Fertility issues, despite being common, can be isolating and confusing. People seek fertility counselling for a number of reasons including having difficulties conceiving, undertaking assisted reproductive technology, using donor gametes, processing miscarriage, neonatal loss or other trauma. Feelings of anger, grief and reliving past trauma are common. It can be helpful to have a safe place to process these feelings and learn coping strategies.
I have a special interest in the following areas of fertility counselling:
- Supporting people who have encountered fertility difficulties, including those who are undertaking assisted reproductive technology (ART).
- Supporting single women (or men) who have decided to have a child on their own.
- Supporting people who are undertaking ART due to genetic complications.
- Trauma therapy, often when people begin to contemplate having their own children negative childhood experiences that haven’t been fully processed come up. Processing these experiences can help them move forward feeling less triggered and better able to embark on their own fertility journey.
- Supporting women with hyperemesis gravidarum.
- Supporting clients who are trying to decide whether to have children or not. This may be because they’re not sure they want to have children, don’t know if they want to be a solo parent or are nearing the end of their journey of trying to conceive. Part of this work may involve exploring how to move on with their lives and find their purpose in a world that, despite changing demographics, still values parenting more than most other pursuits.
Family is important to most of us, thus an exploration of the desire to have children can go to the core of who we are and where we fit in society. When someone has difficulties conceiving it can rock the foundations of their life and bring up questions of how to cope with day to day events. Often negative experiences from their own childhood can come up, processing developmental trauma through evidence based trauma therapy can help people move forward with more confidence, resilience and contentment to build a different future. Consider whether fertility counselling may provide you with the support you need at the moment and please get in touch if you would like to further explore the potential benefits of fertility counselling.