Special aspects of counselling lesbians considering parenthood

Authors: Lisa Green & Petra Thorn

Abstract

Lesbian women do not differ from heterosexual women with regards to their desire to parent. However, due to “marriage inequality”, that is the discrimination of same-sex partnerships, and heteronormativity, lesbians face very different legal and social circumstances when planning their families. Therefore, the decision for parenthood must be the result of an intense process of deliberation, involving confrontation with a number of lesbian-specific aspects of family-planning, and in the course of which counselling may be sought. However, since education at the university level and in training programs for therapists/counsellors in Germany rarely includes material specifically concerning same-sex identity development, relationships and lifestyle choices, counsellors who do not come in contact with these issues in their private lives lack knowledge in these areas. This article aims to bridge the gap and inform with respect to lesbians choosing parenthood.

Keywords: Lesbians, parenthood, insemination, donor, medically assisted reproduction

Citation

Green, L. & Thorn, P. (2015). Besonderheiten in der psychosozialen Beratung lesbischer Frauen und Paare mit Kinderwunsch [Special aspects of counselling lesbians considering parenthood]. Verhaltenstherapie & psychosoziale Praxis, 47, 49-62. doi: http://doi.org/10.17194/vlsp.2015.5 [Download]