L.R. Reproductive Psychology

L.R. Reproductive Psychology Psychologist, Speaker & Trainer
Helping everyone do better in supporting theirs and others reproductive mental health

Today was my last day in the office for 2025.For all the clients this year, thank you. It has a been a privilege to walk...
19/12/2025

Today was my last day in the office for 2025.

For all the clients this year, thank you. It has a been a privilege to walk beside you through sadness and grief, joy and hope, uncertainty and planning. The ups and the downs, to watch the growth and changes both for you individually and more broadly within your families.

To the community organisations who have asked me to be part of awareness days, thank you. Your trust in me to support the community is always appreciated.

For everyone who follows along here, thank you for being in my small corner of the crazy world of social media!

To all the colleagues I have met, both behind the walls of social media and so many more, thankfully, now in person! Meeting people in the flesh really is awesome!!

May you all have a gentle and peaceful Christmas and slow entry into the new year.

I am back for 2026 from Monday 5th January.

❤️ Lisa

And it's in!My response to the Australian Law Reform Commisission's Review of Surrogacy Laws Discussion paper has been s...
16/12/2025

And it's in!
My response to the Australian Law Reform Commisission's Review of Surrogacy Laws Discussion paper has been submitted.

This is the second stage of the ALRC process. The discussion paper looked more at the role of surrogacy suppprt organisations, legislation, the role of Medicare, counselling, and legal.

41 proposals and 24 questions!

I did not, however, answer them all, as many were out of the scope of my knowledge as a reproductive psychologist. But those which were relevant I did answer.

Change in our legislation around 3rd party reproduction is needed to bring about harmonisation and consistency, to reduce confusion and improve knowledge and safety for everyone needing fertility treatments such as surrogacy to grow their families.

The more voices who provide feedback, the better the chance we have of Reform, which is equitable, and works for the betterment of everyone, but in particular, children born through Surrogacy.

So if you feel up to putting in your own feedback - you have until Friday!!

Today, as the sun has risen in our country, at a time where we are all meant to be gathering together to celebrate a tim...
15/12/2025

Today, as the sun has risen in our country, at a time where we are all meant to be gathering together to celebrate a time of peace, family, and love, we have woken to broken hearts and devastation.

For the Jewish Community, in Australia and around the world, as they were starting their celebrations of Hanukkah, their worlds were once again ripped apart through indiscriminate and racially, religious, and culturally targeted hate.

There is no space in our country and our world for this type of violence.

Today, we are angry for all Jewish people.

Today, we mourn with all Jewish people.

Today, our hearts break for all Jewish people.

Today, we cry with all Jewish people.

Today, we hope and pray for a world of true peace, understanding, and acceptance. For while there are people who choose to divide, this is our opportunity to unite, to stand side by side, because fundamentally we are all the same.

We all wish to be surrounded by family.

We all wish to be loved and connected.

We all wish to be respected.

We all wish to be safe.

Ovarian cancer is diagnosed in around 2000 Australian's every year, and the symptoms are vague.Bloating, pain, and bowel...
14/12/2025

Ovarian cancer is diagnosed in around 2000 Australian's every year, and the symptoms are vague.

Bloating, pain, and bowel symptoms - which, let's face it, could be a myriad of things and symptoms many can experience through their menstrual cycle and life in general.

Sadly, it means many diagnoses are at late stages, meaning it is one of the deadliest cancers for women, and those with ovaries in Australia.

Anything we can do to raise awareness and funds to research and early detection for ovarian cancer can only be a good thing.

Kudos to for getting behind this worthy cause, with some seriously awesome slogans!

Its true "It's all Begins with Ovaries"

Oh, the most wonderful time of the year, where Great Aunty Edna asks where the babies are, Uncle Rob cracks inappropriat...
13/12/2025

Oh, the most wonderful time of the year, where Great Aunty Edna asks where the babies are, Uncle Rob cracks inappropriate jokes about reproduction, and the drunk colleague at the work christmas party suddenly wants to know all about your personal life, despite barely acknowledging you for the past 11 months!

