Infertility counselling onlineSupport through the waiting and the hope.
Trying for a baby is supposed to be a hopeful time. When it does not happen, life can start to revolve around calendars, test results and appointments, and every month brings its own small cycle of hope and disappointment.
Online in English, with a therapist from our team, wherever you live · Sessions in Greek are with Matina Ladikou.
Each session lasts 45 minutes and costs 70 €. All fees
At Art of Mind, a centre founded by psychotherapist Matina LadikouAt a glance
- Format
- Online by video on Google Meet, 45-minute sessions.
- Who you work with
- A therapist from our team, in English. In Greek, Matina Ladikou.
- Getting started
- Send an enquiry; we reply within 24 hours.
There is help
You don’t have to face this on your own
Friends announce pregnancies, relatives ask well-meaning questions, and it becomes hard to explain to anyone how much it hurts.
At Art of Mind, a psychotherapy centre founded in Patras, Greece in 2019, our therapists offer online counselling in English for individuals and couples going through infertility, fertility investigations or treatment such as IVF. This page explains the emotional side of fertility challenges, what the evidence says, and how sessions with us work.
The emotional weight of infertility
The WHO defines infertility as not conceiving after a year or more of regular unprotected intercourse, and notes that it can lead to stigma, emotional stress, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem (WHO). Those words only partly capture what people describe:
A rollercoaster of hope and grief
Each cycle can bring anticipation followed by loss, sometimes month after month.
Grief that others do not see
Losses in fertility, including failed cycles and pregnancy loss, are often private, so people grieve without the support that usually surrounds a bereavement.
Loss of control
Many people are used to solving problems through effort. Infertility does not respond to effort in the same way, which can be deeply unsettling.
Pressure on the relationship
Partners may cope differently, one wanting to talk and the other needing distance, and sex can start to feel like a task.
Isolation
Social media, family gatherings and workplace conversations can become painful, and some people withdraw to protect themselves.
If you are living abroad, there may be extra layers: treatment in a second language, distance from family, or the choice between clinics in different countries. None of this means you are coping badly. It means you are carrying a lot.
What the research says
Stress and fertility: what the research says
Many people worry that their stress is the reason they have not conceived, or that being anxious will ruin a treatment cycle. That worry can itself become another source of pressure.
The evidence offers some relief. A meta-analysis in the BMJ, pooling 14 prospective studies with 3,583 women undergoing a cycle of assisted reproduction, found that emotional distress before treatment was not associated with whether the cycle resulted in pregnancy (Boivin et al., 2011). The authors concluded that the findings should reassure women and doctors that distress caused by fertility problems or other life events will not compromise the chance of becoming pregnant.
A review in Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience agrees that infertility clearly causes stress, with elevated levels of anxiety and depression reported, while the question of whether stress causes infertility remains debated (Rooney & Domar, 2018). The practical message is that support is worth having for its own sake: to make the process more bearable, not as a "fertility treatment" in itself.
Recognising it
Why counselling is part of good fertility care
Professional guidance treats emotional support as a normal part of fertility care rather than an optional extra. NICE recommends offering counselling to people with fertility problems because both the problems and their investigation and treatment can cause psychological stress, and it recommends offering it before, during and after treatment, irrespective of the outcome (NICE NG257).
The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has also published guidance on routine psychosocial care, describing patients' emotional, relational, behavioural and cognitive needs across the treatment pathway and concluding that routine psychosocial care can help reduce stress and concerns about procedures and improve well-being (Gameiro et al., 2015).
Our approach
How we work with fertility challenges
Our therapists take an evidence-informed, integrative approach, combining methods according to what you need. Depending on where you are in the process, sessions may focus on:
Coping with waiting
The two-week wait, results days and the gaps between cycles can be the hardest parts. We work on practical ways to manage intrusive worry and look after yourself in those periods, drawing on CBT techniques where helpful.
Decision-making
Whether to start, continue, pause or stop treatment; whether to consider donor options or other paths to parenthood. We do not tell you what to decide; we help you think clearly and in line with your own values.
Grief and loss
Making room for the losses involved, including failed cycles, pregnancy loss, and the loss of the future you imagined.
The relationship
Understanding how each partner copes, reducing blame, and protecting intimacy and connection beyond the fertility plan.
