What is fertility counselling?
Deciding to start fertility treatment can be an emotional and challenging time. It may affect your mental wellbeing as well as your relationships with a partner, family members or friends. Many people find that others do not fully understand what they are going through, which can leave them feeling isolated.
At the Assisted Conception Unit at Guy’s Hospital, supporting both the physical and emotional wellbeing of our fertility patients is a priority. Fertility counselling provides a safe, confidential space to explore your feelings, concerns and choices with a trained professional who understands the complexities of fertility treatment.
Counselling is an integral part of all our fertility treatments, and we actively encourage patients to access our counselling services. Support is available before, during and after treatment, helping you feel informed, supported and emotionally prepared at every stage.
Specialist fertility care when you need it
Our fertility specialists provide high‑quality, personalised care for all patients, including:
- short‑notice appointments, often available within one week
- fast access to fertility treatment
- personalised treatment plans and dedicated emotional support
Fertility counselling and emotional support
Fertility counselling offers a safe, confidential space to explore your feelings, coping strategies, treatment options and relationship concerns. Our specialist counsellors can help you understand and express emotions around fertility that may be difficult to put into words, supporting you to make informed decisions about the right fertility treatment for you.
Confidential counselling sessions are provided by our experienced fertility counselling team, who understand the medical, emotional and personal aspects of fertility treatment. Counselling is available to all patients accessing services at our Assisted Conception Unit and can be arranged for individuals or couples.
Our counselling services include support for:
- emotional wellbeing during fertility treatment
- psychosexual counselling
- donor sperm or egg treatment
- surrogacy
- surgical sperm retrieval
- fertility preservation
If you would like to access fertility counselling, complete the form on this page or speak to our team to book an appointment with one of our specialist counsellors.
Our fertility counselling team
Caroline Darcy is our senior counsellor with over 25 years’ experience of supporting fertility patients. She is an accredited interpersonal psychotherapist and counselling for depression (CFD) therapist. She also has a post graduate qualification in psychological counselling.
Katie Bottle is our fertility counsellor and a psychosexual therapist. She has a degree in counselling and psychotherapy, as well as postgraduate qualifications in psychosexual therapy. Katie also has experience working with vulnerable families, she offers psychosexual therapy to patients who are experiencing sexual difficulties that may impact on their fertility treatment.
Tracey Chester is the lead for the patient emotional pathway and has worked for the NHS since 1985.
She has extensive experience, including a Masters in counselling and psychotherapy, as a registered mental health nurse and an accredited member of the British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA). Tracey has a specialist interest in fertility preservation for oncology patients.
Reviewed regularly to reflect clinical best practice
Last reviewed: 16 December 2024
Locations
Fertility counselling is available in the following locations:
Related resources
Find out more about related fertility services:
Discover our team of fertility experts
Meet our team of leading fertility consultants. From infertility investigations to treatments like IVF, our specialists are here to provide you with personalised care.
Book a fertility appointment today
Call us on +44 (0)203 9934 388 to book your appointment today.
Alternatively, fill in our online enquiry form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.