Services
Mindfulness Infertility Support
I support women-in particular older women-who are seeking motherhood through infertility treatments by offering tools for mindful self-compassion, stress-reduction and managing catastrophic thoughts. For example, I teach skills to recognize and manage mood fluctuations resulting from hormone injections and the uncertainty of the two-week wait for the outcome of an IVF cycle. Mindfulness' emphasis on bringing awareness to the moment is a freeing experience from regrets and losses along the way and preoccupation with the crucial outcome.
Individual Psychotherapy
I offer 1:1 support to women to hold hope for motherhood and to honor the losses and heartaches of the journey with acceptance and compassion. From a Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) approach, we build upon emotional resilience to endure long waits for uncertain outcomes and invasive, impersonal protocols. It is common for women to feel ashamed and inadequate throughout the process. MSC offers meditations for self-love and self-nurturing.
Perinatal and Postpartum Support
Infertility is a risk factor for mood disorders during and after pregnancy, such as major depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-partum depression. We will mindfully transition to your pregnancy with attention to healing from the residual stress on your body, psyche and spirit from the infertility treatments. This process will allow you to be fully present to the joy and wonder of your pregnancy. Practicing mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) throughout pregnancy will prepare you for the birth and enhance attachment to your newborn.
Couple's Counseling
The journey to alternative family building for the couple often starts with grief and disappointment from unfulfilled dreams and plans. My practice offers a place to process the grief, to discern the next steps and hold hope. I offer skills to manage the stress and its impact on the couple's dynamics with each other, family members and friends.
Alternative Family Building
I empower clients to make educated and informed choices every step of the way on their journey to parenthood. We explore and discuss current research on ART (Artificial Reproductive Treatment), which includes IUI (Artificial Insemination), IVF (In Vitro Fertilization), and Third-Party or Donor-Assisted Reproduction (donated eggs or embryos), surrogacy, adoption and the world of parenting non-genetic children.
Group Therapy
Mindful Self-Compassion for Fertility offers women a place to connect and share their stories while practicing skills for stress-reduction and self-love. "Self-compassion includes self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and mindfulness." Kristen Neff
Art Therapy
Art activates the creative spirit to move through the process, to bring order to the experience, to find and sustain hope. I offer a variety of tools for self-expression, including music, journaling, collage, intuitive painting, sand trays, serenity boxes, and spontaneous poetry.
"The process of painting challenged me to face my worst fears and provided a channel for me to grieve. This healing experience moved me from despair to hope. The title of the finished painting is Brave Heart."