YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS ALONE

Therapy for Infertility, Perinatal Loss,

    Birth Trauma, and NICU parents

       in Lexington, Massachusetts

Services available virtually throughout Massachusetts

Whether you've struggled with infertility, loss, birth trauma, or NICU stays, I can help help you navigate the journey and help you feel like yourself again.

You never imagined this would be part of your story

Maybe you’re experiencing infertility, or recovering from miscarriage, termination for medical reasons, or birth trauma. Or maybe you are parenting a child in the NICU or with medical complexities. This wasn’t what you planned for or expected. You feel like you’re in a constant state of survival mode. Others don’t seem to understand or know how to support you. You’re grieving the version of motherhood you thought you’d have.

In therapy with me, I create a space where you can grieve without judgment, and find a way forward that feels right for you.

Hand holding a pregnancy test; Dr. Spitzer offers individuals therapy for those struggling with infertility, miscarriage, infant loss, and difficult decisions in family planning

Infertility and Family Planning

Fertility challenges, reproductive loss, and complex family planning decisions can bring deep emotional pain and uncertainty. You may feel grief, anxiety, or isolation as you navigate a path that others may not fully understand. Through specialized infertility counseling, I provide a compassionate space to process your emotions, strengthen coping strategies, and support your relationships. Therapy can help you find clarity, resilience, and hope. You don’t have to face this journey alone.

I have experience helping clients navigate:

  • Difficulty Conceiving

  • IUI, IVF & Reproductive Assistance

  • Fertility Preservation/Egg Freezing

Perinatal Loss

The loss of a pregnancy or an infant brings profound grief, yet others may not know what to say or how to support you. Perinatal loss includes miscarriage, termination for medical reasons, and stillbirth, along with other losses that occur during pregnancy or shortly after birth. Pregnancy loss is far more common than most people realize: an estimated 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, and stillbirth affects roughly 1 in 160 pregnancies in the United States. Yet many parents grieve without the rituals, recognition, or language that usually surround a death. Whether the loss came early or late, was unexpected or followed a devastating diagnosis, it is real, and so is your grief.

Many people experiencing perinatal loss may feel:

  • grief and sadness

  • confusion

  • isolation and lack of support

  • self-blame, grief and/or shame

  • anxiety about future pregnancies

  • anger and/or numbness

Therapy for perinatal loss offers a compassionate space to grieve at your own pace, without judgment or pressure to move on. Support may include processing the story of your loss, finding ways to honor your baby and your experience, managing grief and difficult emotions, supporting your relationship with your partner and others, navigating medical decisions and appointments, and preparing for the possibility of a future pregnancy with its mix of hope and fear. There is no right way to grieve, and you do not have to carry this alone.

Profile view of a pregnant person; Dr. Spitzer is perinatal mental health certified from the postpartum support international and offers therapy for individuals throughout their pregnancy and postpartum journeys.

Birth Trauma

Birth is often described as a joyful milestone, but for many parents, the experience of labor and delivery can be frightening, overwhelming, or painful in ways no one prepared them for. Trauma can stem from medical emergencies, unexpected interventions, feeling unheard or out of control, separation from your baby, or a loss. It is defined by how the experience affected you, not by how it looks from the outside, and a healthy baby does not erase the impact of a difficult birth.

Many parents carry this experience quietly, feeling guilt, shame, or pressure to simply be grateful. Therapy for birth trauma offers a safe space to process what happened, make sense of your story, and begin to heal. You don't have to minimize what you went through, and you don't have to heal alone.

Image of two hands reaching out towards an infant in an isolate in the NICU with monitors and feeding pump in background; Dr. Spitzer offers individual therapy for parents with children in or recently in the NICU

Coping with a NICU Stay

Having your newborn in the NICU can be an overwhelming, emotional, and exhausting experience. You may be juggling fear for your baby’s health, the stress of medical uncertainty, and feelings of helplessness or guilt. In therapy, we’ll create a safe, supportive space to process your emotions, strengthen coping skills, and help you navigate hospital life while caring for yourself. Whether your NICU stay is short or long, and even after your NICU experience has ended, you don’t have to carry this weight alone—support is here for you.

Perinatal Therapist in Lexington, MA

Virtual Therapy available throughout Massachusetts

Hi, I'm Dr. Liz Spitzer, a licensed clinical psychologist in Massachusetts. I help adults heal after a complicated infertility and parenthood experience. Whether it’s infertility, birth trauma, loss, parenting a medically-complex child, or a managing a NICU stay, I am confident that we can work together to get you out of survival mode and help you build a version of your life that feels grounded and purposeful.

I am certified in perinatal mental health through Postpartum Support International and continue to pursue current research around perinatal mental health. In addition, I draw on years of clinical training, research, and experience to offer evidence-based therapy tailored to you and where you are. My role is to truly listen, help you make sense of what you're going through, and find a path forward that feels both manageable and hopeful. In therapy with me, you’ll learn skills to build real, lasting change. You'll build momentum toward a life that feels grounded and aligned, so you can show up for what matters without losing yourself in the process.

Learn more about me

Meet Dr. Liz Spitzer:

A disposable coffee cup with a black lid, resting on top of a stack of notebooks on a wooden table in a cozy modern room.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • Yes. I provide in-person sessions in Lexington, MA, as well as secure virtual therapy for clients across Massachusetts, allowing flexibility based on your needs.

  • PMH-C stands for Perinatal Mental Health Certification. The PMH-C is a certification offered by Postpartum Support International (PSI) that reflects additional training, experience, and demonstrated knowledge in supporting individuals and families during the perinatal period. It is a professional certification for qualified providers who have completed specialized education in perinatal mental health, met professional experience requirements, completed advanced training, and passed a certification examination.

  • The first step of therapy is assessment and treatment planning. We will work together to create a treatment plan. For trauma, I offer cognitive processing therapy (CPT), prolonged exposure (PE), and written exposure therapy (WET). For many other perinatal therapy concerns, I offer acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

  • If you’re unsure about starting therapy, that’s okay. Many people reach out before they feel ready or certain.

    If you do reach out, we’ll start with a simple conversation about what’s been going on and what you’re hoping for. You’ll have space to ask questions, get a feel for how I work, and decide whether it feels like a good fit. We can go from there, at a pace that feels manageable.