If you are a therapist or coach and would like to be added to this free listing, the requirements are that: (a) you have lived experience of permanent involuntary childlessness (or are childfree but also work with childless clients);(b) that you have the necessary qualifications to practice; (c) that working with childless clients is (preferably) referenced on your professional website or listing; and (d) that you are either known to Jody already, or are open to meeting her on zoom to get to know each other. If so, please email jody@gateway-women.com
UK (alphabetic by surname)
Claire Baker – Psychotherapeutic Counsellor (UK, Brighton). Online/In-person.
https://www.claritycounselling.co.uk/
Claire is a BACP-registered, humanistic psychotherapeutic counsellor with a special interest in supporting people who are coming to terms with not having children for whatever reason(s), particularly those grappling with ambivalence and/or the existential questions that can arise around not becoming a parent. She has personal experience of working through her own ambivalence, which she now regards as part of the ‘bargaining stage’ of grief; the complex and sometimes agonising process of letting go of the future that some part of you might also deeply want to hold on to. Claire attended one of our Gateway Women Reignite Weekends in 2019 as part of her own healing journey.
Helen George – Psychotherapist (UK, London) Online/in-person https://www.helengeorgetherapy.co.uk/infertility-childlessness/
Helen is an experienced BACP Accredited Psychotherapist, Trauma Therapist and Specialist Fertility Counsellor. She currently works in private practice, and prior to this, she worked in the NHS for over 10 years as a psychotherapist. She has a special interest, and expertise, in supporting women who are trying to come to terms with not being able to have children. She has her own story of childlessness and from personal experience, knows how valuable it can be to have someone to talk to and share your story with. She knows from experience that, although it may be hard to imagine now, a life without children can be rewarding and meaningful, different, but no less important or valuable and can work with you to help you find your way towards that.
https://www.afterthestorm.co.
Sarah is a qualified person-centred counsellor, who specialises in working with trauma and the childless community. Sarah works with individuals online (via Zoom) or in person with walking therapy. She is able to work with grief and trauma for those that are childless, and those coming to the end of their fertility journeys. Sarah is also one-third of the Full Stop podcast – the podcast for the childless-not-by-choice, providing our community with a voice and covering the topics that affect us. She is also a licensed Gateway Women workshop facilitator and you can find out more about her workshops for Gateway Women here.
Liane Mailand – Counsellor (UK: Edinburgh, Scotland): online/in-person https://www.innerwilderness.co.uk/about
Liane was initially trained as an Integrative Psychotherapeutic Counsellor and has since trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, which takes a neurobiological (body-based) approach to working with symptoms of stress and trauma, and most recently has trained in Systemic Constellations. She also trained with Jody to lead her Reignite Weekends in Scotland and so is very familiar with her work and approach. Liane works online and in-person with both individuals and couples.
Rachel Musson – Humanistic Counsellor & Accredited Coach (UK: Cheltenham, Glos.) Online/in-person.
https://www.makealittlespace.com/
Rachel is a qualified humanistic counsellor and accredited coach registered with the BACP and ICF. She has an interest in working with people who are coming to terms with their childlessness and navigating a path towards a fulfilling future. She believes that a process of working through the grief of involuntary childlessness, exploring the challenges of ambivalence, and questioning the messages from mainstream society can support individuals to find a place where they are ready to build a present-day life that is rich and rewarding. Rachel trained in the Gestalt approach to therapy, which is integrative, creative and relational. Prior to Gestalt, she studied various bodywork therapeutic approaches such as mindfulness, massage and yoga, and believes that the depth of our connection to our body is fundamental to our overall well-being. She also has qualifications and experience in education, special educational needs (autism) and music.
