrow, CEO Helen Angela Taylor, and the whole team at Jigsaw on half a century of impactful service delivery, powerful lived experience-led advocacy, and collaboration across the post-adoption support sector. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