The Impact of Parenthood on the Therapeutic Relationship

April E. Fallon, PhD, is a faculty member of Fielding Graduate University and clinical professor at Drexel University College of Medicine. She has published books and articles on the adoptive parent, group psychotherapy, therapist pregnancy and body image. She has taught and supervised psychiatric residents and graduate students in clinical psychology for 30 years. Virginia Brabender, PhD, ABPP, is a professor within Widener University’s Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology. She has published books and articles on the adoptive parent, group psychotherapy and psychological assessment. She has taught and supervised graduate students in clinical psychology for over 30 years. She is on the editorial board of the International Journal for Group Psychotherapy and the Journal of Personality Assessment.

1. Introduction 2. The Developmental Journey From Pregnancy to Motherhood: Psychological and Physiological Changes and the Management of Their Impact on Treatment 3. Patients’ Reactions to Therapists’ Pregnancy 4. Therapist Reactions 5. Difficult Issues in Pregnancy and Parenthood 6. Therapist as Father 7. Non-Traditional Family Structures: Adoptive, Single, and LGBT 8. Developmental Status of the Patient 9. The Diagnostic Status of the Patient 10. Multi-person Therapeutic Modalities: Group, Couple, and Family Therapies 11. Expectant Parents’ Relationships with Peers, Supervisors, and the Workplace 12. Conclusions and Future Directions Bibliography