Sorry, your baby isn't viable: Exploring ectopic pregnancy through the discourse of psychotherapy.
Authors
Kennedy, Susan
Issue Date
2025.16.12
Degree
MA in Pscyhotherapy
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
Open Access
Abstract
Abstract This study explores how psychotherapists experience and conceptualise their work with clients who have experienced an ectopic pregnancy, a medically urgent yet often culturally overlooked form of reproductive loss. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven accredited psychotherapists, and thematic analysis was used to explore how they understand and work with the emotional, relational, and identity-based dimensions of this experience. Four key themes were identified: Carrying the Impact, Self in Rupture, Cultural Silence, and Psychotherapeutic Presence and Practice. Findings suggest that clients often feel isolated and struggle to give a name to their grief due to the absence of social and cultural recognition. Psychotherapy was experienced as a space where loss could be voiced, medical trauma integrated, and the self reconnected. The study highlights the importance of attuned, embodied, and creative psychotherapeutic approaches, and calls for increased recognition and integration of ectopic pregnancy within psychotherapeutic practice.