Starting Here
Building a family doesn't always go the way you pictured it. Infertility, pregnancy loss, and the uncertainty of IVF, adoption, or surrogacy can bring a specific kind of grief that's hard to explain to people who haven't been through it.
Family building therapy gives you a space to process the waiting, the loss, and the uncertainty, without having to minimize how hard it is.
This Can Look Like
Fertility and family building struggles can look like:
- Grief that resurfaces with every appointment, test, or negative result
- Anxiety around medical procedures, timelines, and decisions
- Strain on your relationship from the stress of the process
- Isolation, especially around pregnancy announcements or baby showers
- Uncertainty and grief tied to adoption or surrogacy processes
- Identity questions about what parenthood or family means to you now
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy can be a steady place through an unpredictable process. We'll help you:
- Process the grief of pregnancy loss or infertility, without a timeline
- Manage the anxiety of ongoing medical treatment or waiting periods
- Navigate decisions about next steps, including when or whether to continue treatment
- Strengthen communication with your partner under the stress of this process
- Reconnect with a sense of identity beyond the fertility journey
Our Approach
We recognize infertility and family building struggles as significant, often disenfranchised grief. Your therapist will take your experience seriously, whatever stage you're at, without minimizing or rushing you toward resolution.
Therapeutic Approaches We May Use
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) — navigating uncertainty and difficult decisions
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) — holding grief, hope, and fear that often coexist
- Psychodynamic Therapy — processing identity and meaning tied to family building
- Mindfulness-Based Therapy — managing anxiety through medical treatment
Who Might Benefit From Treatment
This kind of therapy may be a good fit if you're:
- Navigating infertility, IVF, IUI, or other fertility treatment
- Grieving a miscarriage, stillbirth, or failed treatment cycle
- Exploring or pursuing adoption or surrogacy
- Feeling isolated by a family-building journey that looks different than others'
- Wanting support for yourself, your partner, or both of you together
What to Expect in Therapy
Your first session is a space to share where you are in this process and what's felt hardest, without needing to justify your grief or your hope.
Your therapist will support you through whatever comes next, whether that's continuing treatment, exploring other paths to parenthood, or grieving a chapter that's closing.
Sessions are available in person at our Midtown Nashville office or online for clients throughout Tennessee.
FAQ
What if I haven't told many people what we're going through?
That's common. Many people keep fertility struggles private, which can make therapy one of the few places to be fully honest about what this process is really like.
Can you help with the grief of pregnancy loss specifically?
Yes. Pregnancy loss, whether early or later, is significant grief that deserves dedicated support. Your therapist can help you process it at your own pace, alongside our
page if that also feels relevant.
Do you accept insurance?
Nashville Counseling Associates is out-of-network with insurance providers, so we don't bill insurance directly. Many clients use out-of-network benefits to get reimbursed, and we're happy to provide a superbill (an itemized receipt) for you to submit.
Session fees generally range from $130–$185 depending on the clinician, with $85 sessions available with our graduate-level interns and sliding-scale options based on financial need.
How do I get started?
Fill out our contact form or call (615) 281-9139. We'll ask a few questions about what you're looking for and help match you with a therapist whose experience fits your family building journey.
Sessions are available in person at our Midtown Nashville office or online for clients located anywhere in Tennessee.
Ready to begin counseling?
You don't have to keep carrying this on your own. Reach out to Nashville Counseling Associates, and we'll help connect you with a therapist whose training and approach fit the grief and uncertainty of building your family.
