pERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH

The transition into parenthood has a way of touching many parts of us at once.

Family planning, pregnancy, or postpartum may bring up questions about who you are now, what kind of parent you want to be, how you were parented, and what you hope to do differently.

Experiences you thought you had moved past may suddenly feel close again. You might notice yourself becoming more anxious, reactive, perfectionistic, or fearful. You may feel pressure to get everything “right” or find yourself constantly wondering whether you're doing enough.

For others, the struggle is harder to name. You may simply know that you don't quite feel like yourself.

I work with clients navigating a range of experiences during family planning, pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood, including:

  • Anxiety during family planning, pregnancy or postpartum

  • Postpartum depression and low mood

  • Intrusive or frightening thoughts

  • Birth trauma or a difficult birth experience

  • Identity changes and feeling disconnected from yourself

  • Guilt, shame, or feeling like you're not doing enough

  • Difficulty adjusting to the demands of parenthood

  • Changes in your relationship after having a baby

  • Resentment, loneliness, or feeling unsupported

  • Difficulty setting boundaries with family

  • Old attachment wounds resurfacing

  • Childhood experiences influencing how you feel as a parent

  • Grief around how you expected pregnancy, birth, or parenthood to feel

Becoming a parent isn't only about developing a relationship with your baby. It can also bring you into closer contact with your own history.

You may begin thinking differently about your childhood or your relationship with your parents. Experiences that once felt distant may suddenly carry more emotional weight. You might notice fears about repeating patterns from your own upbringing—or feel determined to give your child something you didn't have.

Sometimes these reactions make sense intellectually, but your nervous system continues responding as though something is wrong or unsafe.

Therapy can help you understand where these reactions come from while developing new ways of responding to yourself, your relationships, and the demands of parenthood.

Birth Trauma & EMDR

A birth experience can be medically successful and still feel frightening, overwhelming, or traumatic.

You may find yourself replaying parts of your birth, avoiding reminders of what happened, feeling disconnected when you talk about it, or wondering why you haven't been able to simply “move on.”

EMDR therapy can help the brain process experiences that continue to feel emotionally unresolved.

When appropriate, we can use EMDR to work with distressing memories related to pregnancy, birth, medical experiences, or earlier experiences that have become activated during the transition to parenthood.

Perinatal Therapy in Washington & California

I provide therapy for adults throughout Washington and California, including support during pregnancy, postpartum, and the transition into parenthood.

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