Abortion Issues

Abortion Issues: Research indicates that for the majority of women who have abortions, the choice to have one can be an extremely difficult decision, and after having one, emotional and psychological challenges are likely. These problems can be brief and not severe, but they can also be long-lasting and cause major difficulties. Common problems encountered are second thoughts, grief, internal conflict, feelings of guilt, and many other challenging thoughts and emotions can come up as well. Having a therapist that can listen, relate, and help someone to cope healthily with considering an abortion and/or the aftermath of one can be an invaluable step on one’s way to healing. Men that are partners with women that have had abortions can also have these types of feelings, and therapy can be very helpful for that as well. Couples counseling may also be helpful in relationships that have had an abortion, particularly if two partners have different opinions or emotions about the situation.

Post-abortion psychotherapy is a rather new field of therapy within the psychology community, and is coming out as a crucial part of a woman’s process when they choose to terminate a pregnancy. Feelings after abortions can be especially difficult for women with the political controversy and stigma that surrounds pregnancy terminations. Therapists working through these issues with clients must be diligent to be aware and courteous of religious and political beliefs, since these beliefs are often very strongly held. Therapists also have to be completely unbiased in helping the client to determine what they believe they should do. Other issues such as backlash from partners, friends and families can cause interpersonal conflict and also be discussed in sessions. Also, an abortion can lessen the chances of a second pregnancy for some women and this can cause feelings of guilt, grief and anxiety that can also be discussed in post-abortion therapy. Abortions can cause many issues but if you are looking for a therapist in San Jose to work through them with, please contact Chris Jones, MFT at 408.608.7230.