Melissa provides support & a place to process feelings that come up through the conception & fertility journey. Concerns addressed could include infertility, single parents by choice, LGBTQ+, surrogacy, egg & sperm donors, IUI, IVF, egg freezing, genetic screening, adoption, & pregnancy loss.
The experience of infertility can be a profoundly painful and lonely life crisis. The “roller coaster” of emotions, treatments, and decisions can leave individuals and couples feeling depleted and hopeless. Invisible losses, including miscarriages and failed treatments, often dominate the lives of couples who have to manage overwhelming grief over a sustained period of time. Often, this grief must be repeatedly pushed aside in order to make room for the hope that must accompany a new cycle or pregnancy. Further adding to the pain of this struggle is isolation from friends and family who might otherwise be sources of support. Infertility is, quite simply, a chronic trauma impacting every aspect of individuals’ and couples’ lives.
If you are experiencing infertility, you are not alone. One in eight U.S. couples face challenges related to conceiving or sustaining a successful pregnancy. Despite this rate, women and men riding the roller coaster of infertility often feel disconnected and alone in the world. This is where Melissa can help.
Infertility counseling is psychotherapy that specifically targets emotional challenges and integrates psychoeducation with trying to conceive. It is an extension of health and reproductive psychology. Infertility counseling can address infertility, pregnancy loss, use of egg, sperm, embryo donors, and/or surrogacy. Infertility counseling often focuses on loss, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, coping skills and decision-making.