DEBORAH F. ISSOKSON, PSY.D.
Licensed Psychologist, Mass. License #6474
12 Mica Lane
Wellesley, MA 02481
and
2 Columbia Road, Suite 11
Pembroke, MA 02359
www.reproheart.com
info@reproheart.com
617-314-9571
EDUCATION
Psy.D., 1990
Mass. School of Professional Psychology, Boston, MA
M.A., Counseling Psychology, 1986
Lesley College, Cambridge, MA
B.A., Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, 1984
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
CURRENT WORK EXPERIENCE
PRIVATE PRACTICE Counseling for Reproductive Health and Healing (since July, 1993): preventive, short-term therapy for women and their partners from preconception through postpartum including infertility, loss, and healing after abortion. Utilizes a mind-body approach incorporating counseling, education, hypnosis and the creation of rituals.
Additional services include:
- in-service training and workshops for professionals working with childbearing women
- workshops on a mind/body approach to pregnancy and birth for the general public
- individual and group consultation to healthcare professionals
Also maintain a private practice of ongoing individual psychotherapy for adults
OTHER ONGOING WORK INCLUDES:
Adjunct faculty, Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Maternal and Child Health
Teacher of directed studies and dissertation committee member, Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology
PRESENTATIONS
2007
- Keynote Speaker: The Other Side of Joy: Postpartum Depression, Greater New Bedford C.O.A.S.T. Forum on Maternal Depression, New Bedford, MA.
- Postpartum Mental Health: What Every Clinician Needs to Know: Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology
- Featured guest on The Point, WCAI-FM radio show on Maternal Depression.
- Postpartum Mental Health, Cape Islands Maternal Depression Outreach Forum, Yarmouth, MA.
2006
- Postpartum Mental Health: What Every Clinician Needs to Know II: Cape and Islands Early Childhood Education Conference, Sandwich, MA.
- Postpartum Mental Health: What Every Clinician Needs to Know: Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology
- Building Skills for Effective Emotional Care of Childbearing Women: Boston Association for Childbirth Educators
2005
- Pregnancy and Birth Loss: Mount Auburn Hospital Perinatal Loss Conference, Framingham, MA.
- Effects of Sexual Abuse on Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Lactation: Boston Medical Center Birth Sisters Training, Boston, MA
2004
- Building Skills for Effective Emotional Care of Childbearing Women: ACNM Region 1 Nurse-Midwifery Conference, Boston, MA
- Postpartum Mental Health: What Every Clinician Needs to Know Part I and Part II: Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology
- Postpartum Depression: Boston Association for Childbirth Educators
- Teaching Unexpected Outcomes: Boston Association for Childbirth Educators
- The Impact of Traumatic Reproductive Experiences on Early Mothering: Clinical Conversations Group of Jewish Family & Children’s Service, Newton, MA
2003
- The Birth Experience: Jewish Family & Children’s Service, Newton, MA
- The Impact of Traumatic Reproductive Experiences on Early Mothering: Partners in Perinatal Health Conference, Worcester, MA
- Postpartum Mental Health: What Every Clinician Needs to Know Part I and Part II: Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology
- Postpartum Depression: Boston Association for Childbirth Educators
- Teaching Unexpected Outcomes: Boston Association for Childbirth Educators
2002
- Postpartum Mental Health: What Every Clinician Needs to Know: Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology
- Stress Management and Self-Care: Seattle Midwifery School, East Coast Campus
- Postpartum Depression: Boston Association for Childbirth Educators
- Teaching Unexpected Outcomes: Boston Association for Childbirth Educators
- Sibling Adjustment: MotherCare Services
- Relationship Health: Women-Care Centering Prenatal Care Group
2001
- Preparing Siblings for a New Baby: MIT Family Resource Center and Harvard University Office of Work and Family
- Postpartum Depression: Boston Association for Childbirth Educators
- Teaching Unexpected Outcomes: Boston Association for Childbirth Educators
- Alternative Emotional Healing Practices for Postpartum Difficulties: Jewish Family & Children’s Service, Boston, MA
- Building Skills for Effective Emotional Care of Childbearing Women: B.E.S.T. Connection Conference, Portland, Maine
- Grief and Loss During the Perinatal Period: B.E.S.T. Connection Conference
