Hi, my name is Meriel, I am a counsellor, teacher and writer and am childless not by choice. It is no longer possible for me to become a parent and so now my focus is on widening and deepening my life so that it is rich of full connections and worthwhile work, and worthwhile time out of work.

I identify as queer and am neurodiverse and both of these are very important aspects of who I am. I am childless for more than one reason and I tried to become a parent in more than one way, but nothing worked for me and so, in 2015, I turned to face my childless life.

I think I’ll always feel a bit sad about not having kids, but I am grateful for the community I have found and for the opportunities I now have to turn around and support other childless people through my work at Meriel Whale Counselling.