Perinatal Therapy

Perinatal therapy focuses on emotional and mental health during pregnancy, postpartum, and the early stages of parenting.

This period can involve significant changes in identity, relationships, body experience, and emotional regulation. Therapy offers a space to process these changes and better understand what you are experiencing.

Perinatal therapy may include support for:

• Pregnancy-related anxiety and stress

• Postpartum depression

• Postpartum anxiety

• Emotional overwhelm and exhaustion

• Identity changes during motherhood or parenthood

• Adjustment to life with a newborn

• Birth-related stress or difficult birth experiences

• Relationship changes after having a baby

• Fear of not being a “good enough” parent

• Loss of sense of self

This therapy may be helpful if you are:

• Pregnant and experiencing anxiety or stress

• Recently postpartum and struggling to adjust

• Experiencing postpartum depression or anxiety

• Navigating identity changes in parenthood

• Feeling overwhelmed by caregiving demands

• Struggling with emotional regulation during this transition

• Seeking support in Seattle, North Seattle, Shoreline, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Bothell, or surrounding areas

You do not need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy. Many clients seek support because this transition feels more emotionally complex than expected.

Trying to grow your family can be an emotional journey, especially when it doesn't unfold the way you hoped. Fertility challenges can bring grief, anxiety, uncertainty, relationship strain, and feelings of isolation that are often difficult to share with others. Whether you're navigating infertility, IVF or other fertility treatments, pregnancy loss, donor or surrogacy decisions, or the emotional ups and downs of trying to conceive, therapy offers a supportive space to process these experiences. Together, we'll work to build resilience, strengthen your relationships, and help you move through this chapter with greater self-compassion, hope, and emotional support.

Pregnancy can bring both anticipation and uncertainty.

Many people experience increased anxiety during pregnancy, including worries about health, birth, parenting ability, and life changes ahead.

You may notice:

• Excessive worry about the baby’s health

• Difficulty relaxing or feeling calm

• Increased emotional sensitivity

• Fear of childbirth or medical settings

• Pressure to “do everything right”

Prenatal therapy provides space to explore these concerns while supporting emotional stability throughout pregnancy in Seattle, North Seattle, and surrounding communities.

The postpartum period is often more emotionally complex than expected.

New parents across Seattle, Shoreline, Edmonds, Lynnwood, and nearby areas may experience:

• Mood changes

• Anxiety or panic

• Sleep deprivation and emotional exhaustion

• Feeling overwhelmed by responsibility

• Guilt about not feeling “happy enough”

• Difficulty adjusting to identity changes

• Feeling disconnected or isolated

Postpartum therapy helps you make sense of these experiences without judgment while supporting emotional grounding and adjustment.

Postpartum anxiety and depression are more common than many people realize, and they can show up in different ways.

Postpartum anxiety may include:

• Constant worry about the baby

• Intrusive thoughts

• Feeling on edge or hyper-alert

• Difficulty relaxing even with support

Postpartum depression may include:

• Persistent sadness or emotional numbness

• Loss of interest or pleasure

• Difficulty bonding with the baby

• Feelings of guilt or inadequacy

• Emotional exhaustion

Therapy provides a supportive space to process these experiences and feel more supported during this transition.

Becoming a parent often brings a profound identity shift.

Many individuals in King County and Snohomish County describe feeling like:

• They no longer recognize themselves

• Their previous identity no longer fits

• They are constantly balancing competing demands

• They feel disconnected from parts of themselves

Therapy can help you integrate this transition rather than feel lost within it.

Together, we explore what is changing, what is being grieved, and what new sense of self is emerging.

The transition into parenthood often affects relationships in unexpected ways.

Couples in Seattle, North Seattle, and surrounding communities may experience:

• Less time for connection

• Increased conflict or tension

• Unequal division of responsibilities

• Emotional distance

• Communication difficulties

• Stress related to sleep, work, and caregiving

Perinatal therapy can support individuals and couples in navigating these changes and strengthening connection during this demanding life stage.

My approach to perinatal therapy is grounded in relational, attachment-based, and psychodynamic therapy.

Rather than focusing only on symptom relief, we explore the deeper emotional and relational experiences that shape this transition.

Together, we may explore questions such as:

• How is my identity changing through this experience?

• What expectations am I carrying about parenthood?

• Why am I feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or disconnected?

• What support do I need that I am not receiving?

• How are past experiences influencing my current emotional responses?

Therapy provides space to process these changes with care and understanding.