Infertility Among Counselor Education and Supervision Doctoral Students: Expectations,Experiences,and Knowledge

Abstract

Females are disproportionately affected by infertility, and Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) doctoral students are predominantly female. Using phenomenological approach female CES doctoral students with infertility diagnoses were interviewed. Six themes emerged from the interviews: younger is better for conception; familial and societal messages; infertility knowledge; triggers; academics and infertility; something wrong with me, regret, and others don’t understand. Clinical implications and future directions are provided to promote social justice by bringing awareness and amplifying the voices of people suffering from a disability and a disease that is rarely recognized as either.

Keywords

infertility doctoral student counselor education and supervision phenomenology

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