Meriel Whale – Counsellor UK: Lewes/Brighton. Online/In-person
https://www.merielwhalecounselling.co.uk/
Meriel has been practicing as a person-centred/integrative counsellor since 2010, and has been specialising in working with childless-not-by-choice clients since 2019 both online, and face-to-face in Lewes, UK. She works with the full spectrum of childless people, with a particular interest in those who are LGBTQI+ and/or neurodiverse. She has been involved in Gateway Women since the early days and has done both the Reignite and the Plan B courses with Jody. Meriel meets clients wherever they are in their journey and is about to start relationship counselling training. Meriel has also written an excellent ‘primer’ for therapists on ‘10 Things You Need to Know about Involuntary Childlessness’ for Psychotherapy Excellence magazine here.
IRELAND
Nuala McDonnell – Counsellor & Psychotherapist (Cork City, Ireland): In-Person (online when needed with in-person clients): https://bit.ly/ICP-NualaMcDonnell
Nuala is a counsellor and therapist in private practice in Cork City. She trained in humanistic and integrative psychotherapy with the Flatstone Institute and is a member of ICP, and accredited with IAHIP. Nuala works with individuals and also facilitates groups in Women’s Well-Being, Effective Communication, Managing Stress in our Daily Lives, and Personal Development. In addition, Nuala is a part-time lecturer at UCC on the Social and Psychological Health Studies Diploma course. She has a background of working in education and disability services. Nuala took part in a Reignite Weekend with Gateway Women in 2019 in London.
Margaret O’Connor – Psychotherapist (Limerick, Ireland): online only
https://www.arekidsforme.ie
Margaret is the founder of ‘Are Kids for Me?’ and is often featured in the Irish media discussing the childfree choice. As well as supporting people working through ambivalence about becoming a parent, Margaret also works with those who are childless not by choice, or childfree by choice. She is currently only offering sessions online.
USA (alphabetic by surname)
Emily Donohue LMHC (New York State, USA): In-Person Lower Manhattan; Telehealth NY State: https://www.emily-donahue.com/
Emily is childfree by choice herself after many years of wrestling with ambivalence. She offers a specialty called ‘childfree affirming therapy‘ on her website. However, if you are childless NOT by choice, please don’t be put off by this – both as a person and as a therapist her approach is sensitive and inclusive across the spectrum from childless to childfree and I would definitely schedule an introductory session with her to see if you feel like a good fit.
Katie Maynard MSW, LICSW (Washington State, USA): Online. Telehealth only.
https://www.katiemaynard.com/
Kaite is a therapist offering online sessions only to clients in the state of Washington. As well as working with childless clients herself, Katie provides supervision for other clinicians as well as specialized consultation and training for topics including working with childless clients. Her Instagram profile @childlessnessintheroom is a treasure-trove of resources for therapists in how to better serve their non-parent clients.
Monica Serrao Kim, LMFT – Licenced Marriage and Family Therapist. (California, USA). Online Telehealth only.
https://www.monicamft.com/
Monica is a therapist offering online consultations to those in the state of California. Monica specializes in treating anxiety, depression, grief/loss, and trauma and she also has a particular interest in supporting women’s mental health issues related to family planning, baby ambivalence, difficulty conceiving and infertility, involuntary childlessness (childless not by choice, childless by circumstance), role transitions as well as how to flourish in peri/post-menopause.
Senna Shehadeh MA, LPC-Associate, LCDC-Associate, NCC, CCTP – Psychotherapist, Career Counselor & Motivational Counselor. (Austin, Texas, USA). In-person & Telehealth.
https://sennatherapy.com/
Senna’s career was previously in business management and she chose to retrain as a therapist when she realized that her true passion was helping others navigate life’s difficulties and challenges. She is involuntarily childless herself due to premature ovarian failure and life circumstances, and is passionate about helping other people who find themselves childless adjust to this life they never planned. Senna helps clients navigate the challenges of hormonal fluctuations and anxiety and depression that can accompany perimenopause as well as failed fertility treatment. Senna uses a holistic approach combining physical fitness, nutrition, CBT and ACT to manage symptoms and look forward to the possibility of a fulfilled life.
