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During the course of our careers, many practitioners will encounter patients who are grieving the loss of a pregnancy or the hope of having children. It is easy for us, in our desire to be comforting and encouraging, to inadvertently say something that may invalidate or minimize our patient’s experience. In this course, we will discuss disenfranchised grief, the many paths to childlessness, its effect on the well-being of our patients, and our role as clinicians in helping our patients move through it.
Goals & Objectives:
1. Explore the concept of disenfranchised grief with examples, and why it is common in pregnancy loss and childlessness
2. Know the difference between patients who are childfree vs childless, and why it matters
3. Learn what not to say when your patient has suffered a pregnancy loss or shares their struggle with being childless or grandchildless
4. Learn what resources are out there to provide additional support for patients who are grieving the loss of a pregnancy or the hope of becoming a parent
5. Know when to be a compassionate witness, when to offer comment or suggestion, and when to refer out
6. Learn the long-term effects of childlessness on social life, identity, and self-esteem
7. Learn how acknowledging pregnancy loss and childlessness can turn the experience of filling out health history forms and sitting in your waiting room less activating and more like a step toward healing
Dr. Tracey Steady Hardcastle (owner of Steady Hands Acupuncture), L.Ac., DACM (CT),MSTOM, Dipl.OM (NCCAOM), is an acupuncturist licensed in both Connecticut and Massachusetts. Centrally located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Steady Hands Acupuncture offers acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for infants, children, and adults. Additional East Asian Medicine treatment modalities offered include: Chinese dietary therapy, cupping, gua sha, reiki, and lymph drainage therapy on a case by case basis. Treatment rooms are clean and private.
