what is daddy thirst®?

For nearly two decades, the founder of the Daddy Thirst® project, the Rev. Dr. April C. Wells has explored the painful realities of women and men who fail to receive attention, care, and love from their biological, step, and/or adoptive fathers —a condition she termed “Daddy Thirst®" in 1993.

Definition:  The Daddy Thirst® project defines “daddy thirst®” as the longing or yearning of children and adults for physical,  emotional, and/or spiritual connection and wholeness resulting from the physical, emotional, or spiritual absence, abandonment, abuse, neglect, or estrangement by a father through separation, divorce, incarceration, death, adoption, and/or addiction.  Often experienced as rejection and betrayal, the condition of Daddy Thirst® can produce feelings of depression, anger, and rage
associated with unresolved grief, which can impact personal and professional relationships.

who can have daddy thirst®?

Women and men who grew up without a father experience daddy thirst®.  However, daddy thirst® also is experienced by women and men who grew up with a father that was excessively absent physically due to work, military duty, school, incarceration, or death at an early age; or excessively absent emotionally due to an inability to connect through love, care, and attention.

Our Mission

Our mission is to explore, identify, and heal the psychological, emotional, and spiritual impact of fatherlessness on individuals and their relationships through the "Father's Womb"—a series of counseling, coaching, and consulting sessions, groups, workshops, seminars, and conferences.

the father's womb

The Father's Womb is a series of Daddy Thirst® counseling, coaching, and consulting support groups, workshops, seminars, and conferences. Clinically-trained pastoral counselors, mental health professionals, coaches, and education consultants offer healthy strategies for coping with and healing from the effects of fatherlessness among women and men. 

support groups

Our support groups for women and men are designed to explore and heal the impact of fatherlessness on their relationships with self, daughters, sons, mothers, friends, intimate partners, spouses and God.

objective(s)

1.  Explore and heal the impact of fatherlessness among women and men resulting from physical, emotional, and spiritual absence, abandonment, neglect, and abuse.

2.  Provide opportunities for healing from grief associated with growing up without a present and available father.

3.  Recognize and understand relational patterns that stem from growing up without a present and available father.