CANADA (alphabetic by surname)
Catherine-Emmanuelle Delisle – Psychotherapist (Montreal, Canada): Online only.
https://femmesansenfant.com
Catherine-Emmanuelle is the founder of the award-winning French/English website ‘FemmeSansEnfant‘ and is also a therapist working with childless people. She works in both French and English, online and in-person, as well as being available as a workplace and conference speaker on the issues facing people without children. You can find her also on Facebook here and has created a short video called ‘4 Good Reasons to Choose Me as a Therapist.’ Catherine-Emmanuelle is a licensed Gateway Women workshop facilitator in North America and you can find out more about her Reignite Weekend workshops here. Book a free 30-min introductory session here.
Tanya Hubbard – Registered Therapeutic Counsellor and Coach (Vancouver area, Canada & Internationally). Online only.
https://www.tanyahubbard.com
Tanya is a counsellor and coach who works holistically, meaning that her work incorporates your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual self, and that she approaches everything she does with attention to the social and cultural context. Tanya incorporates body awareness into her talk therapy sessions and, depending on your needs, she can draw from somatic work, CBT, DBT, narrative and feminist therapy, mindfulness techniques, and solution-focused based therapy.
Harmony Ziegler: Akoya Lifestyle & Wellness Therapy – Registered Clinical Counsellor (British Columbia, Canada): https://www.akoyatherapy.com/ In-person & onlineHarmony specializes in therapy for people with the greatest power to impact positive world change: mindful leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives & game-changers. Akoya is an innovative therapeutic approach including therapy online, therapy outdoors, and one-on-one therapy retreats in luxurious Tofino or laid-back Courtenay, BC. This is therapy at nature’s pace – think therapy meets wellness vacation. Wherever you live in British Columbia, Akoya welcomes you. Our work together may include a focus on your strengths, immersion in nature, art as therapy, sensory awareness, and self-regulation practices. Harmony is childless not by choice and a hysterectomy survivor. Listen to her podcast interview about balancing entrepreneurship and childlessness grief here.
AUSTRALIA (alphabetic by surname)
Anne Altimore – Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Coach. Australia (Melbourne): https://www.lifeafterivf.com.au
A qualified psychotherapist, counsellor and coach, Anne offers a variety of ways to work with her to support you after your fertility journey ended without a child – and this also includes those who had other forms of fertility treatment. She works with both individuals and couples and understands how complex and multi-faceted transitioning into life as a non-parent can be, both from her own and her clinical experience. Contact Anne to book a free, no-obligation 30-min consultation call here.
Judy Graham – Counsellor. Australia (Gold Coast) https://www.womenhood.com.au
Judy’s counselling practice WomenHood specialises in supporting women who are struggling with some aspect of childlessness. She has her own experience with childlessness and also recognises that there are many different paths to that destination. Her goal is that, whatever your situation, she can provide safe, caring and professional counselling so that you can share the hurt as you heal and gain strategies to cope and thrive. Judy is also also a licensed Gateway Women workshop facilitator for Australia & NZ and you can find out more about her workshops for Gateway Women here.
Narelle Hudson – Counsellor. (Australia, Brisbane). www.narellehudson.org
Narelle is a qualified counsellor (ACA registered) and the author of ‘The Baby Dream: Learning to Live with Infertility and Loss’ and she specialises in working with grief, loss, and trauma with a focus on infertility, IVF or being childless-not-by-choice. As well as being a counsellor, Narelle is Reiki and Seichim Practitioner as well as a qualified Crystal Healing Therapist and a massage therapist. She offers counselling sessions in-person and online.
Sarah Roberts – Counsellor (Australia, Brisbane): http://www.theemptycradle.com
Sarah is the founder of The Empty Cradle which offers support to childless women to grieve losses, navigate complex thoughts and feelings, feel more confident in social spaces and workplaces and move forward with confidence in their futures. She works both in-person and online and is also a licensed Gateway Women workshop facilitator for Australia and New Zealand, and you can find out more about her workshops for Gateway Women here.
NEW ZEALAND
Dr Vicki Connop – Psychologist (Auckland, NZ): In-person & online
https://www.wiseminds.co.nz/
Vicki is a Registered Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of experience in public mental health services and private practice. She specialises in mindfulness-based therapies and somatic psychology (working with emotion held in the body). She has a strong interest in the teachings of Buddhist psychology and yoga and is also a qualified yoga teacher, integrating a number of different therapeutic modalities in her work. She works both in-person and online.
