Are you considering seeking therapy for infertility? Are you wondering what to expect in your infertility mental health treatment? During such a fragile and frightening time, getting help can be crucial for your emotional well-being. That said, not all therapy is created equally.
Read on for the best mental health interventions for infertility and pregnancy loss.
Best Mental Health Interventions For Infertility and Pregnancy Loss
The effects of infertility on mental health can be profound. Similarly, pregnancy loss can be terrifying, devastating, and downright debilitating.
The best mental health interventions for infertility and pregnancy loss come from a place of compassion and empathy. Skilled therapists know how to balance acute listening skills with helpful feedback and suggestions in their treatment. They know that sometimes the best approach to treating infertility mental health issues is to listen, support, reflect, and validate.
Free Association
Free association is one of the best mental health interventions for infertility and pregnancy loss. With free association, you guide the session freely with whatever thoughts, words, images, or memories come to mind. There are no rules or expectations.
Part of your mental health infertility treatment entails you being honest and vulnerable with your experiences. By holding them in, you risk feeling even more distress and agony. Thus, free association allows you the safe space to let it all out without judgment or preconceived notions.
Confrontation
Even when it feels painful, confrontation is one of the most powerful and best mental health interventions for infertility and pregnancy loss. Your therapist may confront certain patterns that you have related to your infertility treatment and mental health.
This confrontation isn’t aggressive or demeaning. Instead, it’s meant to help you notice the trends about yourself. For example, your therapist may point out that you spend the first few minutes of therapy talking about the traffic or weather. This may lead to a productive conversation about how you expect other people to take the lead in addressing significant issues.
Transference
Although it may seem strange, the relationship between the client and therapist can be one of the best mental health interventions for infertility and pregnancy loss. All therapeutic relationships trigger reactions from both parties.
As a client, you may displace particular feelings onto your therapist based on people you have known in your past. You might find yourself experiencing sensations of love or deep attachment while in session. Likewise, you may find yourself experiencing frustration or rage.
These feelings and reactions are subconscious. However, by exploring them with your therapist, you can improve your insight on yourself—which can help you better understand and cope with the mental health effects of infertility.
Receive the Help You Need
Infertility and pregnancy loss both represent painful and complex issues. Infertility mental health professionals can help you navigate these uncomfortable feelings in a secure and nonjudgmental environment.
The best mental health interventions for infertility and pregnancy loss are the ones that give you a sense of hope and acceptance during your trying journey. These interventions will differ from person to person.
At Lumos Counseling PC, we customize treatment to fit your specific needs best.
Contact Lumos PC today to learn more about how therapy can help you.