Our Team
Peak Mental Health Counseling is a small team specializing in reproductive mental health and life transitions, including infertility, donor conception, egg and sperm donation, gestational surrogacy, as well as perimenopause and menopause-related hormonal changes. We bring both clinical expertise and lived experience to this work, supporting individuals and couples as they navigate the emotional complexities of family building and the shifts that come with evolving identities, relationships, and stages of life.
Michelle Duchin, LCSW (She/Her)
Over the years, I have enjoyed supporting individuals and couples as they navigate stress, burnout, and significant life transitions. My approach is relational, collaborative, and direct. I tend to work best with people who are curious about themselves and willing to engage thoughtfully in the process. While our conversations can be deep and reflective, I make space for humor and lightness along the way.
Early in my career, I worked at one of New York City’s leading infertility clinics, where I supported individuals and couples navigating the complex process of building their families through third-party reproductive technology, including donor conception, surrogacy, and LGBTQIA+ family building. That experience continues to inform my work today and remains an important part of my professional background.
Areas of Focus
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Stress, burnout, identity questions, and major life transitions
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Therapists and helping professionals seeking their own therapy
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Couples therapy informed by the Gottman Method
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Reproductive mental health counseling, including LGBTQIA+ family building and queer conception
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Male-factor infertility
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Third-party reproduction (egg, sperm, and embryo donation)
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Intended parent consultations
Alicia Denefe, LCPC (She/Her)
My career began in the corporate world after earning a Master’s degree in Business. My personal experiences with infertility and adoption later inspired me to pursue a second career in counseling so I could support others navigating the emotional complexities of family building.
I am especially passionate about supporting individuals navigating infertility, adoption, and donor-conceived family building, and I understand firsthand how complex and emotional these journeys can be.
I work with individual adults, with a particular focus on infertility, adoption, and donor-conceived family experiences. I also support older adults navigating life transitions such as retirement, caregiving responsibilities, grief and loss, and evolving family relationships.
Areas of Focus
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Infertility counseling and reproductive mental health
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Adoption and donor-conceived family experiences
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Parenting and family relationships across the lifespan
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Complex and evolving relationships with adult children
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Aging and midlife transitions, including perimenopause and menopause
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Grief, loss, and major life transitions
Jennifer Wolf, LCSW (She/Her)
My interest in reproductive health began after learning about a friend’s struggle with infertility, which ultimately inspired me to become an egg donor myself. That experience gave me a unique perspective on the emotional and ethical considerations involved in third-party reproduction and sparked my passion for supporting others as they navigate this path.
Today, I focus my work on conducting psychological evaluations for egg donors and gestational carriers, as well as providing psychoeducational consultations for intended parents pursuing IVF, donor conception, surrogacy, and LGBTQIA+ family building. I regularly collaborate with fertility clinics and agencies, and my goal is to help individuals and families feel informed, prepared, and confident as they move forward in the family-building process.
In my consultation work, I guide intended parents through key considerations such as donor selection, treatment planning, and decisions around disclosure, including considerations unique to queer conception and LGBTQIA+ family building. I also support individuals and couples in thinking through how to talk with children and loved ones about donor conception in ways that feel thoughtful, developmentally appropriate, and aligned with their values. These services are consultative and educational in nature, rather than ongoing therapy, and are designed to support informed decision-making at key points in the process. My work is informed by current American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines and best practices in third-party reproduction.
Areas of Focus
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Psychological evaluations for egg and sperm donors
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Psychological evaluations for gestational carriers (surrogates) within third-party reproduction
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Psychoeducational consultations for intended parents pursuing IVF, donor conception, surrogacy, and LGBTQIA+ family building
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Guidance on disclosure and ongoing conversations about donor conception with children and loved ones, including considerations for queer families