CHILDLESS COACHES GLOBAL LIST (alphabetic by practice name)
‘Childless Coaching’ is tangible, goal-oriented, short-term support to help you move towards some aspect of your childless journey, usually once you have unpacked and worked through any intense distress you might have felt, and are looking for practical support going forward with changes you’d like to make. (listed in alphabetic order):
Abigail Aldrich (USA, East Coast): https://abigailaldrich.com/ Online only.
Abigail calls herself ‘a tiger coach’ and focuses her work with childless women on helping you to discover what she calls ‘The Tiger Powers’ (Intuition. Belief. Focus. Determination. Strength. Courage. Resourcefulness. Consistency. Resiliency) and put them to work to identify your purpose, create your own fulfillment, and solidify your legacy. In her mid-forties, her career background is arts conservation and project management, and she has an inspiring ‘can do’ attitude. Based on East Coast USA, she offers a 3-month package of weekly online 60-minute sessions with Voxer voice/text messaging support in-between sessions. You can book a free consultation call through her website here.
Apricot Lane Coaching – Sarah Bradley (UK, Gloucestershire): In-Person or Online
https://apricotlanecoaching.co.uk/
Sarah Bradley offers online and in-person coaching for those dealing with ‘Unplanned Childlessness’. She has a background in working in schools so also understands the complexity of being a childless woman in a family-centric working environment. Sarah also hosts small group coaching courses around being both single and childless. She is also a member of the Lighthouse Women Private Online Community on MightyNetworks if you wanted to reach out there.
Beth Rivelli Coaching (US): http://www.
Beth Rivelli is a professionally trained coach committed to working with women whose lives have been disrupted by divorce, those who are angsting about missing their motherhood timeline, or those who have missed it. She creates a safe place to land for those in their grief as they clear the clutter and find a new version of themselves and a future they want to create on the other side. Her foundational paradigm is ontological life coaching, meaning she believes that the relationship we have to ourselves is the genesis of every other relationship we have in our lives.
Butterfly and Beyond – Sophia Andeh (UK, Oxon): currently online only
https://www.butterflyandbeyond.com/
Life coach and yoga teacher Sophia Andeh offers weekend yoga retreats, online coaching, and private yoga classes in Oxford and online for childless-not-by-choice women. As well as being one of Gateway Women’s licensed Reignite Weekend workshop facilitators, she is also a graduate of the Gateway Women Plan B Program and in 2021 won an award for her Master’s research into how coaching can help childless women.
Embodied Possibility – Sarah Jane Smith (British Columbia, Canada): Online and In-person.https://www.
Mia Vita Healing, Juli Angelis (UK, London): In-Person London/Brighton or Online.
https://www.miavitahealing.com/
Juli is an NLP Life Coach & Trauma Therapy Practitioner who believes in a trauma-informed integrative approach to people’s well-being, coaching and healing journeys. She uses her own blend of therapeutic and coaching tools tailored to her client’s needs which include: EMDR Therapy, IEMT (Integral Eye Movement Therapy), Timeline Therapy, Neuro Linguistic Programming and traditional Coaching methods. Juli also believes in equipping her clients with various grounding tools and techniques that clients can use in their day to day, and offers ongoing support in between sessions if needed (e.g. emails/coaching calls). Juli is childless by circumstance herself, and although grew up in between London and Italy, now lives in Sussex with her two ragdoll cats.
Mind Body Revival Coach – Aisha (UK): online only
https://mindbodyrevivalcoach.com/
Aisha (she/her) is a Certified Transformational Coach and the founder of Mind Body Revival. She is a fierce endometriosis advocate who spent ten years trying to conceive and who, after 11 rounds of IVF and four miscarriages, left the process without a baby. Aisha specialises in supporting individuals who are involuntarily childless, however they got there. She aims to empower others without children to lead a fulfilling life. Aisha works from an intersectional perspective and understands each person is shaped by their lived experience. Aisha integrates the mind-body connection in her work – the way the body responds to the way we think, feel and act can impact our entire well-being. She strongly believes in the power of community healing and through Instagram @mindbodyrevival_coach has created space for childless folk to land. Aisha works virtually with clients globally.
