Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Supporting Individuals Experiencing Infertility & Pregnancy Loss (1.5 CEs)

Overview

One in every six couples’ experiences infertility, and one in every four pregnancies ends in pregnancy loss. For an experience that impacts such a large percentage of the human population, it is rare for social work education to focus on the impacts of infertility and pregnancy loss on the individuals, families, and communities experiencing them. Even more concerning is this lack of focus given the prevalence of mental health challenges in these populations, as high percentages of those experiencing infertility and pregnancy loss experience anxiety, depression, prolonged grief, and even post-traumatic stress disorder. It is imperative that social workers develop the capacity to understand those experiencing infertility and pregnancy loss and to be able to meet their unique mental health and holistic health needs. This presentation, led by a longtime social worker with professional and personal experience in these areas, will aid participants in learning basic information about infertility and pregnancy loss, in identifying mental health symptoms that can arise for those going through these issues, and in developing skills and strategies to better support individuals who are facing some of the most difficult and life-changing experiences of their lives.

Objectives

1. Participants will learn basic information about infertility and pregnancy loss, including common causes, common medical tests and treatments for each including in vitro fertilization (IVF), and common barriers to receiving care.
2. Participants will be able to identify specific mental health symptoms that can arise in clients experiencing infertility and/or pregnancy loss, including those of anxiety, depression, grief, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
3. Participants will develop skills and strategies for supporting clients experiencing infertility and/or pregnancy loss, including things that are helpful—and not helpful—to say and do, helpful interventions, and supportive resources to offer.

Registration and CE Information

• Register here for the CE version and earn 1.5 CEs on completion of the post-webinar quiz
• This listing is for those wanting CEs for LCSW/LSW and LCPC/LPC licenses.
• Please see the non-ce version if you do not need CEs
• The live webinar will be held September 9, 2025, from 12:00pm - 1:30pm
• Once registered, you will be able to access the course site to complete the Zoom registration to receive the link for the webinar.

Presenter: Molly M. McLay

Molly M. McLay, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker and therapist who has worked as a mental health educator, researcher, and advocate on issues such as gender-based violence, LGBTQIA support, anxiety, neurodivergence, chronic illness, and sexual health from her current home base of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, for the last 15 years. In early 2024, she opened Molly McLay Counseling & Consultation Services, PLLC, an organization that provides psychotherapy, clinical supervision, and medical advocacy virtually to individuals across the state. She has spent time working toward a PhD in social work at Washington University in St. Louis, and she has previously worked at a group therapy practice, the University of Illinois Women’s Resources Center, and a federally qualified health center with at-risk pregnant and parenting women. She has also been a member of the Champaign County Mental Health Board for the last 3 years and became president of the board in June 2024. Molly has also spent the last 3 years undergoing treatments for infertility and pregnancy loss, and she is the mother of a stillborn daughter conceived via IVF. She is committed to strengthening mental health supports for those who have experienced any kind of reproductive health challenges and believes all birthing people deserve decision-making autonomy over their healthcare.