Have you ever considered that your clients might be suffering in silence?
Unless you or someone you know has been impacted by abortion, you have likely neglected to think of the over 1 million women, men, and families impacted by abortion each year.
The topic of abortion tends to ignite very heavy reactions and very limited compassion, which is one of the reasons why those who have been impacted by abortion choose to live in silence for far too long.
As a naive therapist, I spent years neglecting sexual abuse and sex trafficking survivors’ need for healing after abortion. I was not educated in graduate school or in my field experiences about the impact of abortion, therefore unintentionally avoided it completely. As I look back on those years, I often ponder how things could have been different. The reality is, I am not sure that it would have been.
Now that my eyes have been opened to the true impact of abortion regret, I have been more aware of the holes in my clinical education and training. I have witnessed professors from major universities grow uncomfortable and avoid talking about abortion. Very few therapists that I have met feel truly equipped to help those needing support after an abortion. In addition, our country offers a limited variety of support for those seeking help after an abortion. Training for professionals is even more limiting.
Michaelene Fredenburg, President and CEO of Life Perspectives saw the same gap in reproductive loss training for therapists. Life Perspectives became accredited by both the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapist and the National Association of Social Workers to provide continuing education on the topics of reproductive loss to therapists. Michaelene shared in her interview on the Support After Abortion Healing Network, that for most therapists it has never been suggested to them that they should inquire about someone’s reproductive history when doing their intake. From her experience, such an inquiry allows a client to reveal their reproductive history information to the therapist, allowing further assessment of the treatment needed for the loss.[ultimate_video u_video_url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oSPiOe8YcM” yt_autoplay=”” yt_sugg_video=”” yt_mute_control=”” yt_modest_branding=”” yt_privacy_mode=”” thumbnail=”custom” custom_thumb=”id^19695|url^https://supportafterabortion.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Why-therapists-need-training-on-abortion-grief-and-loss-ep02.png|caption^null|alt^null|title^Why therapists need training on abortion grief and loss ep02|description^null” play_size=”75″ enable_sub_bar=””]Support After Abortion is excited to announce that we are collaborating with Life Perspectives to provide FREE Reproductive Grief Care Trainings via Zoom. In this 3 hour training, led by our Clinical Coordinator, Amy Vogel, you will gain comfort and competence in providing a safe place for men, women and families impacted by reproductive loss. With a combined total of 2 million abortion and miscarriage losses happening each year in the United States, it is vital that service providers are equipped and empowered to serve those that are impacted by abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth and adoption. This training will help model a path for reproductive loss grief that has never been modeled before.