A Day of Peer Groups and Professionally Led Support, Education and Roundtable Discussions for the Third Party Reproduction and Parenting Community

The NYC Gathering November 14, 2010


Upper West Side, 12:30-5:30pm



~Considering and Creating Strong Families~

A Day of Peer Groups and Professionally Led Support, Education and Roundtable Discussions for the Third Party Reproduction and Parenting Community



Topics Include:

Disclosure for Ages and Stages of Development ~ Family Communications

Known and Unknown Donation ~ Acupuncture for Fertility ~

Traveling for Donor IVF~ART Patient as ART Legal Client

Children’s Book Review ~ Creating Your Own Photo-Story book

Choice Parenting and Donor Selection ~ Nature and Nurture

Attachment and Identity Formation in Family Building

~Disclosure for Blended Families~



Participation by Clinicians, RN’s, Doctors, Agencies, Attorneys, Parents Engaging Discussion Groups

Families Sharing Support, Education, and Resources



Registration ~12:15-12:30

Lunch & Introduction ~12:30-1:00

Q&A ~1:00-2:00

Roundtable I~2:00-3:00

Roundtable II~3:15-4:15

Q&A and Closing~4:15-5:15



Workshop $75 pp includes lunch, 2nd or more adults $50, Creative Sitters Childcare $45 for the day in the Discovery Gym (adjacent to workshop).

Contact Saxel95@aol.com for registration



~Considering and Creating Strong Families~



Roundtable Leaders and Topics:



Nancy Kaufman, LCSW-Introduction to Professsionally Led Support Group: The Third Party Parenting Network. Nancy is a Clinician in Private Practice in NYC with an expertise in Infertility, Family-building and Disclosure.

Patricia Mendell, LCSW and Co-Chair of The AFA-Disclosure and Professionally Led Support Group. Patricia is a Clinician in Private Practice and group practice with a focus on Disclosure as the founder of The Family Building Network.

Nancy Freeman-Carroll, PsyD-Childrens Book Review & Nature vs Nurture Nancy is a Clinician in NYC with Group and Private practice in Parenting and Infertility with a focus on Womens Health, Parenting After ART and Family Counseling. She has presented at ASRM and The NYC Gathering and is a DE Mom.

Mary Fusillo, RN, De Mom, The Donor Solution Agency Owner and Healthcare Professional Former Clinic Donor Program Coordinator, and Mom to 12 yo daughter who is also attending. Mary is a volunteer through Donormoms of Houston and has presented at ASRM and The NYC Gathering.

Dr Susan Treiser, MD,PHd (attending with Nursing Staff) Co-founder and Co-director of IVF NJ to introduce clinic and lead discussion on Donor Egg and Third Party Reproduction at IVFNJ, PVED.ORG Executive Board Member and Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist. Resolve Award Winner.

Rosalind Hoffman, MD- DE/DS/SMC-Decision-making and donor selection for Choice Moms and general SMC Support. Long Island Resolve Peer Group Member.

Amy Demma, JD. When an ART Patients is also an ART Law Client: a practical discussion about navigating collaborative reproduction from the “parentage” perspective. Amy is a New York State licensed attorney working in assisted family building, primarily third-party and donor collaboration. Amy is a Vice President on the Executive Committee of RESOLVE of New England and serves on the ARTs Law Committee of the American Bar Association.

Rev. Susy Nason-Child Development and Family Communication Expert to introduce and discuss the How To Talk So Kids Will Listen, and Listen So Kids Will Talk method.

Lisa Schuman, LCSW-General Support Group Lisa is on staff at RMA NY and in Private Practice in the field of Infertility,Third-party Reproduction and Parenting. She is an Adoption Consultant specializing in Disclosure, Decision-making, and Child Development and has presented at ASRM.

Mike Berkley-Acupuncture for Fertility- Mike Berkley is the Director of The Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness, the first center of complimentary medicine to specialize in the treatment of infertility. He has been in practice for 13 years as a fertility practice.

Ingrid Maurer-Traveling for Donor IVF - Ingrid is a member of our community that has participated in numerous capacities in peer-support, as a guest speaker for Resolve, as a member of PVED.Org andTPPN and of course, The NYC Gathering.

Lori Goldkind-General Peer Support-Lori is a member of our on-going Womens DInner in Midtown and is a new mom via egg donation. Lori has been involved in The NYC Gathering and is a member of PVED.Org. Lori will be available to share her insights, support and experience with others who are considering or parenting via de.

Joann Paley Galst,Ph.D-Attachment, Identity Formation and Family Building: How and Why It Is Safe To Disclose. Joann is a clinician in private practice in NYC. Please see the June 2009 recap here on DONORGROUPSNYC about wonderful The AFA Teleconference that Joann led with Patricia Mendell.

Carolyn N. Berger, LCSW-Disclosure in Blended Families:When Children Come into the Family through Adoption And/Or Third Party And/Or Are Genetically Related. Carolyn is a clinician in NYC and Westchester with a practice devoted to Fertility, All Forms of Family Building and Adoption.

Judy Kottick-LCSW-Known vs Unknown Donors & Disclosure Judy is a Clinician in Private Practice facilitating Donor Parenting groups, is on staff at IVF NJ facilitating Donor and Recipient Screenings, has presented at ASRM and The NYC Gathering.

Long Island Parents via DS-will show us their photo story books, discuss their experience meeting donor sibling family, and share their journey with us.

REGISTER NOW. Contact saxel95@aol.com