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License

Karl Stenske, LMFT 150804

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

Master's Degree

Marriage and Family Therapy

Class of 2023 – with Honors

Touro University Worldwide

Master's Degree

Adoption Studies - IMA

Class of 2011

Goddard College

Bachelor's Degree

Psychology of Communication -  IBA

Class of 2009

Goddard College

About Me

I am an adoptee and sibling of an adopted child. After years of searching, I have found and reunited with biological family. In my life, I have walked the same path as my clients, experiencing their journey firsthand.

No Big Deal

I never thought being adopted had much of an impact on my life. I had a good life and nothing to complain about. Everything seemed to have turned out well. I had no desire to pursue more information about my adoption, nor find family. Sure I had a few questions, but they were more curiosity than what I thought of as searching.

Pandora's Box

Everything was good, until it wasn’t. While pursuing my first masters degree at age 37, I found myself having to write a short paper on adoption. It was then I realized the lifetime of feeling not good enough, unlovable, insecure; years of broken relationships, broken hearts (both theirs and mine), and relationship struggles were all born out of being given up for adoption.

Left Turn

It was then that my life made a left turn. I redirected my education to pursue an individualized master’s degree in Adoption Studies. After over a decade as an Adoption Specialist, helping individuals and families navigate all that adoption impacts, speaking, educating on adoption, serving as the director of a foster and adoption agency and working with the committee to pass 2015 Montana House Bill 357 which gave Montana adoptees access to their original birth records.  Through this work I recognized the need and opportunity to help healing in a deeper way. With that I obtained my master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Media

“THE POWERFUL WORK KARL IS SHARING WAILL DO MORE THAN CHANGE LIVES; IT WILL PROFOUNDLY CHANGE SOCIETY’S PERCEPTION OF ADOPTION.”

 

KAREN CAMPBELL

Get In Touch

Inter-racial couple smiling and posing for the camera. Man is kissing woman on the cheek.

Contact Information

Telephone

Email

Address

15615 Alton Pkwy, Suite 450

Irvine, CA 92618

Karl Stenske Therapy Logo, The name Karl over a therapist chaise lounge chair.

Karl Stenske, MA, Adoption Specialist, LMFT 150804

"Family leaves and indelible mark on your life: demanding to be noticed and woven into every piece of your story"

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