Pre-order the Book Today | Coming on March 9, 2027
Couple Therapy for Reproductive Grief
This book provides a clear, replicable framework for working with couples navigating infertility, miscarriage, perinatal loss, and other forms of reproductive grief, equipping clinicians to help move partners from isolation toward deeper connection.
Couple Therapy for Reproductive Grief:
Navigating Infertility, Loss, and Disruptions in Family Building
Reproductive grief affects a striking proportion of couples, yet existing therapeutic resources typically treat the couple as individual sufferers, rather than as an interdependent system. Clayton A. Brigance combines his years of clinical work and research with couples experiencing reproductive grief, along with an expert synthesis of contemporary literature on emotional processing and dyadic coping, to introduce four pillars of connection that can help couples support each other: connecting through mindful emotional attunement, navigating heightened and decisional conflict, sharing disrupted visions of parenthood, and maintaining quality sex and intimacy.
Grounded in the neurobiology of trauma and the science of emotional connection, this book discusses how to utilize two well-established couple therapy modalities: emotionally focused couple therapy and Gottman method couple therapy. Practitioners are given concrete tools and exercises as well as clinical vignettes that help bring these approaches to life. Closing chapters address countertransference, self-disclosure, multicultural considerations including BIPOC and LGBTQIA couples, and the future of reproductive grief-centered couple therapy.
Integrating interpersonal mindfulness and evidence-based couple therapy models, the book aids therapists in reducing conflict, deepening emotional connection, and supporting meaning-making in the face of loss. Rich case examples and practical interventions make this an essential guide for couple therapists working with this under-addressed form of grief.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Why Couple Therapists Should Read This Book
Part I. The Emotional Impacts of Reproductive Grief in Couple Relationships
Chapter 1. Understanding the Spectrum of Reproductive Grief and Its Emotional Impact
Chapter 2. Reproductive Grief and the Impact on Couple Relationships
Part II. Helping Couples During Reproductive Grief: The "Why" Behind Better Connection or Relationship Disruption
Chapter 3. The Four Pillars of Maintaining Couple Connection Through Reproductive Grief
Chapter 4. The First Pillar of Connection: Connecting Through Mindful Emotional Attunement During Reproductive Grief
Chapter 5. The Second Pillar of Connection: Navigating Heightened and Decisional Conflict During Reproductive Grief
Chapter 6. The Third Pillar of Connection: Sharing Disrupted Visions of Parenthood
Chapter 7. The Fourth Pillar of Connection: Maintaining Quality Sex During Reproductive Grief
Chapter 8. Integrating the Four Pillars into Couple Therapy
Chapter 9. Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy with Couples Navigating Reproductive Grief
Chapter 10. Gottman Method Couple Therapy with Couples Navigating Reproductive Grief
Part III. The Next Frontier for Helping Couples Experiencing Reproductive Grief
Chapter 11. Navigating Difficult Issues Faced by Couple Therapists Serving Clients With Reproductive Grief
Chapter 12. The Love That Survives Reproductive Grief
