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An Introduction to the Special Section on Psychotherapy for Pregnancy Loss
Review of Issues, Clinical Applications, and Future Research Direction
Abstract
This introduction article to the special section on psychotherapy for pregnancy loss reviews important societal and psychological issues, key clinical processes and recommendations, and future research directions. Differences and similarities among the articles in the special section are discussed along with each article’s contribution to the higher order goal of viewing pregnancy loss through a psychological rather than solely medical lens. Each article in this section reviews different therapeutic modalities, interventions, and key clinical process issues when working with patients who have suffered the loss of a pregnancy. The important role that psychotherapy can play in helping parents to mourn the loss of a pregnancy is explored in this introductory article and throughout the special section.
Keywords: reproductive loss, disenfranchised grief, miscarriage, perinatal grief, psychotherapy for pregnancy loss
Rayna D. Markin, Ph.D.
Rayna D. Markin, PhD, received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park and is currently an associate professor in counseling at Villanova University and a licensed psychologist with a private practice (https://www.therapistsinphiladelphia.com/meet-us/rayna-markin/). Her research and clinical work focus on psychotherapy from a relational-attachment perspective for individuals and couples coping with fertility struggles and pregnancy loss. She is the author of the new book Psychotherapy for Pregnancy Loss: Applying Relationship Science to Clinical Practice, and co-author of the book Attachment in Group Psychotherapy. Through her clinical writing and practice, Dr. Markin has developed an attachment-based experiential and trauma-informed approach to treating the psychological effects of pregnancy loss, as demonstrated in the new American Psychological Association (APA) Therapy Demonstration video on psychotherapy for pregnancy loss. Dr. Markin has over 40 published articles, books, and book chapters on the psychotherapy relationship and psychotherapy for pregnancy loss, recurrent pregnancy loss, pregnancies after loss, and fetal terminations due to genetic anomaly. She is associate editor of the APA journal Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, and Training. Dr. Markin is frequently interviewed in the media on topics related to pregnancy loss and infertility. She has held several leadership positions in Division 29 of the APA and served on the Third Interdivisional APA Task Force on evidence-based relationships and responsiveness.
Cite This Article
Markin, R. D. (2017). An introduction to the special section on psychotherapy for pregnancy loss: Review of issues, clinical applications, and future research direction. Psychotherapy, 54(4), 367–372.
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