If you have experienced an abortion or termination of a pregnancy, you are not alone. It is estimated that 25% of people with a uterus experience by the age of 45.1
It doesn’t matter to me what your reason was for getting an abortion, and it doesn’t matter where or when you experienced it. You are welcome in my office, and I’ll happily pass you the coziest blanket here to prove it.
Read on to discover how mental health support is effective after an abortion, or click here if you are in the state of Kansas and ready for non-judgmental, supportive therapy.
What is post-abortion therapy?
Counseling services after an abortion offer a safe, supportive, and compassionate place to reflect on your experience and the effects of your experience. Whether you feel relief, guilt, shame, excitement, or sadness about getting an abortion, my office can be a space for you to talk openly about it all without filtering yourself from what others might think of you.
I am avidly pro-choice and will not question or shame you for receiving an abortion. I have received extensive training through The Institute of Birth, Breath, and Death’s Holding Space for Abortion as well as Postpartum Support International’s 2023 Post-Abortion Support and Termination for Medical Reasons in order to best sit alongside you during this time. If you have any questions about services, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Why go to therapy for abortion?
No matter how you feel about your abortion – whether it was ten days ago or ten years ago – the experience can be isolating2. Few people talk about their abortions because it is so stigmatizing in today’s society. Therapy can help you feel less alone by talking about the experience itself or talking about how the isolation is impacting you emotionally.
You deserve support in working through all the emotions you are experiencing.
Post-abortion support might include:
- Discussing how to make a self-care plan
- Understanding the complex emotions around your abortion
- Balancing the both/and of complex emotions
- Couples therapy to discuss your individual experience of abortion
- Processing the fear of getting pregnant again
- Understanding how your beliefs or attitudes towards abortion might have changed after experiencing one
- Building a support network for you
What if I feel good about my abortion?
There is absolutely not a “right” or “wrong” way to feel about past abortion experiences – even if the news, politicians, or family members tell you otherwise. Individuals who experienced an abortion and feel relief or gratitude for it may still benefit from therapy in a number of ways, including:
- Unpacking the social stigma behind it
- Coping with other people’s opinions about abortion
- Processing the effects of the abortion on your romantic relationship
- Coping with politicized discussions about abortion
- Talking through the procedure experience itself (the difficulty of choosing, having to find a provider inside or outside of your area, walking into the clinic, braving protestors, experiencing a medical procedure, the treatment of medical staff, etc.)
- Talking through the external circumstances (unhealthy relationships, domestic violence, effects of poverty, being done having children, previous birth trauma, previous difficult pregnancy experiences, etc.)
There are layers to an abortion experience, and it is important to unfold them slowly and with a mental health provider trained in abortion. I have extensive training in treating individuals who received an abortion – spontaneous or intentionally – and I look forward to sitting alongside you as move forward.
Will we only talk about my abortion?
You are in charge of sessions. I know there is more to you than your abortion experience. While it might be the reason you started therapy, it doesn’t have to be the only thing we talk about.
For example, if you are non-binary or transgender, the effects of your gender identity might also add to the stigmatization you are experiencing after an abortion.
Therapy is a collaboration – a conversation. Life is full of experiences to find new meaning from or to unpack the emotions that something brings up.
Post-Abortion Counseling in Wichita, KS
Riley Blanton, T-LMFT is a therapist who specializes in reproductive mental health, especially regarding abortion. Riley offers individual, couples, and family therapy in her office in Wichita, KS or virtually through a secure video platform if you reside in the state of Kansas.
In the therapy room, I focus on the mind-body connection in therapy. Abortion experiences are intertwined with our brains and our bodies. After all, you’re on this website because your body went through a lot — even if. How can we heal our minds if we do not include our bodies?
This might look like incorporating grounding techniques to regulate your nervous system, practicing breathing strategies to focus on the present during flashbacks, or introducing yourself to your new body – one that has experienced an abortion and deserves to be held.
Additionally, we might assess how you are talking to yourself (Are you blaming yourself for what happened? Are you shaming yourself?), what stories you are telling yourself (Wondering why you feel relief after? Convincing yourself you’re a stigma now?), as well as the effects of the abortion on your life (How are your relationships? How often do you think about the abortion? What emotions are you experiencing after it — both the positive and the negative feelings?).
Overall, there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to post-abortion support. We will work together to develop your treatment goals and move you towards healing one step at a time — all the while never judging, shaming, or treating you any differently.
If I am not the best fit for you, I’d love to send you some referrals and get you connected with someone who can help! This can be a vulnerable time. You deserve to find support, and I’d be humbled to help you in that.
References
2 de Puy, C., & Dovitch, D. (1997). The Healing Choice: Your Guide to Emotional Recovery After an Abortion. Touchstone.