Here at The Hewitt Fertility Centre, we are proud to offer both a specialised and professional counselling team and also an informal support group, where we can respond to each patient individually and personally.
Counselling at The Hewitt Fertility Centre
Fertility problems and their treatment can leave you feeling stressed, anxious or depressed and affect your close relationships. It’s common for people in this situation to have feelings of guilt about themselves, anger and jealousy towards others, or to feel a lack of control over what is happening. It can be difficult to share your thoughts and feelings with family and friends as they may not understand what you’re going through, or they might not be aware that you have a fertility problem. Relationships between partners can become strained if trying for a baby has so far been unsuccessful.
If any of this applies to you, it can help to talk things through with the Centre's counsellor who will aim to provide you with a safe environment where you can freely explore your thoughts and feelings. We can also offer simple ideas for coping with stress and anxiety.
Counselling is available before, during and after treatment, regardless of the outcome. Counselling is available for individuals or couples. We will be as flexible as we can with our appointments and try to arrange them at times to suit you.
If your treatment is funded by the NHS, there is no charge for counselling. Self-funding patients have two sessions of counselling included in the cost of their treatment; any further appointments are subject to a fee.
Counselling is available before, during and after treatment, regardless of the outcome, at our Liverpool and Knustford centre.
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Liverpool
Counselling
The team here is led by Patricia Lambert, our Senior Counsellor. We have male and female counsellors available and all are trained in counselling and are members of the British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA). Though we are not medical staff, we have a good understanding of fertility problems and the various treatments provided for them.
Counselling is available at anytime throughout your treatment – before, during and after. You can book by appointment Monday – Friday and on Saturday mornings. We’ve got both male and female counsellors on hand, who are all experienced in working with cultural and religious sensitivities – and we can even provide interpretation if you need it. If you have any questions at all, or would like to arrange an appointment at our Liverpool Centre give us a call on 0151 702 4075.
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Knutsford
Counselling
Our counsellor, Karen King is fully qualified and a member of the British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA) - Karen has an in-depth understanding of fertility problems and the various treatments provided.
You can ask any member of staff at the Hewitt Fertility Centre to refer you to the counselling service. If you have any questions at all or would like to arrange an appointment, you can contact our Fertility Counsellor, Karen King, every Monday at karen.king@lwh.nhs.uk or telephone 0151 702 4171.
Patient Support Groups at The Hewitt Fertility Centre
We completely understand just how demanding and isolating it can be to go through fertility treatment and that's why we host our patient support group. The isolation you can sometimes feel is very common; infertility is an extremely personal condition and one that you can sometimes find difficult to talk about with your closest friends and family. This group is run by patients, for patients and helps you by introducing you to other people who might have the same thoughts, worries and concerns as you! The group also acts as a great hub for all the information, support and guidance you'll need while going through fertility treatments – so you have everything you need in one place.
You are welcome to attend groups in Liverpool and Knutsford.
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Liverpool
Liverpool Patient Support Group
Currently held virtually via Zoom
Our patient support group is currently meeting on Zoom due to Covid-19 restrictions. Meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month at 6.30pm.
It's always a friendly and informal place where we talk, support and help each other. We sometimes invite along guest speakers to give us more information on infertility and the support available before, during and even after treatment.
If this sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, you can contact our Infertility Counsellor John Lippitt for more information and to be added to our mailing list at john.lippitt@lwh.nhs.uk. Or, if you'd prefer, you can write to us using the following address:
John Lippitt
Counsellor
The Hewitt Centre for Reproductive Medicine
Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust
Crown Street
Liverpool
L8 7SS
You are also welcome to contact our Patient Representatives who are involved in running the group:
Louise: plumpton60@googlemail.com
Catherine: catherinebrockbank1979@gmail.com
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Knutsford
Knutsford Patient Support Group
SUPPORT GROUP CANCELLED
Due to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) the Hewitt Fertility Centre has taken the decision to cancel all upcoming Patient Support Groups within the hospital/centre. This is to protect our patients, staff and visitors at this challenging time. We will update this page with any changes. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Our support group meetings are aimed at helping you deal with some of the stresses and anxieties of dealing with fertility issues and are open for all of our patients.
If you would like to attend our support group in Knutsford then you will need to book a place no later than the Friday before the scheduled date of the meeting. To do this please contact Karen King on 0151 702 4075.
You are also welcome to contact our Patient Representatives who are involved in running the group:
Hayley: hayley_buko@hotmail.com
Dee: deeashmore@aol.com
Other support groups:
