Counselling and Psychotherapy
Fertility and Perinatal Support
Within my private practice I dedicate a proportion of my work to supporting individuals with the emotional challenges that accompany difficult journeys into parenthood.
How can therapy support me?
People seek therapy during fertility treatment, pregnancy and early parenthood for many different reasons.
You may be in the midst of fertility treatment and feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty, repeated disappointment or the emotional demands of navigating appointments, decisions and waiting. You may be pregnant following previous losses and finding yourself struggling to trust the process or connect with the experience. Alternatively, you may have become a parent and find yourself carrying feelings that seem difficult to reconcile with expectations of happiness, gratitude or fulfilment.
The path to parenthood is rarely as straightforward as we imagine. Experiences of fertility difficulties, pregnancy loss, birth trauma and the transition into parenthood can evoke complex and often conflicting emotions. It is possible to feel grief and hope, anxiety and excitement, love and resentment, all at the same time.
Therapy offers a space in which these experiences can be thought about, explored and understood without judgement.
I offer care, commitment and curiosity in exploring any aspect of your experience that you wish to bring to therapy, no matter how confusing, painful or overwhelming it may feel. I view psychotherapy as a collaborative and creative process, where we work together to understand your experience more deeply and make sense of the impact it is having on your life and relationships.
Alongside my private practice, I work within a specialist maternal mental health service, supporting people through fertility challenges, pregnancy, loss and the transition to parenthood. This experience has given me a deep appreciation of the emotional complexity that can accompany this stage of life.
I hold a particular interest in how we experience and relate to our bodies during fertility treatment, pregnancy and the perinatal period. Our work together may include exploring how the body carries experiences of stress, loss, trauma and uncertainty, and how reconnecting with our embodied experience can support healing and integration.
My approach is relational, meaning I am interested not only in the difficulties you are facing now, but also in how your history, relationships and sense of self may shape your experience of becoming, or trying to become, a parent.
Whether you are navigating fertility treatment, coping with pregnancy loss, adjusting to parenthood, or struggling with feelings you did not expect to encounter, therapy can offer a space to pause, reflect and feel supported.
About Carys
You can find more information about me, my history and my qualifications and experience here.
About Therapy
Information about how I work, initial consultations and all practicalities found here.
Specific Experience and Qualifications
I have additional training in many areas of fertility support and perinatal wellbeing, including:
Focus on Female Infertility
The Impact of Involuntary Childlessness on Sexual Intimacy
The Science of Being Dad: Understanding & Supporting Fatherhood
Infertility, Pregnancy Loss & Reproductive Trauma
I am also engaged in ongoing academic research that explores the intersections of experiences of sexual trauma and the perinatal period. Although my client work and my research remain separate, I’m privileged to be immersed in the stories of women, their fertility journeys and their births which immeasurably, enriches my practice.
Individual, Flexible Support
Sessions take place in-person from my practice in London Bridge, SE1, as well as online via Zoom - more information on practicalities, location and fees found here.
I hold an understanding that during the first months of parenthood time is luxury that is often unpredictable. I can offer flexibility around my usual weekly scheduling to accommodate this including a hybrid of in-person and online work based on your needs.
Although I always suggest therapy be a time when you can find a private space for your own processing, I know this is not always possible with a small baby. During the first four months of parenthood it is no problem to have your baby present during online sessions.