Postpartum Therapy in Pasadena & Online Across CA
Support for parents navigating postpartum anxiety, depression, identity changes, and the emotional upheaval of early parenthood.
No one warned you it would be like this.
Maybe you’re crying more days than not, unsure why things feel so hard. Some days it feels like you’re drowning and no one’s coming to save you. Perhaps you’re stuck replaying parts of your pregnancy, birth, or early postpartum experience that didn’t go the way you hoped. Or maybe the anxiety about your baby’s health, development, sleep, and eating feels relentless.
You may be questioning whether you’re a “good enough” parent. You might feel responsible for getting everything exactly right while also feeling completely depleted. You may find yourself comparing your experience to other parents and feeling like you’re falling short. There also may be resentment towards your partner or family members: they don’t fully understand what you’re going through and the role shifts are creating friction.
Having a baby is a life development phase that brings with it significant physical, spiritual, and psychological changes. Your body is recovering and adjusting to new hormones, your sleep is nonexistent, your relationships are shifting, and you don’t really recognize who you are. It also often brings back into focus our experiences with our own parents and the ways that might be influencing how you experience parenthood.
Perinatal mental health conditions are the most common complication of childbirth.
About 1 in 5 birthing people and 1 in 10 non-gestational parents experience postpartum depression or anxiety. Despite how common these experiences are, many parents suffer quietly because they feel alone and ashamed to admit they’re struggling.
No one checks on you after the six-week visit. The village that once showed up to care for the birthing parent with meals and extra hands mostly doesn't exist anymore, and is instead relegated to what you can hire for with doulas, night nurses, and meal delivery. You’re expected to recover from birth, keep a newborn alive, and hold together everything else, with almost nothing tangible in place to help you do it. That's the reality new parents are handed in this country, and then they're asked why they're struggling. You’re not failing at this; you’re living in a starkly unsupportive environment for new parents.
I believe in your capacity to navigate the parts that are scary, messy, and unresolved. That's what we do here, together.
Helping you process this identity change and figure out who you are, now.
Postpartum therapy provides a place to slow down, reconnect to yourself, and make sense of what you are experiencing during this intense period of change. Some sessions might focus on processing difficult memories from pregnancy, birth, or early postpartum. Other times we focus on practical coping tools to help you decrease anxiety’s grip on you, manage overwhelm, and directly communicate your needs with loved ones.
As a therapist with lived experience and clinical training in perinatal mental health conditions, I understand how destabilizing and humbling this season can be. My role is to notice and attend to the parts of you that need care, attention, and encouragement, and support the integration of your pre-parent self with your new identity as a parent.
I pull from a variety of approaches–like psychodynamic and attachment theory, feminist and liberation psychology, CBT, ACT, narrative, and EMDR–that are tailored to this season of little sleep and even less time. I’ll help you generate insight, reduce worry, and increase your confidence that you can handle what’s ahead. Whatever we work on, it’s tailored to your needs and therapy goals, including topics outside of new parenthood.
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Postpartum Text Therapy
If finding time for weekly therapy feels impossible right now…
Between feeding schedules, sleep deprivation, and the constant needs of a newborn, attending a weekly appointment can feel out of reach for you at the moment.
For parents in this situation, I also offer postpartum text therapy which allows you to receive support through secure messaging at times that fit your schedule and needs.
Specialized therapy for postpartum adjustment can help you:
BUILD TRUST IN YOURSELF AS A PARENT
Stop constantly second-guessing your parenting decisions and develop security in your abilities as a “good enough” parent.
NAVIGATE RELATIONSHIPS & SET BOUNDARIES
Directly communicate your needs with loved ones and protect your physical and emotional energy during this demanding season.
LOWER THE INTENSITY & FREQUENCY OF THE WORRY
Develop skills to prevent the incessant anxiety loops about your baby’s health, routines, or development.
MAKE SENSE OF YOUR CHANGING IDENTITY
Integrate the changes to how you see yourself, your relationships, and your priorities so you feel more confident in who you are now.
HEAL FROM A DIFFICULT BIRTH
If parts of your pregnancy or birth feel traumatic or unresolved, we can work through those memories so they stop intruding on your bonding with your baby, sleep, and avoidance of certain activities or places.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Understandably, you feel stretched thin during this time! Three things that could help with the time concerns…
1. Babies are always welcome during our sessions, whether they’re in-person or online; you’re free to feed your baby or do other care tasks as needed during your session.
2. I offer online therapy sessions and some parents schedule these during their babies’ naps or when another caregiver can take over for 50 minutes.
3. For parents who need even more flexibility, postpartum text therapy allows you to get support on your schedule without needing to show up to a weekly appointment. -
Yes. Postpartum can leave partners feeling like roommates instead of a couple, especially when exhaustion eats up whatever was left for each other at the end of the day. Couples therapy for postpartum can help you understand what's shifted since the baby arrived, rebuild the connection that got buried under logistics, and find your way back to each other. If you’re doing individual therapy with me, there is also the option for your spouse to join us for a session to support your treatment goals.
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Medication is one possible option, but it is not required for therapy to be helpful. I work with both clients who choose to take medication and those who don’t. My role is to support you in exploring your thoughts and feelings about medication, provide insights into your symptoms, and help you make an informed decision that feels right for you. For those who do take medication, I will coordinate care with your provider to ensure the best possible treatment outcomes.
There's a version of this where you're not just surviving. Let's find it together.
