Cope, Heal, and Recover from Pregnancy Termination
If you’ve had to terminate your pregnancy, and would like some support I am here for you
Support After Abortion or Pregnancy Termination
Welcome — I’m truly glad you’re here.
If you’ve had an abortion — for medical reasons, personal circumstances, or any combination of complex and deeply human factors — this is a place where your experience is honored. Too often, people carry the weight of pregnancy termination in silence, uncertain where to turn for compassion or understanding. My role as a therapist is to offer a warm, nonjudgmental space for you to process whatever you’re feeling: grief, relief, confusion, strength, sorrow — or all of the above.
There is no single emotional path after abortion, and there is no need to justify your story. You are welcome here, just as you are.
Termination for Medical Reasons (TFMR)
When pregnancy ends due to a medical condition, fetal anomaly, or a threat to the birthing person’s health, the experience is often marked by heartbreak and invisibility. Many women who undergo TFMR deeply wanted their pregnancy, which makes the grief layered and painful. You may be carrying not only sorrow, but guilt, anger, or trauma related to the medical care you received.
Therapy offers a compassionate space to hold both your loss and your love, to work through grief without pressure, and to honor the complexity of your experience without minimizing it.
Termination to Meet Life’s Demands
For some, the decision to end a pregnancy is rooted in the realities of life — personal safety, mental health, financial strain, family responsibilities, or the simple truth that the timing wasn’t right. These decisions are often made with strength, care, and the best judgment available in that moment.
And yet, even when the decision feels right, it can carry emotional weight. You might feel relief and still grieve what could have been. Therapy creates space for the fullness of that experience — not to question your decision, but to support your emotional well-being afterward. You deserve to be met with respect, not shame; with care, not silence.
What You Might Be Feeling
- Sadness, grief, or longing
- Relief mixed with guilt or uncertainty
- Shame, self-criticism, or judgment from others
- Emotional numbness or a sense of disconnect
- Fear about future pregnancies or decisions
- Anger at circumstances, your body, or others
These responses — and many others — are valid. There is no right way to feel after a pregnancy ends. My goal is to help you make space for what you feel, without rushing or pushing it away.
How Therapy Can Help
Whether you’re processing loss, shame, trauma, or emotional exhaustion, therapy can help you hold your experience with greater clarity and self-compassion. I work with people at all stages — whether your abortion was recent, years ago, or still unspoken. We move at your pace, honoring what feels safe and supportive for you.
My approach is gentle, affirming, and rooted in the belief that healing doesn’t mean forgetting — it means integrating your experience into your life with more understanding, more ease, and less pain.
My Therapeutic Approach
- Mindfulness-Based Therapy: Helps you stay present with your emotions without becoming overwhelmed or reactive.
- Compassion-Focused Therapy: Encourages self-kindness and emotional safety in the face of guilt, shame, or grief.
- ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy): Builds your ability to hold discomfort and stay grounded in your values.
- CBT: Offers tools to notice and shift unhelpful thoughts that contribute to anxiety or self-blame.
- Grief-Informed, Trauma-Sensitive Care: Honors both emotional and physical aspects of pregnancy loss or abortion.
Frequently Asked Questions
“Do I have to feel regret to benefit from therapy?”
Not at all. Some people feel peace with their decision and still want support in processing grief, fear, or relationship changes. Therapy meets you wherever you are.
“Is it okay to feel both relief and sadness?”
Yes. These feelings can coexist. You don’t have to choose one or justify either. Therapy helps you hold both with compassion.
“What if my abortion was years ago?”
It’s never too late to explore the impact of a meaningful experience. Many people seek therapy years later when emotions surface unexpectedly or are ready to be processed more deeply.
“Will therapy make me relive everything?”
No. We will go at your pace. Therapy doesn’t require you to retell every detail — just to explore what feels most important or helpful to understand now.
“Can you support me even if I’m not sure how I feel?”
Absolutely. Ambivalence is common. Therapy can help you gently explore and give shape to what feels unclear.
“Can I include my partner or someone else in sessions?”
Yes. If it would feel supportive, we can include someone in one or more sessions. Your care and your comfort come first.
Resources for Post-Abortion Support
- Exhale Pro-Voice
Textline and community for people processing abortion, with peer-led support and real-life stories. - All-Options Talkline
1-888-493-0092 — Confidential support for people considering or healing from abortion, adoption, parenting, or loss. - Postpartum Support International
Includes grief and perinatal mental health resources for all forms of reproductive loss.
Need Immediate Support?
- Exhale After-Abortion Textline
Text 617-749-2948 (check hours on website). - 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 anytime for free, confidential support. - Perinatal Support Washington
1-888-404-7763 — Warmline staffed by people trained in perinatal mental health and grief.
You Are Not Alone
Your story is yours. Your experience matters. Whether you’re carrying pain, peace, uncertainty, or something in between — you deserve to be supported with care.
Reach out to schedule a free consultation. I’d be honored to support your healing, on your terms and in your time.
