Infertility therapists in Encino, California CA

Dr. Karrie works with parents with adoptive children to strenthen the parent-child relationship.  

Infertility and adoption issues hit you at the very core of who you are as a human. I know...I've been there. Don't suffer silently and alone. I am here to support you through this.  

Our mission here at West Valley Counseling is to provide affordable therapy to individuals and families. All of our therapists are licensed to practice as pre-licensed and licensed therapists in the State of California. Our staff is diverse, multi-cultural and LGBT informed.  

"As a Marriage and Family Therapist, my clinical area of expertise is the treatment of Depression and Anxiety disorders, Couple Relational Issues, Dependency issues, Parenting education, and Self Esteem issues.   

I am currently pursuing my certification in fertility and mental health from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, but I find that most clients find my most useful credential in this area to be my lived experience. When you are struggling with trying to conceive, many people feel like they’re losing themself a little bit. It’s so easy to let your whole identity become “person who is failing to make a baby.” This rollercoaster is hard for anyone, but can be especially challenging if your experience includes other complications – miscarriages, past abortions, genetic carrier concerns, or gender dysphoria. If you are currently involved in fertility treatments, you might be juggling the emotions of gratitude and relief with overwhelm, unpredictability, shame, disconnection from your own body, a calendar full of medical appointments, and the experience of being a human pincushion. As an IVF veteran myself, I understand how large a toll this experience can take. When working with clients dealing with infertility, we work, among other things, on expanding your sense of identity and reclaiming yourself as more than a broken baby-making machine, riding the waves of hope and disappointment, untangling shame, reconnecting with your body, coping with anxiety, managing external stressors, navigating your grief over the story you imagined you’d have, and sitting with ambiguity. For help navigating the unruly rollercoaster of infertility, reach out to me. I look forward to meeting you soon!  

Some of the most joyous moments in life also have the potential to be the most painful. The world doesn’t seem fair when some women get pregnant just by looking at their partners, or so it would seem, while others try for months, and then begin to time their cycles, and finally start exploring other options. The infertility journey is long and confusing—full of needle pricks, doctor’s appointments and strange or inappropriate questions from friends and loved ones. And if you’re part of a queer couple, you can multiply those strange and inappropriate questions by a factor of two, or maybe three. But then it happens, you get the news: X number of healthy embryos. Yay! Except they are all boys, you really wanted a girl, but that’s okay, you just want a healthy baby. But then, your first implantation doesn’t take. So you have to try again. Success! At least at first. Miscarriages are also an all too common, intensely painful part of this process. It starts to feel like your body is betraying you. Or what if you don’t have all of the necessary parts to carry the child and you need to use a surrogate? The first one doesn’t work out, and the second one doesn’t pass psychological testing and number three, well, unfortunately after three unsuccessful tries, it’s time to look for number four. When will it end? And when will it be your turn for a healthy baby? Therapeutic support from someone who understands the process can help you feel less alone as you navigate the decisions, the ups and downs, and the journey to becoming your own self-educated endocrinologist (kidding, sort of…).  

We work with clients who express issues or concerns with Infertility or Adoption.  

Fewer things in life can feel as powerless as the fertility journey. We help individuals and couples navigate these experiences to have healthier conversations and allow these hardships to bring them closer to themselves or one another rather than it tearing them apart.  

Infertility or adoption are often filled with significant emotions for the individuals or couples who are working through this in their lives. We have worked often with those needing support to deal with the myriad of challenges raised by both infertility and adoption. We also conduct pre-adoption evaluations as needed.  

Facing difficulty conceiving a child can be devastating. After years of research in this area, I have cultivated a specialty for helping men and women handle struggles around infertility. I am versed in the language, the science, the doctors, and the facilities in this field.