Welcome!

Hi! My name is Ashley Toland — I am a clinical social worker, professor, passionate mental health advocate, and someone who was adopted at birth.

For too long, the mental health impact of adoption has been overlooked — buried under the myth that adoption is a singular event and only ever a happy ending. But for many people in the adoption triad the truth is more complicated. Even in the most nurturing adoptive families, there can be invisible wounds, identity struggles, and questions that go unanswered.

In 2018, I reunited with my first family — an experience that reshaped everything I thought I knew about adoption. I was confronted with unexpected emotional challenges, little professional support, and almost no research that reflected my lived experience.

Today, I bring nearly 20 years of experience in clinical social work, public education, and clinical supervision. I maintain a private therapy practice and serve as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of West Florida. My research focuses on adoption trauma, post-permanency care, child welfare reform, and the systemic policy reform for children and families. Out of this work, I developed The Adoption Trauma Spectrum — a lifespan framework that addresses the impact of adoption on the family system, identity formation, and attachment and bonding styles.

This space is for anyone touched by adoption — adoptees, adoptive families, those navigating reunion, and individuals grappling with pregnancy loss or the decision to place a child. Whether you're searching for support, exploring your adoption story, or just beginning to ask questions, you’re not alone.

Here, you’ll find resources on:

• Adoption as a lifespan issue

• Pre- and post-adoption mental health care

• Navigating reunion and at-home DNA testing

• The adoption triad

• Support for pregnancy loss, infertility grief, or second rejection

The Adoption Trauma Spectrum is more than a concept — it’s a call to reimagine adoption practices with honesty, compassion, dignity, and respect. If this resonates with you, stay connected and share this space with others — especially the adopted people in your life.

Together, we can rewrite the narrative.