Over the years I have met many wonderful mental health therapists who help Choice Moms in private practice, at fertility clinics and at our Choice Mom networking events. I am working with several of them to offer special service to the Choice Mom community as a sponsoring member of this ChoiceMoms.org website. Here's one good place to start.

If you want to join a support group with other women, if you want to talk one-on-one, or if you simply aren't sure who to turn to to get through a difficult or confusing time, these therapists are on board to give you insight. I've talked with each of them, and they've contributed at least $100 to show their commitment to supporting ChoiceMoms.org resources (fellow Choice Moms licensed as therapists are listed at no charge).

1. Joann Paley Galst, New York City, 30 East 60th Street, 212-759-2783
She was the first therapist I met who is specialized in fertility, donor conception, pregnancy loss and single parenthood. And characteristically, she was the first to offer her practice as a sponsoring therapist on ChoiceMoms.org. She has led intimate discussions at many Choice Mom events, including out-of-town locations, and has been interviewed by me for the Choice Chat podcast about "what every single woman should know before becoming a Choice Mom" and "talking out loud about grief". She has also contributed to the discussion "are you tired of the fertility rollercoaster?" and "questions to ask your sperm bank."

2. Madeline Feingold, Berkeley/Walnut Creek, 510-540-8715
She was recommended to me by Diane Ehrensaft, an author/therapist I respect highly for her book about donor-conceived families. Madeline works with kids, adults and families on fertility counseling, alternative family building, single parenting, loss and more. Although it was not specifically written for single women, she has written this article about healthy donor-conceived families for the American Fertility Association. I had a wonderful phone conversation with her to get better acquainted, and I know that she is well suited for the Choice Mom community.

3. Stacey MacGlashan, 720.985.5459, Lakewood, Colorado
A licensed clinical social worker who has written an excellent memoir about her experiences as a new Choice Mom. She works with kids, parents and families as a strengths-based therapist, focusing on helping people recognize their strengths and find resources. She has a special interest in working with people who are anxious, depressed, have experienced trauma, grief and loss.

4. Andrea Braverman, 484-802-2534, Philadelphia
After 21 years with a New Jersey fertility clinic, Andrea is creating her own full-time private practice. I first became a fan of hers when she helped launch a campaign that brought together doctors, lawyers, sperm bank directors and consumer liaisons like myself, for a discussion about how to reform the sperm donor industry with more emphasis placed on the eventual needs of the offspring. I interviewed her for the Choosing Single Motherhood radio show, which is now available as a Choice Chat podcast. She led a recent discussion about issues related to parenting over 40. She will help us at our 2011 event in Philadelphia.

5. Jane Mattes, New York City
Founder of the Single Mothers by Choice network 30 years ago, Jane is a psychotherapist and author who knows as much about this lifestyle choice as anyone. We look forward to collaborating even more in providing the resources and networks our community needs.

6. Krista Post, 612-296-3800, St. Louis Park, Minnesota
After leading discussion with Thinkers and Tryers at our Minnesota event in 2010, Krista launched a support group specifically for Choice Moms. She continues to lead small group conversations for women in the Minneapolis area. You can read more details here.

7. Susan Hall, LMHC, 206.660.5483, Seattle
I don't know Susan personally, but she contacted me because she is herself on the Choice Mom journey, and specializes as a licensed practitioner in women's issues.

8. Felicia Shamma, 909 885 5757, San Bernardino/Inland Empire
I know Felicia well, having met her at an L.A. event shortly after she started her Choice Mom journey. Several ups and downs later, she is now a mother with a unique ability to talk with women who are dealing with fertility issues, grief, or Choice Motherhood via adoption, IUI or IVF. She has a special interest in building/creating donor sibling relationships. She has spoken at my networking events in San Francisco and Los Angeles over the years, and I've interviewed her for a very popular podcast episode (more than 1,000 downloads) about "Making the leap, miscarriages and newborn days," and she's written this post about how she found her support network after motherhood.

9. Gretchen Sewall, 206-301-5000, Seattle
After Gretchen was referred to my "Choosing Single Motherhood" book, she was re-reading parts of it during a hospital visit and accidentally left it behind. When she returned to pick it up she told me there were two nurses interested in learning more, not realizing there were so many great resources to help women make this decision. That is why Gretchen, among the other women on this list, is supporting ChoiceMoms.org. She estimates that in the Seattle area alone, the number of single women exploring this concept out loud has doubled in the last two years. She will help us at our 2011 event in Seattle, and has offered this post about embryo donation.