Truthfully, society needs to get better at not asking invasive questions about reproduction and family building.

Realistically, it's those of us navigating infertility, pregnancy loss, and not having the society expected family who actually need to figure out what we are going to say.

Please also know that "get stuffed" is also an appropriate answer, but resorting to physical responses is definitely not!

I absolutely adore drawing of Lois Tonkins' grief theory, "Growing Around Grief."This is another space of grief that I ...
08/12/2025

I absolutely adore drawing of Lois Tonkins' grief theory, "Growing Around Grief."

This is another space of grief that I speak with so much with those I work with, that grief does not stop, it does not disappear, but rather life builds itself around the grief.

Tonkin's theory postulates that grief doesn't shrink over time. Rather, the layers of life build around it and surround it.

However, at anniversaries, key dates, and sometimes just randomly, grief can seem to once again be centre stage.

I've seen many depictions of Lois Tonkin's Growing Around Grief, but i will always return to Emma's drawing with a sense of beauty, and the true capture of what a life etched with grief is - one truly full of love.

07/12/2025

International Grief Awareness Week 2025

This theory on how we navigate grief, the shifts between spending time being in, reflecting on and experiencing the emotions of grief and then shifting to being in, living through and experiencing life again, was put forward by Stroebe & Schut.

Known as the Dual Process Model of Grief, I use this so much when working with individuals and families who have experienced infertility, pregnancy loss or the loss of a baby.

The understanding we transition between, and spend time in loss orientation (grief) and restoration orientation (life), can help us to navigate grief and the pressure we have from society to "get over it and move on".

We dont get over grief, but we integrate and experience it differently as time moves forward.

27/11/2025

The transition to parenthood looks different for everyone. There is no one right way, and their is certainly no wrong way!

Infertility, birth trauma, and loss can be part of our perinatal experience and may amplify challenges through this time.

Mental health sits on a spectrum, and it's no different in the perinatal space.

No matter if you are single, coupled, male, or female, perinatal mental health can impact us through anxiety, depression or stress.

There IS someone there for you, be it in groups, online forums, individual psychological support, family or friends, or indeed a combination of them all.

If you are struggling to navigate this transitional space, please know there are many of us who are there to support you and make this time easier to navigate.

You don't have to do it alone!

So excited this turned up in the mail today!!Congratulations & for putting such an awesome book into the world.First i...
26/11/2025

So excited this turned up in the mail today!!

Congratulations & for putting such an awesome book into the world.

First impressions are awesome & I look forward to deep diving into it over the next couple of days!

There are many challenges that can face couples as they navigate the transition to postpartum and parenthood. One of the...
24/11/2025

There are many challenges that can face couples as they navigate the transition to postpartum and parenthood.

One of the most challenging would be transitioning into this time when the baby has passed away, whether in pregnancy or in infancy.

Pregnancy loss, stillbirth, termination for medical reasons, and infant loss, turn the expected perinatal time, and the expected post partum transition on its head.

Life steps forward with a body, which is portpartum, arms which are empty, hearts that are broken, and a world that doesn't identify us as a parent, even when we see ourselves as one.

The feelings of loss, uncertainty, the space of life being out of order, confused, and the heaviness of grief. While simultaneously recovering from pregnancy and birth.

Trying to figure out how to tell the world who we see ourselves as, while simultaneously being unsure of what to say or to who for fear of breaking down, of being dismissed, of people not understanding we see ourself as a parent, when they may not.

This is the postpartum, the entry to parenthood, or the re-entry to parenthood, which no one anticipates, far too many experience and where thankfully more supports are stepping in and around.

Supports are there, individual, groups, online, and in person. No one is alone in their transition to parenthood, and in this unique one, thankfully, someone is there for you too.

Address

112 Drummond Street N
Ballarat, VIC
3350

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 2:45pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 2:45pm

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