This week, Aditi and Danyelle sit down with Dr. Loree Johnson to talk about the intersection of race, infertility and grief. We do not all experience the same system of care when we go through loss, and it’s important to recognize when others are at the receiving end of systemic societal prejudices that impact their lives. Together we must learn to see this inequity and work to make sure everyone receives the same kindness, support and care during the hardest moments of their lives.
Dr. Loree Johnson started her career in community-based mental health services focused on adolescents and their families but later transitioned to working in infertility and loss communities after seeing many clients present with issues related to fertility and loss. Clients of colour, in particular, expressed to her a sense of isolation and confusion about their fertility journey given how their experience challenged the dominant narrative that infertility and loss did not affect communities of colour at the same rate as their white counterparts.
After her first-hand experience with fertility challenges taught her the importance of self-care for managing the physical and emotional stress that comes with the fertility process, coupled with the lack of representation she saw of therapists of colour in the fertility space, Dr. Loree found her purpose supporting individuals and couples on their path to parenthood.
Dr. Loree has combined her 25 years of professional clinical experience as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with her own personal fertility journey to help others who are going through similar experiences. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California. She and her husband welcomed their rainbow in 2021 after 8 years of trying to conceive, three losses, and one TFMR.
If you’re interested in contacting or learning more about Dr. Loree, you can reach out to her at @drloreejohnson on Instagram.
For immediate peer support across each stage of the journey text our national Pregnancy & Infant Loss Helpline at 1-888-910-1551 or chat on our website at www.pilsc.org
We are dedicated to supporting individuals of all faiths, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.