At this time; especially, over the last couple of months, some of you may be thinking about abortion, birth, pregnancy, or fertility and parenting. At Synergy, we are delighted to accompany many people through the experience of deciding when, if and how one or multiple people become parents.
This is a landscape of life rich with layers of complex emotion and story. Sometimes, we need to have our experiences land with an empathetic therapist, our struggle or trauma validated, our life-altering awe and joy witnessed or our decisions sifted through and affirmed. We may encounter that which we did not expect when trying for a family, actively avoiding this, during pregnancy or when a baby arrives. We need to hear that it is okay to feel all the ways we do and to understand the why of it. Synergy is aligned with your human rights in all of these choices and experiences and welcomes you at any stage. We have therapists with varied lived experiences with many aspects of family life.
Relatedly, our team here at Synergy loves good books or resources to share and discuss. Did you know that if you happen to be creating your family through assisted reproduction, including single parenting by choice, surrogacy, or donor gametes there is a charity network called Donor Conception Network? They are a UK-based network with a Canadian chapter. They have 30 years of experience assisting parents in preparing for these possibilities, living these experiences as well as supporting and sharing information with children conceived in these ways.
You can purchase materials to pave the way for conversations with children, and your extended family, be supported in developing knowledge about the implications of these choices and receive peer support from people who have lots of familiarity with this journey. Check them out if this aligns with you!