Persephone Wellbeing – Janice Leeming (UK): Online only. https://persephone-
Janice is a Certified Wellbeing Coach living on the south coast of England. She is childless through circumstance and did her Reignite Weekend with Jody back in 2015; they also volunteered together at what later became the UK Charity ‘Ageing Without Children’. Janice now provides transformative personal coaching, via Zoom, to professionals who need to tackle stress or recover from burnout and want to make a positive change in their lives. She has a track record of successful senior management combined with a deep passion and knowledge of well-being techniques gained through personal development, practice and study over the last 15 years. Janice has used these techniques to overcome periods of stress and burnout in her own life, and has found that these times can be refocused as a springboard for positive change and transformation. She now works with other professionals to guide them as they embark on their own journeys.
Real Relating – Nicola Foster – Love and Intimacy Therapist and Coach (UK): online onlyhttps://www.realrelating.com/
Nicola’s ‘Real Relating’ practice helps men, women and couples to rebuild heart connection, rediscover intimacy and passion, and build extraordinary and real relationships. She is childless-not-by-choice and this was a big part of her journey to becoming a therapist as her Plan B second career. As well as working directly with clients, she hosts online courses and masterclasses, writes a column on couples therapy for the i newspaper (UK), and generously shares a lot of free content on her Instagram page @realrelatingwithnicola to help you to get to know both her and her work.
Sara Avant Stover (USA, Boulder, Colorado): Online/In-Person.
https://saraavantstover.com/offerings
The author of three books, a Certified IFS (Internal Family Systems) Practitioner, and a long-time women’s spirituality mentor and yoga and meditation teacher, Sara offers both personal and business ‘1-to-1 Mentoring’ packages. She also offers online courses and both in-person and online retreats for women around topics such as Becoming Whole, Befriending Your Inner Critic, Meditation, Healing from Heartbreak (like childlessness), and moving on after abortion. Sara interviewed me for her podcast, her Self, in June 2021 and it is both one of her most listened-to episodes and one of my favourites too. Listen to Sara interview Jody here, or read the transcript.
Sasha Cagen (USA, Providence, Rhode Island): Online only
http://sashacagen.com
Sasha is the author of the cult favourite book Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics, a landmark book putting a new twist on being a discerning single that got attention everywhere from the New York Times to CNN. Since 2011, Sasha has worked with women around the world, offering unique life coaching programs integrating body and mind intelligence to help women who have not followed traditional paths to get clear about what they really want and create their own versions of a “turned-on life.” Her coaching programs offer empowering support around being a “non-mother” for whatever reason and for women who are currently unpartnered (or partnered and wanting to find themselves again). You can see Sasha talk with Jody about childlessness and motherhood ambivalence here.
Sheri Johnson (Canada, Ontario): Online only
https://sherijohnson.ca/
Sheri Johnson helps women who are childless by circumstance to awaken their worth in a world that makes them feel inadequate. Her passion is inspiring these women to live joyful lives of meaning instead of lack. After 3 miscarriages and 6 years of infertility, Sheri’s coaching background and spiritual training led her to discover a process for navigating the triggers, the feelings of exclusion and the lack of purpose. You can listen to a 2022 podcast interview she recorded with Jody here. You can book a free ‘Alignment Call’ with Sheri here.
Your Lemonade Life – Ruth Berkowitz (USA, East Coast): Online only
https://yourlemonadelife.com
Ruth Berkowitz, MA is based on the US East Coast and offers coaching for childless women whether the loss is fresh, or you have been living with it for many years. She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Spiritual Psychology and applies this in a holistic way, 1:1, to soothe all levels of consciousness – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Possible ingredients include mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation, mindful movement, writing, nature-based support and inspiration, as well as more conventional mental well-being approaches.
