Childfree-Friendly Psychoanalysis
Online psychoanalysis for atheists without supernatural beliefs who have chosen not to have children. Your decision does not need defending here.
Your decision is yours
You may come to psychoanalysis because a relationship has become difficult, your mental health has suffered, or something keeps happening despite your efforts to change it. Being childfree does not turn that difficulty into evidence that you need children. I am childfree myself, and I do not treat parenthood as a developmental requirement or assume that a life without it is incomplete.
We can discuss your decision if you want to. We can also spend our time on something else entirely. You do not owe your analyst an account of why you declined parenthood any more than you owe one to the stranger who has just announced that you would make a wonderful parent.
What you can bring
Pressure from family, disagreements with a partner, assumptions at work, or questions about aging may be part of what brings you. So might a difficulty that has nothing to do with children. We follow what matters in your life without deciding in advance that childfreedom must explain it.
Childfree-friendly work is part of my wider practice for atheists who do not hold spiritual or supernatural beliefs. It describes the understanding you can expect here; it does not prescribe what your sessions must be about.
Parenthood and Changing Your Mind
Will you question my decision not to have children?
No. I am childfree myself, and I do not regard parenthood as a developmental requirement or a necessary ingredient of a fulfilling life. A settled decision does not become an unresolved psychological problem because someone else finds it unusual. If you want to discuss your decision or anything connected with it, we can. You will not have to defend it.
Can I work with you if I’m unsure whether I want children?
Yes. You can examine the question without being steered toward parenthood as the supposedly healthier or more mature outcome. We can consider your wishes and reservations, including the expectations of other people, without deciding in advance what your answer should be.
If you decide to have children, you can continue working with me. Because pregnancy and parenting are not my areas of specialization, I may recommend additional support for questions specific to that stage of your life.
Can I work with you if I regret having children?
Yes. Regretting parenthood is something you can talk about here without being shamed or hurried into a more socially acceptable account of how you feel. We can examine what you regret, how it affects your life, and the feelings and responsibilities you are trying to manage. You do not have to resolve every contradiction before saying it aloud.
Read more
Explore When Your Therapist Thinks Being Childfree Is the Problem and Childfree, Apparently a Cause for Concern.
Working together
Sessions take place online. You can read about how psychoanalysis works and the fees and practical arrangements, or request an intake session.