Fertility, Eating Disorder, Trauma, Grief, and Sex Therapy in Texas
SAN ANTONIO | BOERNE | NEW BRAUNFELS | AUSTIN | HOUSTON | DALLAS
You’re scrolling through another pregnancy announcement, heart sinking, wondering if it will ever be your turn. Maybe you’re struggling through another failed IVF cycle, grieving a miscarriage, or drowning in postpartum anxiety no one warned you about. Perhaps your body feels like a battleground—between fertility treatments, disordered eating, or disconnect from who you used to be. You deserve specialized support that understands the unique pain of reproductive challenges, pregnancy loss, and maternal mental health struggles. As a licensed reproductive mental health therapist, I provide virtual therapy throughout Texas for women navigating infertility, IVF/IUI treatment, perinatal and postpartum challenges, body image concerns, eating disorders, trauma and the grief. This is a safe space where your feelings are validated, your story matters, and healing is possible.
Tired of Pretending You're Okay When You're Falling Apart?
You’re Exhausted from Pretending Everything Is Fine.
Every negative pregnancy test feels like another failure. Your partner doesn’t understand why you can’t just “relax and it will happen.” Postpartum anxiety has you checking if the baby’s breathing for the twentieth time tonight. Your body feels like a stranger after pregnancy loss, miscarriage, or treatment. You’re not broken—you’re facing challenges that demand specialized support.
How Therapy Helps
I don’t give you generic advice or tell you to “stay positive.” Instead, we address what’s actually happening: the grief, the anxiety, the relationship strain, the body disconnection. Together, we create space for your real feelings without judgment or platitudes.
What shifts through our work together
You stop feeling controlled by anxiety about fertility outcomes and treatment cycles. Grief becomes something you can process instead of something that paralyzes you completely. Your body stops feeling like the enemy and starts feeling like yours again. Communication with your partner improves—they finally understand what you need from them. Postpartum struggles become manageable instead of overwhelming every single moment of your day.
This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about helping you survive—and eventually thrive—through what feels impossible right now.
You don’t have to know the way forward yet; therapy helps you find it step by step.
My Approach: Real Support, Not Platitudes
You won’t get generic advice or empty reassurance from me. Instead, I use proven therapeutic methods tailored specifically to reproductive and maternal mental health challenges.
We combine three powerful approaches:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Practical tools to manage anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and overwhelm in real-time
- Psychodynamic Therapy – Understanding how past experiences shape your current struggles with fertility, body image, and relationships
- Relational Therapy – Creating genuine connection where you feel truly seen, heard, and understood without judgment
The foundation: Self-compassion over self-judgment. You’re doing the best you can with an impossibly hard situation.
Meet Lindsay Merrell, LCSW — The Therapist Behind Oak Harbor Wellness
Compassionate therapy for life’s hardest moments—whether you’re navigating fertility struggles, relationship challenges, body image concerns, or healing from trauma.
Specialized Support When You Need It Most
Lindsay Merrell, LCSW provides expert online therapy throughout Texas, including San Antonio, Boerne, New Braunfels, Austin, Houston, and Dallas. With years of experience in intensive care settings and specialized training as a Mental Health Professional Member of ASRM (American Society of Reproductive Medicine), Lindsay offers the kind of care that helps you feel truly understood.
Areas of Expertise:
Fertility & Reproductive Mental Health
- IVF/IUI emotional support and cycle navigation
- Pregnancy loss and grief counseling
- Navigating Assisted Reproductive Technology
- Counseling on Third Party Reproduction (Egg, Sperm, Embryo or Surrogacy)
- Parenting After Reproductive Loss
- Overcoming Involuntary Childlessness
- Coping with Perimenopause/Menopause Related Emotional, Behavioral, and Cognitive Issues
- Reciprocal IVF for same-sex couples
- Pregnancy and postpartum adjustment
- Secondary Infertility
- Exploring Infertility and Family Building Options
- Preconception Counseling
Trauma & Eating Disorder Recovery
- Eating disorder recovery and relapse prevention
- Body image therapy for women
- Body image healing after pregnancy loss, fertility treatment, and postpartum changes
- Orthorexia and exercise compulsion
- Athlete-specific eating disorders and performance pressure
- Birth trauma (emergency deliveries, NICU stays, traumatic labor experiences)
- Sexual assault and abuse trauma
- Medical trauma from fertility procedures, IVF, and invasive treatments
- Complex trauma (C-PTSD) and childhood trauma
- Athletic trauma (coaching abuse, injury, performance pressure)
- Infertility shame and feelings of bodily failure
- Perfectionism and self-criticism
- Identity beyond performance or motherhood
- Healing from internalized body shame
Relationship & Couples Therapy
- Fertility treatment strain (navigating IVF/IUI cycles, decision fatigue, financial stress as a couple)
- Communication repair when infertility creates distance and misunderstanding
- Intimacy issues (sex feeling clinical, loss of connection, physical disconnection)
- Mismatched grief after pregnancy loss or failed cycles
- Postpartum relationship disconnect (feeling like roommates, loss of partnership)
- Sexual intimacy recovery after birth trauma or invasive medical procedures
- Decision-making support (when to stop treatment, exploring alternatives, managing different timelines)
- Rebuilding trust and emotional connection during crisis
- LGBTQ+ affirming couples counseling
Why Clients Choose Oak Harbor Wellness
Lindsay creates a calm, grounded space where you can open up at your own pace. Her extensive background working with medically fragile and clinically complex patients means she understands how the body and mind respond to stress, trauma, and relationship pain. You’ll work with someone who listens deeply, honors your story, and walks beside you toward healing.
