34. Carrying to Term with a Difficult Diagnosis

Mara Tesler Stein, Psy.D., PMH-C Mara Tesler Stein, Psy.D., PMH-C, is a clinical psychologist and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Trainer working in North America and Israel. A child and adolescent psychologist by training, she is the founder and director of The Touchstone Institute for Perinatal Training, where she offers foundational and advanced EMDR trainings that examine the intersections of EMDR and perinatal mental health in depth. She is the editor of the forthcoming EMDR for Reproductive, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (Springer, in press) and, with Deborah Davis, Ph.D., the co-author of Parenting Your Premature Baby and Child: The Emotional Journey (Fulcrum, 2004) and Intensive Parenting: Surviving the Journey Through the NICU (Fulcrum, 2013). She has also contributed book chapters on perinatal loss, EMDR treatment, and trauma-focused care for NICU families. Her perinatal work grew out of her own perinatal journey, which began in 1995 and carried her through infertility, twin pregnancy, prolonged hospital bed rest, the NICU, and years of raising NICU graduates. Her mission is to bridge the gap between child psychotherapy and perinatal-focused psychotherapy, and to bring effective trauma-focused treatment to families. Her workshops and trainings are listed at www.touchstoneinstitute.org. She can be reached at [email protected]. Short version (approx. 110 words) Mara Tesler Stein, Psy.D., PMH-C, is a clinical psychologist and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Trainer working in North America and Israel. A child and adolescent psychologist by training, she is the founder and director of The Touchstone Institute for Perinatal Training, where she offers foundational and advanced EMDR trainings at the intersection of EMDR and perinatal mental health. She is the editor of the forthcoming EMDR for Reproductive, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (Springer, in press) and, with Deborah Davis, Ph.D., the co-author of Parenting Your Premature Baby and Child (Fulcrum, 2004) and Intensive Parenting (Fulcrum, 2013). Her work bridges child psychotherapy and perinatal-focused psychotherapy, bringing effective trauma-focused treatment to families. www.touchstoneinstitute.org | [email protected] CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast

Ilana B. Ressler, MD Double Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist & Infertility Specialist, Illume Fertility Dr. Ilana B. Ressler is double board certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility. She earned her medical degree at Case Western Reserve University and completed her residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago. During her residency, Dr. Ressler was awarded the Professional Dedication to Residency Award in 2009 and the Overall Excellence in Gynecologic Care Award in 2010. In 2013, she completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Cincinnati. In 2016 and 2017, Dr. Ressler was chosen by her peers at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine to receive the Fertility and Sterility Star Reviewer Award. She is consistently named a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly and is also a former member of the editorial board of Fertility and Sterility, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's premier international journal for those who treat infertility and reproductive medicine. She has also been an expert reviewer of the latest gynecologic surgical studies and has written literature reviews for the Society of Reproductive Surgeons. Dr. Ressler launched the Pies for Prevention program in her Westchester community to benefit Sharsheret, in support of women and families facing breast and ovarian cancer. She also serves as Medical Advisor for Yesh Tikva, which was established to create a Jewish community of support for those experiencing infertility. CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast

Dr. Elissa Hellman is an experienced board-certified OBGYN. She received her medical degree from NYU School of Medicine and completed her residency at Northshore University Hospital in Long Island in OBGYN. Dr. Hellman has been in clinical practice for 15 years with a recent move from Milwaukee, WI to Israel. She is also the physician at her self-named telemedicine gynecology practice focused on the health needs of Jewish women (www.drelissahellmanmd). Through this platform, she offers one on one consultations to address gaps in knowledge and education many Jewish women face as they go through their reproductive years. She also developed two educational courses Girls Growing Up, a puberty course for Jewish girls and The Kallah Curriculum, for Jewish brides who want to feel as prepared as possible in all aspects of women's health and reproduction as they can. Instagram (@drelissahellmanmd) is where she hangs out and tries to have a little fun spreading evidence-based information about all the stages of womanhood- with a Jewish twist! CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast

Dr. Braverman is a Clinical Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Braverman is the Associate Director for the Educational Core for OB/Gyn. She is a health psychologist with a specialty in medical health management, infertility counseling, and third party reproduction issues. She received her M.A., M.S. and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Braverman has lectured internationally on treatment issues and reproductive medicine before medical and patient audiences. Dr. Braverman has published in medical journals about the psychological aspects of infertility, issues involved in the decision to end treatment, and psychological issues involved in using third-party donors. Dr. Braverman received the Timothy Jeffries Memorial award in 2011 for outstanding contributions as a health psychologist from the American Psychological Association and the 2021 Suheil J. Muasher, M.D., Distinguished Service Award from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast

Dr. Esther Rollhaus is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist in private practice in Riverdale, NY and via telepsychiatry to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Florida. She has a particular interest in women's mental health, infertility and pregnancy loss, and pregnancy and postpartum mental health. Esther received her medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She completed general adult psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center. She has pursued post-graduate training in reproductive and women's mental health via Postpartum Support International, Project Teach, and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine.