Professional Counseling Now Available at GIVF

For Individuals, Couples Coping with Infertility

Phyllis Martin is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who specializes in working with individuals and couples who are dealing with infertility.  Her sub-specialty is donor egg and she has been facilitating a free “Donor Moms” support group here at GIVF for over a year. Now, Ms. Martin is offering counseling to individuals and couples in her new office at our main office located at 3015 Williams Drive.  Ms. Martin has a Master’s in Education, Counseling and Human Development and has extensive experience in helping patients cope with infertility. She also is the mother of three children conceived using donor eggs. Ms. Martin is on the Board of RESOLVE and is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA).  To learn more about counseling services available or to schedule an appointment with Ms. Martin, please call 703-509-7412.

Donor Egg IVF Support Group Meets Monthly

The May 13 monthly Donor Egg Group will feature a Guest speaker: The parents of an 8 year old child that was conceived using annonymous egg donation will be speaking and sharing their story. This is an excellent opportunity to hear from parents about what life has been like parenting from infancy to school age. Please join us for questions and answers. Topics covered will include the parent's personal story and parenting a child afterwards, changes in perception after conception and birth, disclosure, mother/child bonding, and more! The group is open to the public and free. 7:15-8:30pm, 3015 Williams Drive, Fairfax 22030 - 3rd floor waiting area.

Patients and their partners are encouraged to attend. Guest speakers join our group on occasion; they have included egg donors, GIVF medical staff/nurses, acupuncturists and mind/body facilitators.  The group is designed to offer support, answer questions and give patients a safe and confidential place to discuss infertility and donor egg IVF issues. Meeting time or location may vary for special events. For details, contact Ms. Martin at 703-509-7412 or phyllismartinlpc@cox.net.

IVF Support Group

The IVF support group meets monthly, led by Phyllis Martin, LPC. The group is designed to help couples and individuals who feel they would benefit from the support and interaction of others who are going through similar experiences. There will be opportunity to share or simply listen as the group discusses a wide range of topics surrounding how best to cope with the emotional and physical stress involved with the diagnosis of infertility. Discussion will focus on topics such as how to face questions from friends and family about the absence of children, how to deal with the mixed emotions regarding friends who get pregnant easily, and how infertility diagnosis and treatment can affect a marriage as well as how we look at ourselves. The group meets at the GIVF third floor lobby on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 7:15 PM to 8:30 PM.