Affirming care for all: LGBTQ+ individuals and couples receive inclusive, specialized support throughout their journey.
Convenient Virtual Therapy Across Texas
Access HIPAA-compliant online therapy from anywhere in Texas. Flexible scheduling works around your medical appointments, work commitments, and busy life. No commute, no waiting room—just compassionate care when you need it.
Serving: San Antonio, Boerne, New Braunfels, Austin, Houston, Dallas, and all Texas cities
Ready to feel seen, valued, and understood? Schedule your first session today.
“Everything can be taken from a person but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
– Viktor E. Frankl
Specialties
Fertility & Maternal Mental Health
If you are considering starting a family, pregnant, postpartum, or a caregiver in any capacity, you may be trying to adjust to a new normal, experiencing worry, fertility difficulties, grief, or loss. As a Mental Health Professional Member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, I’m equipped to assist your navigation through pre-conception to parenthood. I hold a supportive space for you to learn to cope with challenges, express your needs, set boundaries, and deepen your connections with loved ones through this season of your life.
Eating Disorders & Body Image
Relationships with your body and food can be complicated—sometimes messy, sometimes exhausting, and often full of judgment. Maybe you feel uncomfortable in your own skin, get stuck in self-criticism, or find yourself putting too much weight on appearance (pun intended). I’m here to help you navigate all of that with compassion and clarity. Together, we’ll work on building an improved relationship with yourself—challenging negative self-talk, shifting habits around food and movement, and finding ways to feel at home in your body. My goal is to help you not just cope, but actually thrive.
Grief & Loss
Grief and loss can feel like an emotional labyrinth—confusing, heavy, and sometimes downright exhausting. You might feel everything all at once, or nothing at all, and that’s okay. There’s no “right” way to grieve. I’m here to walk alongside you through the pain, uncertainty, and moments that take your breath away. Together, we’ll explore your feelings, honor your experiences, and find ways to carry your grief without letting it carry you. My goal is to help you navigate loss with compassion, understanding, and—when it’s possible—a little lightness amidst the heaviness.
Trauma
Trauma can leave you feeling stuck, hyper-alert, or like your past keeps showing up uninvited in your present. It can be confusing, exhausting, and sometimes downright frustrating. I’m here to help you make sense of it all. Together, we’ll create a safe space to explore your experiences, understand how they show up in your life, and develop practical ways to feel more grounded and in control. My goal is to help you navigate trauma with compassion, insight, and a sense of safety—so you can start reclaiming your life, one step at a time.
Oak Harbor Wellness is committed to providing a safe, supportive, and inclusive space for everyone. We honor the inherent worth and dignity of every individual, regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender identity, and we celebrate LGBTQIA+ identities in all their diversity.
We approach therapy with an open heart and mind, recognizing that each person’s experience is unique. Our goal is to support you on your journey toward healing, growth, and self-acceptance—knowing you are seen, celebrated, and fully welcome here.
Your story matters. At Oak Harbor Wellness, we are here to listen, support, and walk alongside you. Everyone is welcome.
Let's Connect
Thank you for visiting my practice. Reaching out for support is a brave and meaningful step, and I’m here to meet you with compassion, understanding, and a safe space to begin your healing.
If you’re exploring therapy for the first time, returning after a difficult season, or simply looking for a therapist who truly listens, I’m honored you’re here. I offer virtual therapy for women and couples throughout Texas, making it easier to get the support you need—no matter where you are.
Whether you’re interested in scheduling an appointment, want to learn more about my specialties, or have questions about how online therapy with me works, I would love to connect with you.
You’re welcome to reach out through the contact form below, or email me directly. Your message is always handled with care, and I will respond as soon as possible.
A quick note: For your privacy, please avoid sharing sensitive medical or personal details in the contact form or by email, as these methods are not HIPAA-compliant.
You don’t have to navigate this alone. When you’re ready, I’m here to help you feel supported, grounded, and empowered as you move forward.
I look forward to hearing from you.