Motherhood is a huge adjustment.
1 in 7 women suffer from a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder.
Let me help you prevent and overcome these scary feelings.
Adjusting to life after a baby can be hard. There are a lot of factors that directly affect your ability to manage the day-to-day needs of your growing family: hormonal fluctuations, changes in routine, sleep changes, identity shifts, and more. If you need help managing your feelings, please know that it’s okay to ask for support.
What is Perinatal Mental Health?
Perinatal Mental Health refers to the mental health of parents during pregnancy and through the first year postpartum. As a Perinatal Mental Health Certified therapist, I help women (and men, too) with the following:
- Birth Trauma
- Perinatal Anxiety
- Perinatal Depression
- Baby Blues
- Identity Shifts
- Familial Transitions
- Perinatal OCD
- Attachment & Bonding
If you’re struggling, that’s okay. It’s hard. I completely get it. I am glad you are interested in support for yourself and I’d be happy to help you feel normal again.
Here’s how I help:
I offer a variety of techniques to help mothers and babies. For postpartum women, I offer individual clinical counseling using brief, relationship-focused interpersonal psychotherapy. These sessions are designed specifically for postpartum women seeking relief and support, who often need a plan of action for taking care of themselves or their baby. We spend our time processing the emotions and identity shifts that come along with motherhood, the need for self-care, the importance of bonding, and create plans for change. I am also extensively trained and certified in FirstPlay®, which is a model of therapy that effectively resolves and strengthens attachment relationships between young children, infants, and their caregivers.
Ease your mind and bond with your baby before they arrive.
It can be difficult to bond with your baby if you feel anxious or overwhelmed during pregnancy. For pregnant mothers, I offer interpersonal psychotherapy and individual counseling to address concerns and emotions that may arise during pregnancy. For women with a history of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, it is common for these mental health issues to arise again during pregnancy. I offer a warm, sincere, and hopeful space to help mothers talk about their feelings and concerns regarding pregnancy, including feelings related to loss and infertility struggles. I can help you feel at ease and connected to your little one before they arrive.
Heal depression, anxiety, & OCD and form a healthy secure attachment with your baby after they arrive.
Once your baby arrives, you might not feel that overwhelming feeling of love and excitement right away. That is normal. Hormones, identity shifts, role changes, and more are the cause for what many call the “baby blues.” If you find yourself having a difficult time focusing, sleeping, eating, having mood swings, feeling irritable, feeling overwhelming sadness, feeling angry, paranoid, anxious or worried, having a difficult time taking care of yourself, taking care of your baby or bonding with your baby, or just not feeling like yourself, please reach out to me.
Help at home or in office.
I know how hard it can be to leave the house to run errands, much less to see a counselor. I offer several different options for obtaining support. Sessions are offered in office or via teletherapy (HIPAA compliant video). Some mothers want to come to the office and use that time for some self-care. Others want to meet with me from the comfort of their home. For mothers who choose in-office visits, babies are always welcome to join us. No matter what, I’ve got you covered.
Not sure if you need counseling?
I totally get it. Counseling can be intimidating. Instead of clinical support, you might feel like you just need some extra emotional support during this transitional phase of life. I provide perinatal and postpartum peer support and coaching for the mothers who know something isn’t right, but don’t want to go down the clinical route. While this is different from clinical counseling, it is incredibly effective and is empirically validated to alleviate the symptoms of perinatal anxiety and depression. If you would like to learn more about this, please call me for a free consultation. I would really love to speak with you!
If you are unsure if you or someone you love is suffering from a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder, it is always okay to call me for a free 15 minute phone consultation at (470)-869-0208. I want to help you get the support you need.