Third Party Reproduction Psychological Consultation:
Basic information - This type of meeting is typically required to meet the current ‘standard of care’ as determined by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) for those individuals or couples planning on parenting through the assistance of a donor. A mental health professional with training and expertise in third-party reproduction must facilitate this type of meeting to best prepare you for positive future outcomes. This is not a psychotherapy session; this type of meeting is considered to be a behavioral health assessment/evaluation/consultation and is primarily educational in nature.
Why is this important? (I’m annoyed I have to do this!)
This decision has lifelong consequences for you and any children born from this arrangement. A well-informed therapist can discuss a variety of relevant topics based on the research and lived experience of families that utilized a donor as well as donor-conceived persons. Simply checking boxes on a handout given by your clinic does not suffice. We can recommend ‘best practices’ for raising a healthy, well-adjusted person, and provide you with supportive resources for your journey. Whomever you choose to do this consultation, please make sure they attend regular trainings in this subject and that they are a member of ASRM. Please understand that I am not evaluating whether you’ll be “good parents.” The goal for intended parents is to inform and support you.
How long is the meeting/consultation?
In order to best inform you and to not feel rushed, I set aside 90-minutes for our meeting. This meeting can be done via telehealth video or in person at my office. If you are coupled with someone, you are both required to attend. After our meeting concludes, I will send you (via email) some handouts that I’ve prepared informing you of supportive resources available to you as well as sending a formal letter to your clinic addressing what was discussed in our meeting. I hope to be a resource to you in the future as well as I have professionally and personally walked this path.
What is the fee and what does that entail?
My total fee is $300. This includes the 90-minute meeting plus the additional time it takes for me to document in letter form the information we discussed in order to share this with your fertility clinic. If you are using a “known” donor (for example, a friend, family member or acquaintance), three meetings are required. I can inform you of what’s entailed if this is the case. As you can imagine with three meetings, the fee does increase as does the time commitment for everyone involved.
Will insurance cover this type of meeting?
The majority of the time, most insurance plans don’t reimburse for third party consultations as they are not therapy sessions, but are instead behavioral health assessments. Insurance companies require a “diagnosis” and because I am not your doctor or psychotherapist, I cannot ethically provide this to insurance. I wish I had better news on this front, but I can say that this consultation will greatly benefit you. I can provide a superbill that you can send to your insurance company in case there is any type of reimbursement (unless you have Blue Cross/Blue Shield).
What’s my professional background and training?
Overall, I’ve been in the field of psychology and counseling for 24 years, earning my doctorate in 2005. Before moving to Austin, I was a tenured Professor. I began to specialize in infertility, reproductive trauma, and third-party reproduction 12 years ago when I experienced my own challenging parenting journey. Although the personal experience of infertility and utilizing a donor informs me, I have found it important to receive extensive professional training. I am a member of ASRM, particularly the Mental Health Group, where I was mentored for one year under the amazing Dr. Lauren Berman in Georgia. I attend the annual Jefferson Infertility Counseling Conference in Philadelphia, which is instrumental in keeping me up to date on this rapidly evolving field. Each month, I participate in peer supervision with a small group of us in Austin that specialize in third party reproduction. We share cases, challenge each other, and share information and resources so we can better assist you. Please note that I am an inclusive and safe-place practitioner that has additional training to serve the LGBT+ community.
