Fertility Counselling
Melissa provides counselling services to individuals and couples who are experiencing difficulties with fertility. This includes counselling in relation to difficulties conceiving, pregnancy loss, the use of a donor, creating a family through surrogacy, pregnancy-related anxiety and post-natal depression. She is currently offering services to people wishing to donate eggs/sperm/embryos or to be recipients of donated eggs/sperm/embryos.
How can I/we get a referral?
Clients are typically referred by (1) their GP, who may refer clients privately or under a Mental Health Care Plan if appropriate, (2) by staff from a fertility clinic, OR (3) by self-referral.
How can counselling help?
Counselling gives individuals and/or couples a forum to discuss their concerns. Common reasons for seeing a counsellor for fertility-related issues include:
What types of counselling are available?
There are many different types of counselling available depending on the needs and circumstances of the client/s. These include:
1. Implications Counselling - Implications counselling is available to ensure clients understand the implications of their treatment for themselves, their family and any child born as a result of treatment.
2. Decision Making Counselling - Decision making counselling is available at significant points in treatment to help clients make decisions about their management and treatment.
3. Supportive Counselling - Supportive counselling provides clients with emotional support and assistance to enhance thier ability to cope with their experience and any consequences of their treatment, particularly at times of high stress.
4. Crisis Counselling - Crisis counselling is available to clients who experience a crisis or adverse outcome whilst undergoing treatment.
5. Therapeutic Counselling - Therapeutic counselling aims to help clients better cope with the consequences of infertility and treatment and to help resolve issues that may be caused from a diagnosis of infertility.
6. Pregnancy and Early Parenting Counselling - Pregnancy and early parenting counselling is available to assist clients after conception. It may include providing support and skills during pregnancy, childbirth and early parenting.
This Page Updated: September 4th 2020
How can I/we get a referral?
Clients are typically referred by (1) their GP, who may refer clients privately or under a Mental Health Care Plan if appropriate, (2) by staff from a fertility clinic, OR (3) by self-referral.
How can counselling help?
Counselling gives individuals and/or couples a forum to discuss their concerns. Common reasons for seeing a counsellor for fertility-related issues include:
- Exploring all treatment options
- Making decisions about treatments
- Grief and loss issues - in relation to inability to conceive unassisted, pregnancy loss
- Emotional difficulties - anxiety, depression
- Relationship issues and IVF
- Ways to enhance couple communication
- Third party reproduction - use of donor sperm, eggs, embryos
- Coping with treatment - including treatment for needle phobia
- Exploring alternative options in relation to parenthood
- Pregnancy and parenting after infertility and ART treatment
- Surrogacy
What types of counselling are available?
There are many different types of counselling available depending on the needs and circumstances of the client/s. These include:
1. Implications Counselling - Implications counselling is available to ensure clients understand the implications of their treatment for themselves, their family and any child born as a result of treatment.
2. Decision Making Counselling - Decision making counselling is available at significant points in treatment to help clients make decisions about their management and treatment.
3. Supportive Counselling - Supportive counselling provides clients with emotional support and assistance to enhance thier ability to cope with their experience and any consequences of their treatment, particularly at times of high stress.
4. Crisis Counselling - Crisis counselling is available to clients who experience a crisis or adverse outcome whilst undergoing treatment.
5. Therapeutic Counselling - Therapeutic counselling aims to help clients better cope with the consequences of infertility and treatment and to help resolve issues that may be caused from a diagnosis of infertility.
6. Pregnancy and Early Parenting Counselling - Pregnancy and early parenting counselling is available to assist clients after conception. It may include providing support and skills during pregnancy, childbirth and early parenting.
This Page Updated: September 4th 2020
