Reproductive Trauma : Psychotherapy With Infertility and Pregnancy Loss Clients

Written by specialists in the field of reproductive counseling, this volume will help clinicians to understand and effectively treat the unique needs of clients who have experienced adverse reproductive events, which include infertility, miscarriage, perinatal or newborn loss, and premature or other complicated births. Illustrated with numerous clinical examples, it will help mental health professionals gain both insight and clinical skill in working with this complex and growing clinical population.

"This is a terrific book that identifies the multiple, devastating repercussions of reproductive trauma by examining the disruptions to one's own personalized reproductive story. Grounded in developmental theory and richly illustrated with clinical examples, it is a welcome, much-needed guide for all therapists working with this overlooked population. Beyond its stated purpose of teaching mental health professionals, its accessibility, sensitivity, and comprehensive scope make it a volume that will be useful to obstetric health providers, medical social workers, and bereavement specialists as well as the couples who experience these losses.—Irving G. Leon, PhD, Adjunct Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor; author of When a Baby Dies: Psychotherapy for Pregnancy and Newborn Loss" "Jaffe and Diamond have done it again! Their concept of the "reproductive story" simultaneously validates a patient's experience and provides guidelines for processing reproductive events. It is an extremely valuable technique for therapists confronting increasingly complex medical technology and the psychological fallout. A much-needed contribution!—Leslie Westlund Tam, MD, Reproductive Psychiatrist, San Diego, CA" "A comprehensive guide for the clinical practitioner. The authors draw from a wealth of empirical research as well as numerous case studies to provide a deep understanding of the experience of infertility and how to help guide patients through the process.—Mary P. Riddle, PhD, The Pennsylvania State University, World Campus" "Since the birth of the first in vitro fertilization baby 30 years ago, assisted reproductive technology continues to advance exponentially. But despite this progress in medical technology, our psychological understanding of the related emotional, ethical, and moral dilemmas has yet to be advanced." Written by specialists in the field of reproductive counseling, this volume aims to help clinicians understand and treat the unique needs of clients who have experienced adverse reproductive events, including infertility, miscarriage, perinatal or newborn loss, and premature or other complicated births. Therapists will learn the importance of their clients' reproductive story, how to help them identify and grieve losses, and how to guide them in making complicated decisions about family building. Illustrated with numerous clinical examples, this volume will help mental health professionals gain both insight and clinical skill in working with this complex and growing clinical population.

"Since the birth of the first in vitro fertilization baby 30 years ago, assisted reproductive technology continues to advance exponentially. Despite this progress in medical technology, the psychological understanding of related emotional, ethical, and moral dilemmas needs to be further explored. Written by specialists in the field of reproductive counseling, this volume will help clinicians to understand and effectively treat the unique needs of clients who have experienced adverse reproductive events, which include infertility, miscarriage, perinatal or newborn loss, and premature or other complicated births. Illustrated with numerous clinical examples, this volume will help mental health professionals gain both insight and clinical skill in working with this complex and growing clinical population. The rapid advance in reproductive medicine has created options for family building that would have seemed like science fiction only a few decades ago, and thousands of couples worldwide have benefited from it. Medical progress has not been limited to infertility treatment. Premature births, which used to claim the lives of so many infants, can now be routinely managed, and even infants born as early as 24 weeks can sometimes survive. The scientific understanding of miscarriages, genetic anomalies, hormonal imbalances, and menopause has done much to help patients whose reproductive health has suffered. But along with the medical technology, a multitude of emotional, ethical, and moral dilemmas have emerged, and the psychological understanding of the impact of such technology has lagged sorely behind. Although many books have been written about how to get pregnant, or as personal journals of a reproductive difficulty, or about how to cope with stress, relatively little has been written to help mental health professionals understand and effectively treat patients in therapy who have reproductive problems. This book is written to fill that gap" -- Publicity materials. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Part I Theoretical Foundations Chapter 1 The Reproductive Story Chapter 2 Developmental Tasks of Adulthood: Losses of Opportunity Chapter 3 When the Reproductive Story Goes Awry: Trauma and Loss Part II Counseling the Reproductive Patient Chapter 4 Techniques of Assessment and Treatment Chapter 5 Grieving a Reproductive Loss Chapter 6 Impact of Reproductive Challenges on Intimate Relationships Chapter 7 At a Crossroads: Facing Third-Party Reproduction and Adoption Part III Therapist’s Considerations Chapter 8 Self-Disclosure, Transference, and Countertransference Chapter 9 Adjuncts to Therapy and Complementary Care Part IV Additional Concerns Chapter 10 Medical, Moral, and Ethical Complications Chapter 11 Pregnancy and Parenthood After Infertility or Reproductive Loss Epilogue: Rewriting the Reproductive Story Glossary References Index About the Authors The reproductive story -- Developmental tasks of adulthood : losses of opportunity -- When the reproductive story goes awry : trauma and loss -- Techniques of assessment and treatment -- Grieving a reproductive loss -- The impact of reproductive challenges on intimate relationships -- At a crossroad : facing third-party reproduction and adoption -- Self-disclosure, transference, and countertransference -- Adjuncts to therapy and complementary care -- Medical, moral, and ethical complications -- Pregnancy and parenthood after infertility or reproductive loss The reproductive story Developmental tasks of adulthood : losses of opportunity When the reproductive story goes awry : trauma and loss Techniques of assessment and treatment Grieving a reproductive loss The impact of reproductive challenges on intimate relationships At a crossroad : facing third-party reproduction and adoption Self-disclosure, transference, and counter-transference Adjuncts to therapy and complementary care Additional concerns Medical, moral, and ethical complications Pregnancy after infertility and reproductive loss.