Counselling Services

Counselling Services

Fertility Treatment Can Be Stressful for All Involved

The desire to have a child is natural and, when month after month conception does not occur, feelings of anger, shame, guilt, powerlessness and despair may develop.

Relationships with the partner, family members and friends may become strained leading to a breakdown in communication and feelings of isolation. There are many difficult decisions that must be made and the success rates of treatment may be disappointing.

For these and other reasons we strongly recommend that all couples consider at least one visit to our counsellor. Many couples feel that they do not require counselling before they commence their first cycle of fertility treatment. However, quite often patients are not prepared for the intensity of the whole process and many request counselling before starting a second cycle. Often, being able to talk to someone, such as a counsellor, makes the process easier.

Kay Duff BA. Dip Couns TCD. MIACP

Kay is an experienced professional counsellor. She received her academic and professional qualifications from Trinity College Dublin and holds accreditation with The Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) and the Irish Association of Fertility Counsellors (IFCA).

Having originally trained as a couple’s counsellor with RELATE UK, Kay then continued working in this area for ten years in Marriage and Relationship Counselling Services (MRCS) Dublin.

She came to the area of fertility in 2003 and has been the attending counsellor at Merrion Fertility Clinic since. She also works as a general counsellor and has a private practice in North Dublin. She was a founding member of the Irish Fertility Counsellors Association (IFCA).

Kay Duff

How Can Counselling Help?

Having worked more than ten years with Merrion Fertility Clinic, and also within private practice, Kay has gained a deep understanding about the complex emotions that come with trying to conceive.  Trying to become pregnant can be daunting and it is not unusual to experience some of the following feelings and experiences.

  • Overwhelming feelings of grief and loss
  • Anxiety and jealously when others announce their pregnancy
  • A sense of guilt and failure
  • Anger and resentment
  • Feeling isolated from friends/group
  • Stress in the relationship
  • Upset with family and friends who don’t seem to understand
  • Sex has become part of the baby-making process
  • Past painful losses re-emerging
  • Worried about the relationship, if no children- what then?

Although each case is unique, talking through these overwhelming feelings with a third party who has expertise in the area can help you find ways to cope.

The following are just some of the complex situations where counselling can help.

  • Coming to terms with not conceiving naturally
  • Having fertility treatments or tests & investigations
  • Preparation and support for those considering donor treatment abroad
  • Complex ethical decisions i.e. starting or ending fertility treatment
  • Talking through inter-country adoption
  • Secondary infertility

For further information please contact Kay at 01 8319625

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