Surrogacy, Egg & Embryo Donation Consultations
Before you choose a donor, match with a carrier, or commit to a path.
Understand your options. Ask meaningful questions. Prepare for the family you hope to build.
A Space to Think Beyond the Next Step
You may be considering surrogacy, egg donation, or embryo donation without knowing whether it is the right next step for you. You deserve an opportunity to understand what each path could involve before making decisions.
I offer educational consultations for individuals and couples who are still exploring. Together, we discuss the emotional, relational, and family considerations that can be easy to overlook when the focus is on getting started.
You do not need a clinic referral, a selected donor, or an agency match. You can begin here—with your questions.
A Place to Explore Before You Decide Your Family-Building Path
My intention behind the consultation is to give you time to consider what matters to you before selecting a donor, entering a surrogacy match, or committing to treatment.
We can explore expectations about genetic connection, relationships with donors or gestational carriers, future contact, and how you might share your child’s story. You can also identify questions to bring to clinics, agencies, and reproductive law attorneys, with referrals available when helpful.
The goal is to help you understand your options and make a thoughtful decision—including whether you want more time before moving forward.
Please note: My educational consultation is designed to help you learn, ask questions, and prepare—not to provide an evaluation or clearance. If you need to fulfill a clinic or agency requirement, please mention this when you reach out so we can discuss the appropriate service.
What We Can Explore Together
Surrogacy
Before matching with a gestational carrier, consider what this path could mean for you and the relationship you hope to build. We can explore:
Your expectations about communication, boundaries, and involvement during pregnancy.
Preparing for uncertainty and differences in preferences.
Becoming a parent through a pregnancy someone else carries.
Hopes for contact after birth.
How you might share your child’s surrogacy story.
Egg Donation
Before choosing an egg donor, take time to consider genetic connection, donor information, and your future child’s questions. We can explore:
What genetic and nongenetic parenthood mean to you.
Questions to consider when choosing a known donor or a donor through a program.
Access to donor information and expectations about future contact.
What to share with family and friends.
How to begin and continue conversations with your child about their conception.
Embryo Donation
Before selecting a program or accepting donated embryos, explore the family relationships and expectations that may be involved. We can discuss:
What parenting a child without a genetic connection to either intended parent could mean for your family.
Questions to ask about the donating family and available information.
Genetic siblings and potential future connections.
Expectations about openness, contact, and boundaries.
How to help your child understand their origins as they grow.
Why Work With Joanna
I am a LCSW with advanced training in reproductive mental health, including mental health treatment of Infertility, Levels 1 and 2, through the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Before becoming a therapist, I practiced law for more than a decade. My background informs a thoughtful, structured approach to complex decisions, with attention to the personal and relational questions that deserve time and consideration.
In these consultations, my role is educational—to help you understand what to consider, what meaningful questions to ask, and how to prepare for the family you hope to build.
Who I Intend These Consultations For
These consultations may be helpful if you are:
Considering surrogacy, egg donation, or embryo donation and unsure where to begin.
Comparing options before choosing a clinic, agency, donor, or gestational carrier.
Hoping to understand the longer-term implications before committing.
Exploring different expectations or questions with your partner.
Already moving forward and seeking additional education.
You may attend individually or with your partner.
You do not need to be a therapy client or have decided how you will build your family.
Common Questions About Surrogacy & Donor Consultations
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No, these are educational consultations focused on information, preparation, and family-building considerations.
Although we may discuss emotional topics, the service does not include psychotherapy, diagnosis, or mental health treatment.
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I am trained to provide third-party reproduction screenings and consultations required by fertility clinics and agencies. However, this educational consultation is designed to help you learn, ask questions, and prepare—not to provide an evaluation or clearance.
If you need to fulfill a clinic or agency requirement, please mention this when you reach out so we can discuss the appropriate service.
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No. You can schedule a consultation while you are still exploring.
Understanding the considerations involved may help you decide which questions to investigate next.
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Yes. Attending together can give you space to ask questions, compare expectations, and identify areas you would like to discuss further.
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These consultations focus on psychosocial education and preparation. Medical recommendations, legal advice, and review of agreements belong with your fertility team and reproductive law attorney.
However, I can offer referrals to medical and legal professionals who work in surrogacy and donor-assisted reproduction.
Related Resources
REASONS TO BOOK
REASONS TO BOOK
CLINICALLY TRAINED
You’re drawn to therapy that goes beyond symptom relief—a space with a curious, reflective, and empathetic therapist who helps you uncover the unconscious origins of your thoughts, feelings, and relational patterns, and understand how they continue to shape your present experience.
DEEP, INSIGHT-ORIENTED APPROACH
Therapy can be challenging work, and having a skilled, clinically trained therapist by your side makes all the difference. After transforming my own career from attorney to therapist, I completed several years of advanced clinical training at both the St. Louis and Chicago Psychoanalytic Institutes. This depth of training allows me to look beyond symptoms alone, helping you understand the underlying patterns that keep you feeling stuck.
WARM AND APPROACHABLE
Starting therapy can feel vulnerable. My goal is to make the process feel approachable by creating a space where you feel comfortable being yourself, asking difficult questions, and exploring what matters most to you.
