This self-access class supports Psychosexual and Relationship Therapists to work confidently with couples experiencing infertility, loss, and reproductive trauma, using practical tools, relevant theory, and applied clinical insight.
Approximately one in six couples in the UK—nearly 3.5 million individuals (FNUK, 2016)—will experience infertility while attempting to become parents. While research into the impact of fertility difficulties and associated treatments has traditionally focused on heterosexual couples, recent data from the HFEA highlights an increase in female same-sex couples using Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) to create their families. A recent Stonewall study suggests that 36% of LGBTQIA parents found the journey to parenthood stressful, with many also choosing to become parents outside of a couple unit.
This self-access class is a recording of a live event held in April 2026.
Session outline
Drawing on attachment and psychodynamic models, alongside more recent research on reproductive trauma (Jaffe & Diamond, 2011) and reproductive identity (Athan, 2021; 2022), this self-access class examines the following areas:
- How couples are impacted when their reproductive story is disrupted
- Whether men and women experience infertility and pregnancy loss differently
- How reproductive identity is affected by a diagnosis of infertility (e.g. PCOS or azoospermia)
- How meaning is made within sexual, cultural, or racial differences, and within the couple relationship
- The impact of repeated reproductive events (e.g. miscarriage, failed IVF, birth trauma) on couple functioning
- How these experiences influence emerging parental identity, the couple relationship, and the parent–infant relationship
- How third-party reproduction (e.g. donor conception and/or surrogacy) affects the couple’s transition to parenthood
- How best to support couples at different stages of the reproductive journey
The self-access class will begin by focusing on research and theory relating to infertility and pregnancy loss in couple relationships. Using a series of clinical vignettes, the session will then explore specific therapeutic interventions, including use of the reproductive story. Specific assessment tools and the Couple Phases of Infertility Model is also introduced.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the self-access class, participants will be able to:
- Understand how infertility, pregnancy loss, and reproductive trauma affect couple functioning, reproductive identity, and emerging parental identity
- Apply attachment, psychodynamic, and reproductive identity frameworks to therapeutic work with couples experiencing fertility challenges
- Use tools such as the reproductive story and the Couple Phases of Infertility Model to inform assessment and intervention
- Develop strategies to support couples across diverse cultural, sexual, and relational contexts
About the Trainer
Julianne Boutaleb – Consultant Perinatal Psychologist, BSc, MSc, CPsychol, AFBPsS
Julianne is the Clinical Director and Founder of the Parenthood In Mind practice and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.
She is a passionate and highly experienced perinatal psychologist who has worked for over 23 years in the NHS and private practice with parents and parents-to-be and their babies (and bumps) who have needed support with a wide variety of perinatal mental health issues during and after pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth and reproductive loss, attachment issues, re-emergence of childhood issues and couples issues. From 2003 to 2009, she was part of an NHS multidisciplinary strategic health team that successfully established Sure Start services in East London. From 2009 to 2015, she held multiple clinical lead roles in Perinatal Mental Health in the NHS, and currently works as a consultant to specialist teams across the UK in Maternal Mental Health, Neonatal Care and Perinatal Trauma and Loss.
Julianne is a member of the Birth Trauma Association and specialises in working therapeutically with birth and fertility trauma, PTSD and tokophobia (fear of giving birth) as they impact the mother, couple relationship and parent-infant attachment. In addition, she is also affiliated with BICA (British Infertility Counselling Association) and offers tailored psychological interventions for individuals and couples (including same sex couples) who are trying to conceive or pregnant and parenting following ART (IVF, ICSI, donor conception, surrogacy) or adoption. She also writes and lectures on these issues, and contributes regularly to press articles in The Telegraph, Daily Mail and Guardian on parenting and parental mental health. She has appeared on BBC4 Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 5 and Channel 5 to offer expert opinion on mothering after bereavement, infertility and donor conception, and postnatal depression. She also works in partnership with organisations such as Fertility Matters at Work and Fertifa affecting changes in the workplace in areas of fertility, mental health, pregnancy, birth and parenting.
She has over 20 years’ experience teaching and training psychologists and health professionals on issues of parental mental health, attachment, early years and positive mental health for babies and young children.
