In Connections Matter: Understanding Identity, Belonging, and Attachment Across an Adoptee’s Lifetime, workshop leader Tony Hynes, Ph.D., explores how both the presence and absence of meaningful connections shape an adoptee’s sense of identity, belonging, and attachment across the lifespan. Through an engaging conversation, participants examine a range of connections—including relationships with birth family, adoptive family, culture, community, and self—and how these relationships evolve over time to influence emotional well-being, connectedness, secure attachment, and lifelong relationships. Drawing on both lived and professional experience, the session offers insight into how parents, professionals, and communities can foster consistent, affirming connections that support adoptees throughout their lives.