- Effects of Sexual Abuse on Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Lactation: B.E.S.T. Connection Conference
2000
- Postpartum Planning for Reebok employees, Canton, MA
- Postpartum Depression: Boston Association for Childbirth Educators
- Teaching Unexpected Outcomes: Boston Association for Childbirth Educators; Healthy Families Program, Children’s Trust Fund
1999
- Prevention and Intervention During Pregnancy: Boston Institute for the Development of Infants and Parents
- Socio-emotional Issues in Childbearing: Nurse-Midwifery Education Program, Department of Maternal and Child Health, Boston University School of Public Health
- Postpartum Depression: Boston Association of Childbirth Educators
- How to Work With Challenging Clients: Partners in Perinatal Health Conference, Worcester, MA
- Preparing Siblings for a New Baby: MIT Family Resource Center and Harvard University Office of Work and Family
1998
- Socio-emotional Issues in Childbearing: Nurse-Midwifery Education Program, Department of Maternal and Child Health, Boston University School of Public Health; Grand Rounds presentation, Monadnock Hospital, Peterborough, NH; Cambridge Hospital Doula Training Program; Boston Medical Center Doula Training Program
- Postpartum Depression, Bassett Healthcare, Grand Rounds presentation, Cooperstown, NY
- Meeting Women’s Emotional Needs: Maternal and Child Health Conference, Mt. Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA
- Effective Emotional Care for Childbearing Women: Midwifery Today Conference, Salem, MA
1997
- A New Look at Postpartum Depression: A Bio-Psycho-Social Approach to Etiology, Prevention and Treatment: a Pre-Conference Institute at Pregnancy, Parenting and Mental Illness Conference, Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc., Albany, NY
- Mind/Body Approach to Pregnancy and Birth: An Overview: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Mind/Body Center for Women’s Health Inaugural Symposium, Boston, MA
- Preparing Siblings for a New Baby: MIT Family Resource Center
- Building Skills for Effective Emotional Care of Childbearing Women: 42nd Annual Meeting, American College of Nurse-Midwives, Boston, MA; Mass. Midwives Alliance Basic Course in Midwifery Studies, Boston, MA
1996
- Postpartum Depression: Contemporary Research and Case Histories Suggest An Integrated Care and Support Approach: Boston Institute for the Development of Infants and Parents
- Assisted Reproductive Technologies: Awareness, Knowledge, and Attitudes: Members’ Seminar, Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute
- Healing After Abortion: Interface, Cambridge, MA
- Childbearing: A Panel Presentation of Pregnancy, Birthing and Postpartum Choices: Interface, Cambridge, MA
- Preparing Siblings for a New Baby: Harvard University Office of Work and Family; MIT Family Resource Center; Partners in Perinatal Health Conference, Westborough, MA; The Cambridge Hospital Doula Training Program; Moth?erCare Services
- Effects of Sexual Abuse on Labor, Delivery and Postpartum: Maternal-Child Health Nursing Department, Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA
- Guiding You Into Motherhood: Cambridge Women's Health Day
- Emotional Integration of the Birth Experience: The Cambridge Hospital Doula Training Program
- Postpartum Adjustment: The Cambridge Hospital Doula Training Program
- Holistic Prenatal Counseling and Body-Centered Hypnosis for Childbirth: Assistant to Dr. Gayle Peterson at training, New York City
- Holistic Birth 10: Tufts Medical School
- Moving Forward After Loss: Guest speaker at a chapter of SHARE, Weymouth, MA
- Postpartum Adjustment and Parenting: seminar for Fundamentals of Breastfeeding Management series offered by BACE/Nursing Mothers Council, Winchester, MA
- Facilitator of discussion groups at Discovering the Paths to Healing...Social Issues and Childbearing, a conference of The Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators (ALACE), Boston, MA
- Building Skills for Effective Emotional Care: Mass. Midwives Al?liance Basic Course in Midwifery Studies
1995
- Postpartum Depression: Promising Preventive Interventions Consistent With Social Science Research: 103rd Annual Convention of The American Psychological Association, New York City
- Pregnancy and Childbirth: A Mind/Body Approach: Healthworks, Cambridge, MA; Alternative Conceptions, a series for lesbians considering childbearing, Northampton, MA
- Emotional Aspects of Pregnancy and Childbirth, Variations in the Birth Experience, and Birth Plans, Bradley Childbirth Class Series Waltham, MA