Life beyond fertility
Reconnecting with work, friendships and interests that have been put on hold, and with a sense of identity that is not defined by treatment.
We do not promise outcomes, either medical or emotional. Results vary, and we review with you regularly whether sessions are helping. Medical questions stay with your fertility team, and we are glad to work alongside them.
Sessions for individuals and couples
You can come on your own, together, or alternate between the two. Some couples find joint sessions help them communicate; others prefer individual space first. The fee is the same either way: 70 € per 45-minute session, whether one person attends or both. See pricing for details. If couple sessions are your main focus, you may also find our couples therapy page useful.
Online, by video
How online therapy with us works
Send an enquiry.
Use the enquiry form to tell us whether you are looking for individual or joint sessions, your time zone and your availability. Please leave detailed medical information out of the form. We reply within 24 hours.
First session.
Online by video on Google Meet with a therapist from our centre. We talk about your history, where you are in the fertility journey, how it is affecting you, and what you would like help with, and agree an initial plan together.
Ongoing sessions.
Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 21:00 Athens time. Online sessions can fit around clinic appointments and work, and you can join from wherever you are, including during treatment abroad.
Video-based therapy appears to be roughly as effective as in-person therapy for anxiety, mood and stress-related difficulties (Shaker et al., 2023). Read more on our online therapy page.
Is it time?
When to seek help
Consider speaking to a therapist if:
- fertility worries occupy most of your thoughts most days;
- you feel persistently low, anxious or hopeless;
- you are avoiding friends, family or social situations to protect yourself;
- the strain is affecting your relationship or your work;
- you are facing a difficult decision about treatment and feel stuck.
If low mood becomes severe, or you have thoughts of harming yourself, please seek urgent help rather than waiting for a session.
If you need urgent help. In an emergency call 112. In Greece you can also call 1018 (suicide prevention) or 10306 (mental-health support). For helplines in your country, see findahelpline.com.
If you need urgent help
In an emergency call 112. In Greece you can also call 1018 (suicide prevention) or 10306 (mental-health support). For helplines in your country, see findahelpline.com.
Our founder
Art of Mind, founded by Matina Ladikou
A centre where you can talk without fear of judgement, at your own pace.
Matina Ladikou, psychotherapist and founder of Art of Mind, set up the centre in Patras, Greece, in 2019. Sessions in English are with a therapist from our team; sessions in Greek are with Matina, and you can book Greek sessions directly.
We don’t promise a “guaranteed” or “instant” result; we offer a space of trust and work at your own pace.
Trained in Biothymic Psychotherapy and Clinical Hypnosis, in Mental Health Counselling and in NLP, with an MSc in Criminology from Panteion University.
About Matina and the centreNext step
Enquire about a session
You do not have to carry this alone, and you do not need to wait for a crisis to ask for support. Tell us briefly what you are looking for and we will reply within 24 hours.
Related pages: grief counselling · couples therapy · anxiety therapy · pricing
Before you start
Frequently asked questions
Will stress stop my fertility treatment from working?
This is one of the most common fears, and the research is reassuring. A meta-analysis of 14 prospective studies with more than 3,500 women found that emotional distress before treatment was not associated with whether a cycle of assisted reproduction led to pregnancy. Counselling is offered to help you feel better through the process, not to put more pressure on you to relax.
Can we come as a couple?
Yes. Fertility challenges affect both partners, often in different ways and at different times. Sessions can be individual, joint, or a mix of the two, depending on what helps you most. The fee for a couple session is the same as for an individual session.
Do you give medical advice about treatment options?
No. Decisions about tests, medication and treatment belong with your fertility doctors. Our role is the emotional side: helping you think through decisions, cope with waiting and setbacks, and look after yourselves and your relationship. We are happy to work alongside your clinic.
Is counselling only for people whose treatment has failed?
Not at all. UK guidance recommends offering counselling before, during and after investigation and treatment, whatever the outcome. People come at the start, between cycles, when deciding whether to continue, after a loss, and after treatment ends.
How do online sessions work across time zones?
Sessions in English take place by video on Google Meet with a therapist from our centre, Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 21:00 Athens time. That window suits most of Europe and many other regions. Each session lasts 45 minutes.