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Chapter 8 - “Be Fruitful and Multiply”: Addressing Spirituality in Fertility Counseling

from II - Therapeutic Approaches

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2022

By
Eileen Dombo  and
Megan Flood
Edited by
Sharon N. Covington
Sharon N. Covington
Affiliation:
Shady Grove Fertility, Rockville, MD
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Summary

This chapter will explore ways to address spirituality in fertility counseling, offer clinicians guidance on how to understand the degree of spirituality or religiosity in their clients’ lives, and address how or if it is related to the challenges of infertility. The authors explore the views and positions of the major world religions with regards to options for couples who are exploring the use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) to achieve family building. Guidelines for the assessment of spirituality with clients in counseling are provided, as well as examples of interventions for use in psychotherapy. This chapter should be read along with the corresponding chapter in the Case Studies volume.

Keywords

spiritualityreligioninfertility counselingspiritual assessment
Type
Chapter
Information
Fertility Counseling: Clinical Guide , pp. 88 - 96
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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