Involuntary Childlessness: Psychological Assessment, Counseling, and Therapy

A high proportion of couples in western industrialized countries are unable to have children, and in many cases these couples need psychosocial support. This volume describes a range of counselling and therapy approaches that can be used in a variety of circumstances. The approaches described here provide assistance and advice on psychosocial interventions for all professionals who are active in reproductive medicine, fertility treatment, and counselling or therapy for couples. The text introduces knowledge about psychosomatic treatment of fertility disorders, and describes assessment methods that can be used in everyday practice by those providing both medical treatment and counselling for fertility disorders. On the basis of numerous case examples, various different approaches to counselling and therapy are described, including, for example, specific approaches that can be taken by primary care or family physicians, or how to approach the problems in couples with different cultural backgrounds. A manual for gynaecologists in the final chapter provides advice and guidelines for a holistic, psychosomatic course of treatment for childless couples.