Attuned Therapeutic Support for Infertility, Assisted Reproduction, Pregnancy Loss & Reproductive Trauma

Individual Psychotherapy for Adults

In-person appointments in Portland, OR and telehealth services available throughout Oregon and Colorado

Daaamn…This is so much harder than you expected

You have dreams of adding to your family and along the way, you unexpectedly have to come to terms with an infertility diagnosis. Or you are experiencing the pain of miscarriage, pregnancy loss or termination for medical reasons. Maybe you are in the process of deciding to utilize assisted reproductive technologies (ART) like IUI, IVF, or donor assisted reproduction. One thing is for sure - This is not how you thought this was going to go.

You are constantly analyzing and overthinking; about your body, your partner’s body, whether the donor you are using is the right one for your family. Wondering whether you are you doing the right thing - about everything! Are you taking the right vitamins, is this the right fertility clinic, is this the right time to try for another embryo transfer. Should you do another IUI or move to IVF? Do you have the energy to try again? How do you decide to step away from this journey?

Questioning when will you get pregnant, will you get pregnant, worrying whether it is ‘your fault’ that you or your partner are not pregnant. Upset about insensitive comments from others, the frequent reminders that people do not know or do not understand what you are going through. Even if your support network is trying, much of the time they just do not get it. They do not know how much misery and pain you feel, how the desire for a positive pregnancy test, the fear of another miscarriage, or how you will pay for IVF haunts your thoughts.

As a psychologist specializing in reproductive mental health, with my own experiences of infertility, ART and pregnancy loss, I deeply understand the unique difficulties and uncertainties that come with this journey.

A path marked by cycles of hope and heartache, as the anticipation of new possibilities collides with the anguish of unfulfilled dreams. My mission is to provide a deeply compassionate, gentle and witnessing environment for you to explore your feelings, insights, hurts, choices and find resilience, support and care. Whether you are managing the stress of trying to conceive, infertility, coping with loss, or seeking guidance through treatments, I am here to help you find clarity, support your healing and connect with hope.

Together we can build a path forward that honors your journey, your family and your heart.

Focus Areas

Support with Trying to Conceive & Infertility

Focused psychotherapeutic support for the stressors of trying to conceive and navigating infertility.

Pregnancy Loss, Reproductive Trauma & EMDR

Specialized therapeutic support for addressing failed treatment cycles, pregnancy loss, reproductive trauma, grief and loss.

Assisted Reproductive Technology

Comprehensive care related to decision making for family building options, emotional support during fertility treatments, and the secondary mental health/relationship stressors that can arise.

Meet Erin (she/her)

*

Meet Erin (she/her) *

I am a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Oregon and Colorado, providing individual psychotherapy for adults. I work with any individual in their experience of the TTC process, whether you are the individual planning to carry the pregnancy or the non-gestational partner.

I have extensive training in reproductive and perinatal health across the lifespan, particularly for women and LGBTQ+ people, however the specific focus of my practice is rooted in support for hardships of trying to conceive. Whether this is unexpected secondary infertility, or you are a queer family and always knew you would need to use a third party donor, I specialize in the needs of this special phase of family building.

In addition to emotional support for the unique challenges of your trying to conceive (TTC) journey, I also focus on how these difficulties intersect with your treatment of yourself, your relationships, prior/concurrent mental health needs, how early-life and formative experiences are impacting how you particularly are navigating these challenges.

I draw from a variety of psychotherapy practices, including Attachment Focused EMDR, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and an integrative focus on relationship skills, emotions and emotional processing.

I invite us to explore together through a lens of feminist liberation psychology, in which we identify and work to understand yourself and your TTC experiences within a context of personal, familial, and historical culture, location, and systems of oppression. I will also strive to identify and account for my own context, identities and how this shows up within the therapy space.

Folks I Work Well With:

LGBTQIA+ folks (Ex: identifying the right path for you/your family to pursue parenthood, navigating the unique and complex barriers to care, with insurance companies, agencies, medical systems or providers, familial or society related discrimination and bias)

BIPOC folks (Ex: needs related to cultural/family messages and beliefs about infertility, barriers to accessing care, racial/ethnic disparities in available options for donor eggs and sperm, navigating biased and unsafe healthcare environments)
Fat folks (Have you been told to lose weight on your TTC journey? I have! Do not love that for us. Ex: navigating provider or clinic biases, discrimination and anti-fat policies, internalized negative messaging about body and ability to carry you through your TTC journey, coping with body changes related to fertility treatments)
Mental health providers (Ex: how to navigate the mental/emotional ups and downs of fertility treatments, stress in working with clients who are pregnant, or other TTC clients, or even how to take off the time you need for treatments, and how these experiences intersect with client needs)
Neurodivergent folks (Ex: navigating body changes and sensory experiences with fertility treatments, communication needs and/or sensory disturbances in medical settings, support for the additional executive functioning demands of increased appointments/time sensitive treatments)
Disabled and chronically ill folks (Ex: navigating misconceptions about ability to conceive from providers, family, society, personal decision making about the intersection of TTC and health conditions, support with healthcare accessibility issues)
TTC at a later age (Ex: processing beliefs, expectations, biases and fears of outcomes of TTC at a later age, either held by self or others, navigating provider recommendations, facilitating peace around your unique journey)
TTC solo/single parent by choice: (Ex: support as a thought partner for recommendations, choices, critical decisions, choosing a donor, navigating a relationship with a known donor, exploration of needs, strengthening support networks)