Biography

Cheryl Farole-Roman is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Psychoanalyst, with a private practice in Tustin, CA.  She has more than 15 years of clinical experience providing individual, couples and group psychotherapy.  Motivated originally by her own personal experience with infertility, Cheryl has developed a special interest and specialty in helping people cope with the challenges of fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, adoption, pregnancy and parenting.

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Cheryl received undergraduate and master’s degrees from California State University Fullerton, both in Kinesiology, emphasizing Sports Psychology and Stress Management.  She continued her education at CSUF and received a master’s degree in Counseling.  After licensure and establishing a psychotherapy private practice, Cheryl went on to study Psychoanalysis at Newport Psychoanalytic Institute where she received her Doctorate of Psychology in Psychoanalysis and became board certified as a Psychoanalyst. 

Cheryl is continuing her professional growth in the area of infertility as a member of The American Society of Reproductive Medicine, ASRM’s Mental Health Professional Group, The American Fertility Association and Resolve.

Biography

Deborah Lancaster M.S., R.N., is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in Troy, Michigan, specializing in the field of infertility, reproductive medicine, and third party family building. Special interests include pregnancy loss, secondary infertility, adoption, single parenting, third party reproduction, issues related to disclosure to children, and child-free living.

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She is a professional member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, the Mental Health Professional Group and The American Fertility Association.

Biography

Dr. Deborah Simmons is a co-owner of Partners in Healing of Minneapolis (PIH). She is a marriage and family therapist who has been working with individuals, couples and families in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis - St. Paul, MN) for 14 years. She works actively with adults to resolve a variety of concerns, including depression, anxiety, trauma, abuse, health problems, and relationship issues.

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To Dr. Simmons, therapy is about co-creating something new, something different, something better in our lives. Often working in collaboration with physicians, nurses, and genetics counselors, she employs a variety of techniques in her work, including hypnosis, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). She has found that the use of humor and improvisation is helpful in finding new solutions to life's challenges.

Dr. Simmons specializes in reproductive complications. This includes fertility challenges, miscarriage, pregnancy complications, fetal anomalies, premature delivery, and stillbirth. She often is sought out by women with postpartum depression and anxiety. She consults to reproductive medicine clinics and OB-GYN clinics. She has worked with fertility clinics and third party reproductive agencies around the country to provide assessments and testing of potential egg donors and gestational carriers. She is a frequent speaker for the Midwest Region of RESOLVE.

 Dr. Simmons is a principal partner of Partners in Healing of Minneapolis. She received her PhD in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota. Prior to working as a therapist, Dr. Simmons worked as a Congressional aide and lobbyist in Washington, D.C., and a health care policy analyst in St. Paul.

She is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis. She is also a professional member of RESOLVE and the American Fertility Association.

Biography

Elaine Gordon is a Clinical Psychologist with a specialty in infertility, child development, reproductive medicine, and third party family building.  Besides her role as a therapist and group facilitator working with patients struggling with fertility related issues, she lectures on various topics surrounding the psychology of reproductive medicine.

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Dr. Gordon is the author of “Mommy, Did I Grow in Your Tummy? Where some babies come from, a children’s book dedicated to explaining a child’s unique reproductive beginnings. Second publication due to arrive 2010 under the revised title, of “Mommy, Did I Grow in Your Tummy? Where many babies come from.

Her professional associations include The American Psychological Association, andThe American Society for Reproductive Medicine.  She has served as the educational chair for the Psychological Special Interest Group and participates on various group committees. Dr. Gordon’s clinical work involves individual therapy, group process for couples and individuals, staff training for programs involved in reproductive medicine and third party screening and evaluations. She also counsels birthmothers and prospective parents who are considering adoption. 

Dr. Gordon is well versed in both the medical and psychological aspects of reproductive medicine utilizing third parties. Her involvement in egg donation and surrogacy programs has stimulated an interest in the issues surrounding secrecy and disclosure in third party parenting. Related to the disclosure/nondisclosure issue is the need to assess the advantages and disadvantages of open versus closed donation policies. She lectures on disclosure policies and how you talk to children about non-traditional family building focusing on their psychological health. 

Throughout her career in psychology, she has become increasingly concerned about the ethical and moral dilemmas in reproductive medicine. She has co-authored a chapter entitled ’ Legal and Ethical Aspects of Infertility Counseling’ in the textbook Infertility Counseling: A Comprehensive Handbook for Clinicians.  Dr. Gordon is currently involved in several research projects investigating the psychological implication of using egg and or sperm donation as a means of building families. She continues to work with other professionals in establishing a ‘standard of care” policy for the infertility patient and third party participants.