NPE / MPE Support

(Not Parent Expected / Misattributed Parentage Experience)

When a family discovery changes everything

An NPE or MPE experience involves learning—often unexpectedly—that a biological parent is not who you were led to believe. This information may come from DNA testing, medical records, or family disclosure. For many, this discovery is deeply disorienting and can bring up grief, shock, anger, confusion, or questions about identity and belonging.

If this has happened to you, your reaction makes complete sense—and you don’t have to navigate it alone.

Why this can feel so destabilizing

An NPE/MPE discovery can shift how you understand yourself, your family, and your history. Even if nothing outwardly changes, your internal world may feel shaken.

You might be experiencing:

  • Grief for a family story you thought was true

  • Conflicting emotions toward parents or caregivers

  • Questions about identity, genetics, and belonging

  • Loyalty conflicts, secrecy, or pressure to stay silent

  • Confusion about next steps

There’s no “right” way to respond to this kind of discovery.

How Therapy Can Help

Therapy offers a supportive space to slow down and make sense of an NPE/MPE discovery in a way that feels manageable and grounded. This kind of experience can impact identity, trust, relationships, and emotional safety, and it’s common for the effects to show up both emotionally and physically.

My approach is trauma informed and collaborative, with attention to how past experiences and sudden discoveries can affect the nervous system as well as thoughts and emotions. Together, we move at your pace and create space to process grief, anger, confusion, or loss while also strengthening coping skills and emotional regulation.

Our work may include exploring identity shifts, navigating family dynamics and boundaries, working through conflicting feelings about family relationships, and clarifying next steps in a way that feels aligned with your values. Integrative strategies, including mindfulness, somatic awareness, reflection, and practical, solution focused tools, may be used when helpful.

I also bring personal understanding to this work. I experienced an NPE discovery myself nearly nine years ago, and that lived experience informs how thoughtfully and carefully I support others navigating similar discoveries.

This work is not about forcing resolution or answers. It is about understanding what happened, finding support, and reconnecting with your sense of identity as you move forward.

Person holding a glass sphere, reflecting trees and a waterfall in front of a rocky background.
Three wooden Scrabble tiles spelling out 'I'M A' on a white background.

“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do.”
— Brené Brown

You don’t have to carry this alone.

Reach Out Today