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David McCarty-Caplan
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Founder, Shades of Belonging
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Join date: Feb 29, 2024
About
David McCarty-Caplan, PhD, is the founder of Shades of Belonging. A social work researcher, educator, and consultant, David is dedicated to understanding the complexities of identity and belonging. Born in Colombia and adopted into a Jewish American family, his personal history ignited a professional mission to explore the often-overlooked experiences of adoptees of color within religious communities.
Posts (3)
Aug 3, 2026 ∙ 5 min
When Goodbyes Hurt: Why Adoptee Spaces are Hard to Leave
Returning home after a transformative gathering like the BIPOC Adoptees VOICES Conference often brings a complex mix of gratitude and grief. While being together offers instant safety and shared understanding, saying goodbye forces us to navigate an opened faucet of long-suppressed emotion. My newest blog post explores the psychological and somatic reasons behind this post-event emotional fatigue. By looking closely at limbic resonance and the reality of disenfranchised grief, we can better und
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Apr 13, 2026 ∙ 6 min
Moses, Passover and the Adoptee Experience: Reconciling My Jewish Identity with My Birth Mother's Christian Faith
Explore the profound parallels between Moses, the Passover story and the adoptee experience. This post explores the sobering realization of the distance between worlds when an adoptee’s Jewish identity and a birth mother’s faith do not align. Drawing on the story of Moses, Dr. David McCarty-Caplan offers reflections on maintaining personal authenticity and healing through community while staying present in the complex, radical act of love that is reunion.
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Mar 9, 2026 ∙ 6 min
The Anniversary of Loss: Moving Through the Weight of Adoptee Birthdays
Explore the complex connection between adoptee birthdays and grief. Dr. David McCarty-Caplan shares a somatic reflection on navigating loss, reunion, and healing.
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