THE HEIDELBERG FERTILITY CONSULTATION SER VICE - A MODEL OF PSYCHOSOMATIC COUNSELING FOR INVOLUNTARILY CHILDLESS COUPLES

All involuntarily childless couples who contact the Department of Obst etrics and Gynaecology at Heidelberg University Hospital are offered t he opportunity of psychological counselling as an integral part of the infertility treatment. It includes two initial counselling interviews followed by ten further sessions of couple therapy. The primary aim o f counselling and couple therapy is to make it easier for couples to c ome to terms with the non-fulfilment of their desire for a child, to e nhance their quality of life in this situation, and to offer psycholog ical support to cope with infertility and its medical treatment. In th is paper the frame conditions, the procedure and typical subjects of c ounselling are described. A detailed description of specific psycholog ical interventions is given.