Have you been struggling with infertility or are you hoping to help a struggling individual or couple by becoming a surrogate? The journey to parenthood does not look the same for every person. Third-party reproduction therapy is a specialized service for individuals and couples who use egg donation, sperm donation, embryo donation, or surrogacy to build their family. Therapy provides a safe space to explore your feelings, understand long-term implications, and make confident, informed decisions.

While it is not my role to gate keep parenthood, working with a surrogate can be an emotionally charged experience. Evaluation serves several functions including confirming emotional readiness, ensuring you understand medical, emotional, and legal considerations. This evaluation also helps support intended parents in forming healthy relationships with their surrogate.

Psychological evaluations for the gestational carrier are not just required by all agencies and recommended by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, but is an important step to ensure they are emotionally and psychologically prepared for the journey. It is my role to make sure this process will not cause you undue psychological or emotional harm.

Sometimes agencies or parents are interested in having a joint consultation with a mental health provider to assist in setting healthy boundaries, forming a strong foundation for the relationship moving forward, and to discuss difficult topics such as beliefs around termination. This is an opportunity to ensure the match between intended parents and the gestational carrier is healthy and the individuals are on the same page.