The emotional cost of fertility treatment is rarely talked about.
Therapists in San Diego, California
"The treatments are relentless. My body and emotions are exhausted."




+9 moreNo commitment. We'll confirm your coverage before your first session.
Virtual therapy for San Diego families
Your partner deployed when the baby was six weeks old, your family is back in Ohio, and the postpartum class you signed up for meets across town at 10am, which is the only nap window you have. San Diego looks like the relaxed beach city in the brochure, and the postpartum reality is rarely that. A huge share of San Diego families are military, transplants, or both. North Park, Hillcrest, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, and Chula Vista are full of parents who moved here for a duty station, a job, or grad school and haven't had time to build a close circle. Postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and birth trauma thrive in that kind of structural isolation. Phoenix Health therapists hold PMH-C certification and see San Diego clients entirely by secure video. We work with military spouses and birthing parents regularly, including around the specific pressures of deployment, PCS moves, and TRICARE coverage. No traffic on the 5. No babysitter. No waiting room. You don't need a crisis to call. You just need to want things to feel different than they do right now.
San Diego neighborhoods: North Park Β· Hillcrest Β· Pacific Beach Β· La Jolla Β· Chula Vista
You might benefit from therapy ifβ¦
- βYou're in active treatment and the cumulative weight is becoming hard to carry
- βYou've had failed cycles and the grief from each is starting to pile up
- βYour relationship has changed under the pressure
- βYou're terrified of the next two-week wait, the next call from the clinic, the next appointment
- βYou're isolating from people who don't understand, and the isolation is making it harder
- βYou're considering or grieving the move to donor eggs, donor sperm, surrogacy, or stopping treatment

Dr. Emily Guarnotta
Psychologist & Founder
From our founder
Clients in IVF often arrive in therapy describing themselves as overdramatic or weak. Nothing could be further from true. You are living through one of the most demanding processes I see, and the fact that you're still upright is not weakness, it's endurance. Therapy is about taking some of the weight off so the endurance doesn't cost you everything else in your life.
What therapy looks like
Our Fertility & IVF specialists in San Diego, California
Most Phoenix Health therapists hold PMH-C certification β the gold standard in perinatal mental health.

Sailys Concepcion
LMHC, LPC, LPCC, PMH-C
Sailys is a bilingual therapist who helps parents navigate the emotional journey of pregnancy, postpartum, infertility, and loss across California, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Washington, and Louisiana.
Licensed in CA, LA, WA, AZ, GA, FL

Analisa Velasco-Lopez
LCSW
Analisa is a bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California who offers a holistic and trauma-informed approach to supporting parents through every stage of their family-building journey.
Licensed in CA

Nadine Mejia
LCSW, PMH-C
Nadine is a licensed clinical social worker who helps parents navigate postpartum depression, grief, and major life transitions in California, South Carolina, and Florida.
Licensed in CA, SC, FL
%20(1).png)
Natalia Cruz Navarro
LCSW
Natalia Cruz Navarro is a bilingual therapist who supports parents through pregnancy loss, birth trauma, and postpartum mental health challenges in California.
Licensed in CA
Real clients. Real relief.
What our clients say about their experience.
βββββ
β"After my third failed cycle my doctor recommended a break. I didn't know what I was supposed to do with myself outside of IVF. It had become my whole identity. My therapist helped me figure out who I was when I wasn't waiting for test results. That turned out to be the most important work I did."β
β TTC, 4 years
βββββ
β"IVF is the loneliest thing I've ever done in a room full of other people doing the same thing. You sit in waiting rooms with women going through exactly what you are and nobody speaks. My therapist gave me a place to say all of it out loud: the grief of each failed cycle, the physical toll no one prepares you for, the rage at how unfair it is."β
β IVF, cycle 3
βββββ
β"I'd been through four failed transfers and was about to give up. My therapist helped me figure out what I actually wanted, not what I thought I was supposed to want. That clarity changed everything."β
β IVF warrior
βββββ
βAfter my third failed transfer I could barely function. I needed someone who didn't flinch at the medical detail and who got the timing. By the time we did our fourth cycle I went in with way more steadiness than I had ever had, regardless of how it went.β
β Stephanie, IVF patient
Expert care.
Covered in California.
- βAetna (incl. CVS Health, First Health, & Meritain)
- βBCBS (incl. Anthem, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, & state plans)
- βCigna / Evernorth
- βUnited Healthcare (UHC) / Optum (incl. UBH, UMR, Surest, Oscar, & Oxford)
- βMagellan Healthcare
Most clients pay less than $20 per session.
Accepted Insurance Networks





Ready to start Fertility & IVF therapy? Hereβs how it works.
The whole process takes about 5 minutes. We handle insurance β you just show up.
- 1
Book your free call
A quick 15-minute chat to hear what you're going through, answer your questions, and make sure we're a great fit for your needs. No cost, no commitment.
- 2
Get matched
We'll pair you with the right specialist for your specific situation. We'll also check your insurance, so you know your exact cost per session before moving forward.
- 3
Start your first session
Meet your therapist from the comfort of home. No commute, no waiting rooms, no judgment. Most clients notice a real difference within just 2 to 3 sessions.
No commitment Β· Most insurance accepted Β· Available this week
Common questions
- The research is mixed and the effects, if any, are modest. The bigger point is that the stress of treatment is real on its own terms, and you deserve support whether or not it changes outcomes. Anyone who tells you to just relax is not engaging with what you're actually living.
- This is one of the most common splits in fertility couples. Often one partner wants to process out loud and the other needs distance to cope. Therapy can help bridge that. Individual therapy gives you a place to process, and sometimes couples sessions help you both find a sustainable way to handle the talking and the not-talking.
- There is no formula. This is one of the hardest decisions, and most clients benefit from working it through carefully rather than making it in the aftermath of a hard cycle. Therapy gives you a structured place to look at your values, your finances, your relationship, and your body, and to make the call with more clarity.
- Yes. Third-party reproduction comes with its own emotional terrain, including grief about genetic connection, decisions about disclosure, and complex feelings during pregnancy or after birth. Therapists with PMH-C and reproductive mental health training are equipped for that work.
- Yes. Phoenix Health provides telehealth therapy to residents of California. Sessions are conducted via secure video from your home, office, or anywhere private β no commute required. All Phoenix Health therapists are licensed and authorized to practice in California.
- PMH-C (Perinatal Mental Health Certification) is awarded by Postpartum Support International (PSI) to clinicians who have completed advanced training in perinatal mental health β covering postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, birth trauma, and related conditions. It represents the gold standard of specialization in this field.
- If you're struggling β with your mood, your thoughts, your relationship, or just how you're coping β that's enough of a reason to talk to someone. You don't need a diagnosis. A free consultation is a low-commitment first step.
From the Phoenix Health resource center
Articles and guides about fertility & ivf
Trusted by leading voices in parenting and mental health
OBs, doulas, and pediatricians refer their patients to us because we specialize in maternal mental health.
The sooner you start,
the sooner you'll
feel like yourself again.
You've been surviving. It's time to start healing.
No commitment Β· Covered by insurance Β· Available this week
Learning resources
π¬Read our Fertility & IVF guides βOften goes alongside





