Psychological Support Services at IRMS
Infertility is a crisis that can impact nearly every aspect of life, including your relationships, career and self-esteem. Unless you have had a medical condition earlier in your life, very few people ever plan on needing medical treatment to conceive a child and build their families. One in seven couples find that this is the case — they are faced with a tangle of emotions that can leave them feeling hopeless and isolated.
At IRMS we understand the heartache of infertility. In an effort to treat the total patient, we offer a holistic approach, caring for the body and the mind. With that in mind IRMS offers on-site mental health services to help our patients with all aspects of infertility.
We recognize that treatment can be stressful even under the best of circumstances, and that there are many issues you need to consider both before and during the treatment process.
We provide our patients with a wide range of support, including individual and couples counseling, support group meetings focusing on different aspects of infertility and educational events to facilitate the patient’s understanding of their experience. These services can help you cope with the many concerns in infertility treatment:
- The impact of seeking treatment
- Dilemmas about the myriad of decisions needed to be made
- Ethical and practical concerns about treatment options
- Managing one’s expectations throughout treatment
- Negotiating the feelings that accompany infertility
- Communication issues with those in your life: partner, family, friends, co-workers
- What to do when treatment doesn’t work
- Community resources
Research indicates that support can help people with virtually any health problem to feel better. In particular, women who attend support groups have been proven to feel less psychological distress than those who do not attend. Condition-based support groups, like those for infertility, do more than offer support, compassion and friendship. Participation in such groups also validates emotions; provide advice and insight into a diagnosis; and offer tips on dealing with your relationships, work, family and friends.
In addition research also shows that despite its hardships, the stressors of infertility can be managed. To that end, IRMS offers several programs specifically designed for those overwhelmed with the stress to create a family or for those who want to do all they can do to prepare for the stressors of treatment.
Support programs offered at IRMS:
Individual and Couples Counseling One-on-one counseling sessions focusing on various infertility issues, including pregnancy loss, pregnancy after treatment, multiple gestations, selective reduction and the use of donor eggs and sperm
Free Infertility Support Group This Support Group is for patients and partners involved in fertility treatment or those who are considering it as an option to build their families. Meets monthly. Registration required. (click for calendar)
Donor Recipient Support Group A group specifically designed for couples interested in egg donation. Registration required. (click for calendar)
Pregnancy Support Group Pregnancy is not always the way we expect it to be. Join this group and share your thoughts. Meets monthly. (click for calendar)
The Mind/Body Infertility Program is a six week program designed to help patients manage worries and stress; develop calming strategies and effective life-skill tools; learn about nutrition and exercise in fertility treatments. This program is a series of weekly two-hour sessions on Saturdays. Advanced registration is required. Program Fee is $400.
Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster is a two hour Huddleston designed workshop to feel calmer for surgery. Registration and fee required
Prepare for IVF is a two hour program designed to teach strategies that help one deal with the worries and concerns of an IVF cycle. Registration and fee required.
For more information about IRMS’ Psychological Support Services, including the meeting dates and times of support groups, please contact our staff psychologist and director, Claudia Pascale, Ph.D. She can be reached at:
IRMS at Saint Barnabas
94 Old Short Hills Road
Suite 403 - East Wing
Livingston, NJ 07039
973-322-5356 dir
973-322-8890 fax
claudiap@sbivf.com