Perinatal & Reproductive Mental Health
Support for the emotional changes, relationship challenges, and unexpected feelings that can come with pregnancy and parenthood.
Virtual therapy for adults in DC, NY, VA, VT, and UT
Pregnancy, postpartum, and the transition into parenthood can bring changes that are difficult to anticipate. Even when you've looked forward to this chapter, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed, disconnected from yourself, anxious, or unsure how to adjust to everything that's changed.
You might be trying to balance your own needs with everyone else's, navigating tension in your relationship, or wondering why this transition feels harder than you expected. You may also find that becoming a parent brings up feelings or experiences from your own childhood.
You can love your family and still struggle with the changes that come with parenthood. Therapy offers a space to talk honestly about what you're experiencing, better understand your needs, and find practical ways to navigate this chapter.
When Parenthood Brings Up More Than You Expected
Parenthood can affect more than your daily routine. It can shift your identity, relationships, priorities, and expectations for yourself.
You may be dealing with:
Identity changes and mixed feelings: Missing parts of your life before parenthood, adjusting to new responsibilities, or wondering how to make room for yourself.
Anxiety, guilt, and high expectations: Worrying about your baby's well-being, questioning your decisions, or feeling pressure to get everything right.
Relationship changes and resentment: Navigating disagreements about responsibilities, feeling unsupported, or figuring out boundaries with family members.
Earlier experiences resurfacing: Noticing that your own upbringing, family relationships, or unmet emotional needs are affecting how you experience parenthood.
You may also be navigating distressing intrusive thoughts, a difficult or traumatic birth experience, or grief related to pregnancy or reproductive loss.
You deserve a space where you can talk openly about these experiences without fear of judgment.
Specialized Support for Perinatal Mental Health
As a Perinatal Mental Health Certified (PMH-C) therapist, I have specialized training in the emotional and psychological challenges that can arise during pregnancy, postpartum, and related reproductive transitions.
Our work is shaped by your experiences and goals. We might explore changes in your sense of self, anxiety about your baby, relationship stress, or the ways earlier experiences are influencing your transition into parenthood.
My approach is collaborative and practical. Together, we'll work to understand what's contributing to your distress, identify patterns that may be making things harder, and develop strategies that fit your everyday life.
My Approach to Therapy
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CBT helps you recognize how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence one another. Together, we'll explore patterns that contribute to anxiety, self-criticism, or overwhelm and practice new ways of responding.
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ACT helps you make room for difficult thoughts and feelings while identifying what matters most to you. You can learn to take meaningful steps toward your values without waiting until you feel completely confident or have everything figured out.
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A trauma-informed approach considers how past experiences may shape your sense of safety, relationships, and responses to stress. When relevant, we'll explore these connections at a pace that respects your needs and readiness.
Therapy is not about being a perfect parent or having everything figured out. It's an opportunity to understand yourself, make room for your needs, and find ways to navigate this season of life that feel more manageable.
Free Perinatal Emotional Wellness Toolkit
Looking for additional support during pregnancy or postpartum?
My free Perinatal Emotional Wellness Toolkit offers resources to help you check in with your emotional well-being, navigate common challenges, and make space for your own needs during this transition.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. You can love your child and feel grateful for your family while also experiencing anxiety, exhaustion, uncertainty, or frustration. Wanting to become a parent doesn't mean you'll automatically feel prepared for every change that comes with it. You don't have to wait until things feel unmanageable to seek support.
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Yes. Therapy can help you better understand distressing thoughts and feelings and develop ways to respond to them. Intrusive thoughts can occur during the perinatal period, and their meaning depends on the broader clinical picture. You can talk about them openly in therapy without fear of judgment.
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Yes. My work includes support for pregnancy, postpartum, and related reproductive and life transitions. You may find that concerns emerge as your family relationships, responsibilities, or sense of self change. Therapy can provide space to explore these experiences and determine what support would be most helpful.
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Cardinal Hope and Healing LLC is a private-pay, out-of-network practice and does not bill insurance directly. If your plan includes out-of-network mental health benefits, you may be eligible for reimbursement. You can use Reimbursify to verify your benefits and submit claims electronically, and monthly superbills are also available upon request.
HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
You Deserve Support, Too
You don't have to navigate every change on your own or wait until you're overwhelmed to ask for help.
Whether you're adjusting to parenthood, working through anxiety, navigating relationship changes, or making sense of feelings you didn't expect, therapy can offer space to understand what you're experiencing and identify a way forward.
Schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation to discuss what you're looking for and whether working together may be a good fit.
Need Help Right Now?
Cardinal Hope and Healing LLC does not provide emergency or crisis services. If you are in immediate danger or unable to keep yourself or your baby safe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
For free, confidential, 24/7 mental-health support during pregnancy or after birth, call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).
You can also call or text 988 for crisis support.