Pregnancy & Postpartum Therapy
You Were Made for More Than Surviving Motherhood.
You want to feel present, connected, and able to enjoy motherhood—not just get through each day. Specialized pregnancy and postpartum therapy can help you navigate anxiety, process difficult experiences, and find greater peace in this season of life.
With evidence-based care and the option to integrate your Christian faith, you can move beyond survival and begin to thrive.
In-person in Gilbert, AZ Virtually throughout AZ
When Motherhood Feels Different Than You Expected
You thought you would feel happier, more connected, or more confident. Instead, you may find yourself struggling to enjoy pregnancy, overwhelmed by anxiety or intrusive thoughts, or processing grief and difficult experiences surrounding birth and postpartum.
You may love your baby deeply while also grieving the person you were before motherhood. As your life changes, you may wonder who you are now—not just as a mother, but as an individual. You may feel caught between who you were, who you thought you would be, and who you are becoming.
When you believe you should feel grateful or joyful, it can be hard to admit that you're struggling. You may even wonder whether you're failing as a mother or falling short in your faith.
Struggling doesn't mean you're a bad mother or that you lack faith. You can love your child and still struggle with this season of life. You don't have to minimize what you're experiencing or navigate it alone.
What Is Pregnancy and Postpartum Therapy?
Pregnancy and postpartum therapy, also called perinatal mental health therapy, supports mothers through the emotional and psychological challenges of pregnancy and the transition into motherhood. This season changes your body, brain, relationships, daily life, and sense of self, and it can affect your mental health in unexpected ways.
Specialized therapy considers the unique experiences of motherhood, including:
Emotional changes: Anxiety, intrusive thoughts, overwhelm, or difficulty enjoying pregnancy or postpartum.
Birth and reproductive experiences: Processing birth trauma, pregnancy loss, physiological changes, or unmet expectations.
Identity and relationships: Adjusting to motherhood, grieving aspects of your former self, and navigating changes in relationships.
Mind-body connection: Understanding how stress and difficult experiences can continue to affect your body's responses.
Faith and motherhood: Exploring how your Christian faith, beliefs, and expectations intersect with your experience of becoming a mother.
Rather than addressing symptoms alone, perinatal therapy helps you understand what you're experiencing and find support tailored to your needs during this season.
A Whole-Person Approach to Motherhood
Motherhood can be both deeply meaningful and unexpectedly difficult. You don't have to choose between loving motherhood and acknowledging that you're struggling.
As a Certified Perinatal Mental Health professional and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), I bring a unique understanding of the emotional and psychological challenges mothers face during pregnancy and postpartum. I recognize how changes in identity, anxiety, birth experiences, relationships, and the demands of caring for a baby can affect your well-being. I also understand how feeding challenges, concerns about milk supply or infant weight gain, and grief over unexpected feeding experiences can add another layer of stress.
This integrated perspective helps me provide therapy that considers both your mental health and the physical and practical realities of motherhood. Together, we can work toward greater confidence, emotional well-being, and connection with your baby, incorporating Christian faith and biblical perspectives when desired.
More Than Surviving Pregnancy and Motherhood
Imagine feeling more present during pregnancy, navigating difficult emotions with greater confidence, and reconnecting with yourself, your baby, and the people you love. Whether you're preparing for motherhood or adjusting to life after birth, you can make room for connection, joy, and deeper well-being. With space to explore how your Christian faith intersects with your experiences, you can find support that honors both your emotional needs and your beliefs.
You were made for more than survival. You were made to thrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Perinatal mental health refers to emotional and psychological health during pregnancy and the postpartum period. It includes concerns such as pregnancy anxiety, postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, birth trauma, adjustment to motherhood, and the emotional changes that come with becoming a parent.
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Pregnancy and postpartum therapy focuses on the unique emotional, physiological, and psychological challenges that can arise during pregnancy and the transition into motherhood. While general counseling can address concerns such as anxiety, depression, grief, and relationship difficulties, perinatal therapy considers how these concerns intersect with hormonal and physical changes, birth experiences, feeding challenges, shifts in identity, and the demands of caring for a baby.
This specialized approach recognizes that your mental health is connected to your physical experiences, relationships, and changing role as a mother. Therapy provides space to process difficult experiences, understand your emotional responses, and navigate this season with greater confidence and connection. When desired, your Christian faith can also be part of that process.
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You do not have to wait until symptoms feel overwhelming. Therapy can be helpful during pregnancy, immediately after birth, or months and even years into motherhood if you are struggling with anxiety, grief, identity changes, trauma, or feeling unlike yourself.
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Yes. Feeding challenges can bring significant emotional stress. As both a therapist and IBCLC, I understand the relationship between infant feeding experiences, maternal mental health, and confidence as a parent.
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Yes. Therapy can help you navigate anxiety during pregnancy, postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, intrusive thoughts, and the emotional challenges of adjusting to motherhood. You may experience constant worry, feel overwhelmed, struggle to enjoy this season, or feel unlike yourself.
Therapy provides a space to understand what you're experiencing, develop tools to manage difficult emotions, and address underlying concerns. Depending on your needs, treatment may incorporate evidence-based approaches such as Sensorimotor Psychotherapy or EMDR when appropriate. You don't have to wait until things feel unbearable to seek support.
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Yes. Perinatal mental health is not limited to mothers. Fathers can also experience anxiety, depression, increased stress, grief, changes in identity, relationship challenges, and difficulty adjusting during pregnancy and after the birth of a baby. These experiences are common and deserve support.
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Absolutely, I also welcome fathers who are navigating the emotional challenges of pregnancy, postpartum, and new parenthood. Therapy provides a supportive space to process your experience, strengthen coping skills, improve communication, and adjust to this significant life transition.
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Yes. Christian counseling can incorporate biblical perspectives, Scripture, and prayer alongside evidence-based mental health care. Pregnancy and motherhood can bring questions about identity, expectations, suffering, and trusting God during difficult seasons.
Therapy provides space to explore how your beliefs intersect with your experiences, including feelings of guilt, shame, or the pressure to feel grateful when motherhood feels hard. Together, we can consider these struggles through the lens of biblical theology while addressing your emotional, psychological, and relational needs. You don't have to choose between caring for your mental health and growing in your faith.
