I have been working with infertility patients since 1985, starting with my Ph.D. internship in one of Canada's first IVF programs, and my subsequent position as IVF team psychologist at the University Health Sciences Centre in London, Ontario. Infertility counselling has remained a central focus of my practice since that time.
Areas of therapeutic intervention may include, but are not limited to: counselling around the stress caused by infertility, adjustment to the diagnosis, decision making around treatment, coping with treatment, coping with loss and disappointment, couples counselling vis-a-vis the impact of infertility on the relationship, considering third party reproduction options, stopping treatment and/or considering alternatives, and discussing donor conception with the children.
I also provide the consultations required for donor sperm and donor egg treatment, for both donors and recipients, either know or anonymous.
I want to stress that any mandatory infertility counselling appointments (as requested by clinics) do not involve assessment, evaluation, or screening, but rather focus on preparation, education, and support for treatment, so that you can feel you are controlling what you can in a largely uncontrollable situation.
Dr. Lisa Shatford 416.795.5183 drlisa@sympatico.ca