 | Sharon Pettle Dr - Independent Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Psychotherapist Psychology |
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02.02.2015-15.04.2015
Post Conception issues for families built using donated gametes and surrogacy
The therapeutic needs of donor offspring and families built with, or affected by Donor Conception, and the aspects of psycho-education and support that may be useful have received little attention. In addition to my clinical practice, and offering some training for professionals, I have been developing and running groups for donor conceived children. In the last few years I have gathered evaluation data which I intend to analyse during my stay to write a paper, especially as these groups are unique as a source of both support for young people and are an intervention into the family. They have not been run elsewhere in the world. I also intend to write about the first teen/parent workshop which was held last year. There are situations in which families turn to courts for resolution [about residence and contact, or surrogacy arrangements], and I hope to examine some of the legal judgements in the public arena from a psychological and family systems perspective, and consider what might have been offered to prevent the conflict escalating. The stay will also provide an opportunity to think about further developments in this area and possible funding streams for setting up a high qualify therapeutic service dedicated to the needs of DC families and those using surrogacy to form their families, and to the education and training of professionals.
Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Systemic Psychotherapist who worked in the National Health Service in the UK for 30 years, predominantly in various Child & Adolescent Mental Health [CAMH] settings. I have a particular expertise in families built using donor conception [DC] and/or surrogacy [S] and the issues that may arise pre- and post- conception and worked in this areas for more than 20years. This includes the need for support, psycho-education and therapeutic intervention, not only for these families but for donors and surrogates and their families. I have presented on this topic to the Association for Family Therapy UK and European Family Therapy Association; Institut de la Famille, Geneva; British Psychological Society - Faculty for Children and Young People & National Conference; Institute for Family Therapy, London; Great Ormond Street Hospital; 36 Bedford Row Chambers seminar series 'Modern Families' and Barnet Paediatricians Academic Meeting. I was the CAMH representative on the first Working Group developing 'Guidelines for good practice – preservation of infertility in children being treated for childhood cancer' [Cook I., et al 2003] .
I have been Child & Family Mental Health Advisor to the Donor Conception Network [UK] for many years and established groups for DC children more than 15 years ago. These are the only ones run in the world and a multi-family workshop for teenagers has also been developed. In my clinical practice DC issues regularly present: couples questioning whether to continue a pregnancy or experiencing serious attachment issues; adult DC offpsring who find out late or who struggle with new genetic connections following DNA tests; and older people wanting to share the previously concealed information about their origins with their now adult offspring.
I have held three previous academic positions and I am currently Honorary Senior Lecturer at University College London, and Visiting Lecturere and Research Tutor at the Tavistock Clinic London.
I am an Expert Witness in Family Proceedings especially where this includes complex surrogacy cases including contested Parenting Orders, and in 'modern' families in contact and residence disputes. I have contributed to the symposia and consultations relating to Children's Rights in this area in both the UK and Switzerland, for an international aurdience.
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