Is every baby or pregnant belly painful to see? 

Do you cringe every time someone asks if you have children? Feel out of place in social situations where conversation seems to focus on kids? Dread visiting friends and family who all seem to be having children so easily?

If only it were always that easy. If only we tried one more thing. If only it worked this time. If only.

Infertility is a painful, and often lonely, journey. It’s hard to understand the depth of longing and the pain of repeated disappointments if you haven’t been there. Most friends and family are well meaning, but don’t really know how to support loved ones going through infertility. You’re looking for someone who will stick with you even when you want to talk about it over and over. You’re looking for hope that you can build a fulfilling life no matter what happens.

Narrative therapy works for infertility because it helps you explore all the facets of your experience up to this point including grief, trauma, relationship changes and identity changes. Together we can process everything you’ve been through, and see how it fits into the broader story of your life. We can also take time to explore how to move forward from here whether that’s learning coping strategies to manage the stress of ongoing fertility treatments, or finding meaning and purpose in a childless-not-by-choice lifestyle.

How infertility counseling can help

Infertility touches every part of life: your relationship, your friendships, your career decisions, your sense of who you are and who you expected to become. In our work together, you’ll have a place where you never have to explain why it hurts, soften the story for someone else’s comfort, or pretend the latest announcement at work didn’t sting. Common things we work on include:

  • Coping with the emotional roller coaster of fertility treatments, IUI, and IVF cycles: the waiting, the hoping, and the disappointments.
  • Grieving losses that others may not see or acknowledge, including failed cycles and pregnancy loss.
  • Working through relationship strain when partners cope with infertility differently.
  • Handling baby showers, holidays, and well-meaning-but-painful questions from family and friends.
  • Making decisions about next steps: continuing treatment, donor conception, adoption, or embracing a childless-not-by-choice life.
  • Managing the anxiety that can follow you into pregnancy after infertility, and the transition to parenthood when it comes.

Infertility therapy online across California

I offer individual therapy for infertility in secure online sessions for adults anywhere in the state. Whether you are just beginning fertility testing, deep into treatment, or making peace with a different future than you imagined, you don’t have to carry this alone. I welcome women, men, and LGBTQ+ individuals at every stage of the family building.

If you’re looking for an infertility therapist online therapy anywhere in California, I’d be honored to hear your story. Use the link below to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.

Schedule an Appointment

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

– Maya Angelou