Dana Goldenberg Counseling

Is The Journey To Motherhood Not What You Hoped For?

Are you experiencing infertility or trouble conceiving?

Have you developed feelings of fear, shame, and uncertainty as a result?

Could you benefit from the support of an experienced and understanding therapist

specializing in issues of infertility and maternal mental health?

For those experiencing infertility, the journey to parenthood is often less than ideal.

Instead of being a period of joy, excitement, and possibility, this time may be

characterized by intense internal anxiety and a nagging sense of inadequacy. You are

likely feeling entirely out of control of this process, causing setbacks in your emotional

health and capacity for hope.

Not to mention, if you are currently undergoing IVF, IUI, or other fertility treatment, you

may have developed uncomfortable physical and emotional symptoms. Fertility

treatments are invasive procedures, as is egg donation, which can be increasingly

tough to manage when you’re already battling heavy feelings of sadness, shame, and

worry.

Despite Being Surrounded By Others, You May Feel Alone

Your infertility struggle has likely impacted your relationships. Perhaps you don’t feel adequately supported by your partner, who, from your perspective, doesn’t have to manage the pressure of getting pregnant. You may even be concerned that your infertility issues somehow make you less feminine or prepared to parent.

Additionally, you may be experiencing conflicting feelings about the other people in your life who seem to conceive without issue. As much as you want to be a support to your friends on this journey, you may feel as though you lack community around the specific heart-wrenching struggles you’ve endured.

Ultimately, what you are feeling is grief—whether that grief stems from pregnancy loss or the loss of the hopes and dreams you had for this period of your life. But your circumstances do not define who you are or what kind of mother you will be. And in therapy, you can work with a supportive and sensitive counselor who will help you manage the stress and anxiety associated with infertility.

Many Women Struggle To Get Pregnant

The struggle to conceive is often deeply isolating, yet infertility is a very common issue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that “about 1 in 5 (19%) are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying,” while close to a quarter of women have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term.[1] If you have experienced infertility or pregnancy loss, you are not alone.

Unfortunately, however, our culture is not very sensitive to these issues. In general, women are conditioned to align their self-worth with their fertility and are often made to feel as though they’ve done something wrong or counter-feminine if they can’t get pregnant. Add the pressures of happily-ever-after fairy tales in TV and movies alongside the toxic comparison culture fueled by social media, and it’s no wonder that we feel isolated amidst the infertility struggle.

We’re told by society that if something isn’t going as planned, then we need to work harder. And if we are placed in a medical atmosphere with providers who make us feel responsible for our inability to get pregnant or are desensitized to the emotional toll of infertility, it’s likely we will feel dismissed, depleted, and poked and prodded through the process.

An empathetic and aware therapist can help you see that you aren’t broken, and that infertility is not your fault. Working with me in counseling, you can process your grief, shift your mindset, and find new ways to manage uncertainty.

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/infertility/index.htm#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20among,to%20term%20(impaired%20fecundity).

Take the First Step to a Better Life

Are you ready to take the first step towards a better life? Contact me today to schedule a consultation.

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Therapy Offers Avenues For Coping With Infertility

There is an immense and often unspoken heavy emotional weight that accompanies infertility and pregnancy loss. Counseling offers you space to explore your emotions so that you can feel less stuck in them and more in control of your response.

As a therapist specializing in maternal mental health and infertility issues, I welcome hopeful moms of all backgrounds to therapy. Whether you are navigating IVF or IUI treatments, considering an egg donor, or grappling with other fertility issues, I will customize the therapeutic process to address your needs. Working together, we can identify solutions for growing your family.

In addition, support groups and group therapy can be a valuable way to feel less isolated amidst the infertility struggle. Whether you are interested in supplementing individual counseling with group therapy or simply looking to connect with other women who can relate to your experience, I offer infertility support groups on an intermittent basis. '

My Approach

A lot of our work in counseling will help you develop skills and strategies for managing your grief. Your emotions may range from shame to confusion to isolation, but therapy gives you an opportunity to respond to those emotions in a way that won’t deplete you. Instead of operating solely from the negative voice of fear and anxiety, I will support you in challenging self-limiting narratives and beliefs.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one helpful tool that we will use in counseling for infertility issues. Because CBT helps you to identify and adjust the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, you can learn techniques for improving emotional regulation. As you learn to challenge anxious, fear-based thoughts, you will develop more self-compassion in the process.

Helping you find joy in the here and now is possible, even if your journey to parenthood is far from what you imagined.

Perhaps You Have Questions About Whether Or Not Counseling Can Help You Navigate Infertility Issues…

I am having trouble even admitting that I’m struggling with infertility—how can I possibly open up to a therapist about this?

You have already been on a long and difficult journey if you found your way to this page. I understand the fear and sadness you may be feeling as you consider seeing a therapist for issues related to infertility.

However, therapy is a meaningful opportunity to combat shame, grief, and isolation. I aim to be a sensitive, emotionally aware source of encouragement for you on this journey, and I am invested in your healing. I will do everything I can to facilitate an open, supportive, and safe atmosphere in therapy.

I’m already attending so many appointments for infertility treatments—I don’t have time for therapy.

I understand that given the many infertility-related appointments you have to attend,

adding ongoing therapy to the mix might feel like a lot. However, counseling is meant to be an opportunity to help you conserve your time and energy so that you don’t feel so

drained when receiving infertility treatments.

Keep in mind that my counseling services are available online via telehealth. Without

the stress of a commute, you can be flexible to schedule appointments whenever they

work for you and from the comfort of your own home.