10. Patricia Mendell, New York City/Brooklyn
No one has offered her time more often to Choice Mom events than Patricia, who has long talked with our community about the importance of asking the right questions of your doctor and sperm bank, as well as questions to consider for yourself before choosing donor conception. She has talked with me for the podcast about dealing with the emotions of this choice and the important reason why women should report to the sperm bank after their donor-conceived child is born.

11. Elaine Gordon, Los Angeles, 310-454-0502
Author of a book for children about donor conception, Elaine is interested in creating a support group for Choice Moms in her Santa Monica office and will help us at our 2011 event in Los Angeles.

12. Arlene Rubenstein, Seattle, 206-356-3870, 444 Ravenna Blvd, Seattle, WA (Greenlake area)
I met Arlene at one of my New York City events, and since then she has retained roots in both the East Coast -- where she lived when she became a Choice Mom of a daughter who is now teenaged -- and West Coast, where she builds support groups and one-on-one relationships with women in the Thinking and Trying stages. She does telephone consultations as well, and will work on a sliding scale. Read her blog post here about the value of support groups.

13. Lori Rifkin, San Francisco/San Rafael, 415 485-1976
Trained to work with children and their parents at Stanford, Lori is a psychologist who has practiced in the Bay Area the past 25 years. She began her Choice Mom journey at 40 and has been a member of groups in San Francisco and Marin since then, as a thinker, a tryer and a doer. She was thrilled to become a single mom 10 years ago. Familiar with the struggles of becoming a single mom and dealing with the daily challenges of single parenting, she would love to be a resource and support to women at different points in their journey.

14. Ellen Speyer, Newport Beach/Orange County, Calif., 949-252-1525
She has long been a voice for single mothers by choice to talk to about their decision-making processes, and is interested in helping our community in Orange County find support, perhaps including an event in Summer 2011. She has a 25-year history in the fertility therapy field, and has a specialization in gestational surrogacy.

15. Jordana Raiskin, Austin, Texas, 512-445-1975
I had the pleasure of meeting, and hearing from, Jordana at a Choice Mom networking event in Austin. As a Choice Mom and psychotherapist, she can offer a great listening ear as well as help you find the resources you need to make decisions about this journey.

16. Lorraine Munro, Toronto, (416) 929-1816 x323
Choice Mom of two (including a brand new one!), Lorraine is a psychotherapist with experience particularly in the context of queer communities, with fertility, birth planning, parenting, relationships -- and has single parenting experience to share.

17. Barbara Waterman, 510-763-1800, Oakland, Calif.
As someone who was in her late 30s when she confronted both fertility and adoption challenges, before marrying and becoming a stepparent to teenagers, Barbara is uniquely qualified to talk about the emotional struggles inherent not only in becoming a parent, but in building connections as a non-biological mother. She is a Harvard-educated and sandplay-certified therapist who has written The Birth of an Adoptive, Foster or Stepmother.

18. Lorna Cheifetz, Phoenix, 602-381-1277
A Choice Mom with a grown child who is a practicing Clinical Psychologist and a long-time member of Choice Mom discussion boards who can speak to you with authority and experience about any concerns you have on this journey.

19. Lee Varon, Cambridge, MA, 917-566-4321
Lee, a psychotherapist and an adoptive mother of two, has offered her time to counsel women at Choice Mom networking events on the East Coast. She has written the definitive book about single parent adoption, "Adopting on Your Own: The Complete Guide to Adopting as a Single Parent."

20. Windy Ezzell, North Carolina, 910.791.5575
Associated with Inner Solutions Counseling: A Center for Growth and Healing, Windy helped moderate discussion at our March 2011 event in Raleigh. She has a comprehensive ability to work with you on issues of fertility health, loss and mind/body, and is available for phone consultations.

If there isn't someone in your geographic area for an in-person consult, use the Comments field below to send me a private email about what you need (I won't post it online, it is set to go directly to me). I will work with this network to make it happen for you.

[Note: I am also available for personal consulting, $45/half hour, if what you are looking for is about the practicalities of the Choice Mom lifestyle, rather than the emotions of grief, loss, stress, so let me know if that's something you're interested in.]

Use this link to also find a state-by-state directory of other therapists who have been recommended to the Choice Mom community.

And if holistic healing is more of what you're looking for, start here with our list of Choice Mom-friendly health specialists.