Treating Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders
Available online to expecting and new parents residing in Washington State
Overwhelmed by depression or anxiety as you face parenthood?
Struggling with infertility or the loss of your newborn?
Maybe you’re discovering the joy of sleep deprivation caused by a newborn. Or trying to wrap your brain around infertility and all the stress that goes along with it. Perhaps you’re feeling that all of this is your fault.
Whatever it is that you’re experiencing, this is beginning to impact your daily life:
You feel the need to constantly watch how others interact with your child.
You notice growing irritability, dread, or gloom.
You struggle to eat or find time for yourself.
The world of babies doesn’t need to be doom and gloom.
Life may feel like it will never be the same, and despite that, you can feel like yourself again. You can be confident in yourself. You can feel safe.
And I can help you get there.
Perinatal therapy helps with three different aspects:
Build community and connection with others.
Heal past trauma, grief, or pains related to infertility.
Gain the tools necessary and empower you to live a the life and be the parent you desire.
I’ll help through this process, tailoring each step to your unique needs and circumstances. My approach to perinatal therapy comes from a place of healing and hope. This is a stigmatized part of our culture that people struggle to share with others. What you are experiencing is not abnormal, but it is certainly isolating. Throughout therapy, you can find the courage to shed the shame and reclaim your humanity.
You don’t have to live life feeling feeling inadequate and broken.
I can help you get there.
Frequently asked questions about perinatal mental health
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It can be as simple as having a place to process or validate your experience. It can also be a place to explore the impact of postpartum depression/anxiety or perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
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Entirely fair question! Sometimes this really just comes down to goodness of fit in therapy. I believe the effectiveness of therapy is often more dependent on your connection with your therapist rather than the type of treatment. I understand clients seeking out clinicians of a certain gender; it’s nice to know that some things are just inherently known by your therapist, and you don’t have to explain it. While I bring knowledge and experience to this topic, I also bring my own personal experience as a parent. Sometimes that is a nice perspective for my clients.
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Dads and non-birthing partners can experience postpartum depression and anxiety, stress, grief, and all of the struggles associated with childbirth, parenting, loss, and infertility. It can be hard to acknowledge this when you are trying to provide support to the birthing partner, but you deserve your own support as well!