Giving the gift of ancestry or exploring your past through DNA seems like a great Christmas gift, but it can also expose things that are unexpected. The rise of self-serve DNA testing kits has made it much more common for people to discover potentially painful family secrets during the holidays.
There are now people finding relatives they never knew existed, or were hidden by other family members. And it could be opening up serious ramifications families are not prepared to handle.
Therapist Sheridan Anderson, who experienced this first hand, now works to help her clients navigate the complexities of relationships and unexpected DNA results.
"At Christmas, the deals on the DNA tests right now are 50% off," Anderson says. "Like, it's so great. But people give these like, 'oh, this is novel'. And the ripple effect in families is so far reaching."
She says offering help to those facing this issue is important.
"This issue is important when I had my DNA discovery because I bought a test on Amazon Prime Day in 2018," Anderson explains. "There were no real resources or support out there. And so for me, I've really worked hard to kind of make that kind of my purpose in terms of being the person that I needed."
Anderson offers her tailored therapy services at Sliding Doors Counseling in Eagan.
Anderson joined WCCO's Susie Jones and Laura Oakes to talk about the mental side effects finding out unwanted family information can have. From secret families to siblings and more, they get into it and you can listen to the entire segment above.