Fostering Change Podcast | Episode 276 | Dr Liz Debtta

On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer sits down with Dr. Liz DeBetta — an award-winning writer, educator, and solo performance artist whose work explores adoption, trauma, identity, and healing through storytelling.

Dr. Liz is the founder of Migrating Toward Wholeness, a trauma-informed, arts-based healing framework, and the author of Adult Adoptees and Writing to Heal. Her work centers on an often-overlooked truth: adoption isn’t a moment — it’s a lifelong identity journey.

This conversation is especially meaningful for Rob, who reflects on his own experience adopting his son Alex, who joined the Scheer family at 18 and was formally adopted at 22 — a powerful reminder that belonging and permanency have no age limit.

Together, Rob and Dr. Liz explore how adults navigate adoption-related grief and identity, why healing can unfold later in life, and how storytelling becomes a transformative tool for reclaiming voice and wholeness.

Episode Highlights

Late and adult adoption as meaningful and transformative
How writing and embodied storytelling support trauma integration
What “wholeness” means for identities shaped by early loss
The role adoptive families play in supporting adult adoptees over time

Dr. Liz DeBetta is an award-winning writer, educator, and solo performance artist whose work focuses on adoption, trauma, and identity through narrative expression. She is the founder of Migrating Toward Wholeness™, the author of Adult Adoptees and Writing to Heal, and the creator of the acclaimed one-woman show Un-M-Othered, which examines adoption and patriarchy through embodied storytelling. Holding a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies, she blends research, lived experience, and art to support healing and identity integration.

Connect with Dr. Liz

Website: www.lizdebetta.com

Facebook

Instagram: @dr.liz.debetta

TikTok

LinkedIn: Liz DeBetta, Ph.D.

To find out more about Comfort Cases, please visit our website: www.comfortcases.org.

You can also follow us on our social media channels:

To listen to previous episodes of Fostering Change, please visit: www.comfortcases.org/podcast or your favorite podcast outlets.

📩 Have thoughts or questions? Reach out at fosteringchange@comfortcases.org —we’d love to hear from you!