- Building Skills for Effective Emotional Care: Mass. Chapter of American College of Nurse-Midwives
- How to Use Ancillary Providers in Prenatal Care: Tufts Medical School
- Grief and Loss During the Prenatal and Postpartum Period: Jewish Family and Children's Service Visiting Moms Program, Westwood, MA
- Psychological Aspects of Pregnancy and Birthing: part of a series Beginnings, Temple Isaiah, Lexington, MA
1994
- Pregnancy and Childbirth: A Vehicle for Healing and Growth: A View From All Sides Conference; Wheelock College Center for Parenting Studies, Boston, MA
- Building Skills for Effective Emotional Care: Mass. Midwives Alliance
- Pregnancy and Childbirth: A Primer for Therapists and Other Helping Professionals: Mass. School of Professional Psychology
- Childbirth: A Mind/Body Approach: Interface, Cambridge, MA
- The Psychology of Birth: Boston Association for Childbirth Educators
1993
- Featured television appearance on Channel 7 Health Report to discuss Holistic Prenatal & Birth Counseling
- Co-coordinator, Midwifery and Women's Health: Who's talking? Who's Listening?, a conference in honor of the 10th anniversary of The Massachusetts Friends of Midwives
- Holistic Prenatal and Birth Counseling: An Overview and The Effects of Sexual Abuse on Pregnancy and Childbirth: Women's Development Network of The Lipton Center, Leominster, MA
1992
- Siblings at Birth: St. Margaret's Hospital, Dorchester, MA
1990
- Siblings at Birth: North Shore Birthing Center, Beverly, MA
PUBLICATIONS
Co-authored Postpartum chapter in 2005 revision of Our Bodies Ourselves for the New Century, 2005
“Effects of Childhood Abuse on Childbearing and Perinatal Health” in Health Consequences of Abuse in the Family: A Clinical Guide for Evidence-Based Practice, American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, 2004.
“Are hypnosis-assisted birth techniques for everyone?”, Spirit of Change, Nov/Dec 2001.
Co-authored Chapter 21, Postpartum in Our Bodies Ourselves for the New Century, 1998.
Postpartum depression: Proposal for prevention through an integrated care and support network, Applied and Preventive Psychology 6:169-178 (1997), Cambridge University Press, co-authored with Alice LoCicero and Dianne M. Weiss.
“Birth as a Family Event: Including Children at a Sibling's Birth”, The Boston Parents' Paper, November 1994, pp. 22-23.
“Siblings at Birth”, The Midwife Advocate, Vol. 7, #4, Winter 1991.
“Siblings at Birth”, reprinted in MIDIRS Midwifery Digest, Vol. 1, #2, pp. 172-173.
DISSERTATION
A Phenomenological Study of Children Who Witness the Birth of a Sibling, May 1990
TRAININGS AND CERTIFICATIONS
Certified in Holistic Prenatal Counseling and Body-Centered Hypnosis for Childbirth upon completion of training with Gayle Peterson, MSSW, Ph.D., director of Birth Resources, 1993.
Certified as a Childbirth Assistant upon completion of training with Karen C. Parker, RN, CM, CCE, through Informed Homebirth/Informed Birth and Parenting, 1990.
ORGANIZATIONS
Massachusetts Psychological Association
Boston Institute for the Development of Infants and Parents
Postpartum Support International
Massachusetts Friends of Midwives: ‘95-'96 Co-President, '94-'95 Vice President, Member 1993-present
Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute Workshop on Assisted Reproductive Technologies: Member 1995-1997
OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE
- Adjunct Faculty, Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Maternal and Child Health, Nurse-Midwifery Education Program, (19982006)
- Trainer for Healthy Families Program Home Visitors, Children’s Trust Fund, Boston (19992001)
- Jewish Family and Children's Service, Boston, MA 4/1994-4/1995
- Program Coordinator: Jewish Community Programs for People with Mental Illness. Developed and implemented cultural, social and educational programming for consumers with persistent mental illness
- The Lipton Center, Ayer, MA 10/1990-4/1994
- Staff Psychologist; long and short-term outpatient psychotherapy with children, adolescents and adults
- Temple Isaiah, Lexington, MA 1984 - 1990
Curriculum and program development, classroom teacher
- Southborough Youth Commission, Southborough, MA 1988
Director of Summer Programs
INTERNSHIPS
Brandeis University Counseling Center, Waltham, MA 1989-1990
Human Relations Service. Wellesley, MA 1988-1989
Simmons College Counseling Center, Boston, MA 1987-1988
Mystic Valley Mental Health Center, Lexington, MA 1986-1987
The Gifford School, Weston, MA 1985-1986
Gaebler Children's Center, Waltham, MA 1984-1985
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