Perinatal Mental Health
Therapy and Counseling for everything from planning through pregnancy and into mom life.
What prompted your passion to specialize in Perinatal & Maternal Mental Health?
First off, I think the community of expectant and new parents is unlike any other. I remember benefiting so much from this when I became a new mom and I feel very strongly that everyone should have access to information and a community of sorts during this transformation. All new parents have a birth story, and life radically changes the day they walk in as individuals and walk out as parents. Everyone should have the opportunity, if they want, to share their story in a judgement free zone.
On a larger scale I feel that this specific specialization is both underrepresented in the mental health field and also quite misunderstood by the general population. It isn't all extreme depression and/or psychosis (although that does occur) a lot of it is supporting women and their spouses/partner through the changing roles of becoming a parent while maintaining that healthy semblance of who they are as a person, a wife, a daughter, etc. Being a parent is something so many people want to be but there is no class that tells you how to be a great parent without losing sight of your life experience, your unique relationship, and your life goals (career or otherwise). That's what this is.
You might be anxious; you might obsess about things; you might fear conversations or comments by others; you might not know the best way to assert yourself without the risk of ruining relationships; you might be depressed and still have to care for your newborn (and others); you might have intrusive or scary thoughts. These things don't make you crazy or a bad parent, they occur more often than most people know and you can find solutions to feel more like yourself again. There are a lot of serious conditions and complications that can occur in the perinatal period. We can’t lose sight that real people also do get better and become the parent they dreamed of while being the person they were meant to be.
At what stages do people seek Perinatal Counseling?
People seek our help during all phases of planning to become pregnant, during pregnancy, and postpartum up until their child is about 3 years old. After this time they may be seeking a different type of counseling, unless they are planning for another child or if (and this does often happen) we shift our focus to other areas of self-improvement or care.
Are you only open to working with mothers?
I mainly focus on women (moms-to-be or moms in progress) however there are definitely situations where it may be beneficial to have the spouse/partner included and I am always open to that. This is definitely situational but the main focus is on providing the support and help each individual needs. On a side note, (in the postpartum period) I encourage my client’s child being present during sessions if it is either comforting or helpful as we begin the therapeutic journey.
What is your training in and how do you use it?
I hold a License in Clinical Social Work (LCSW) in the states of Florida, New York and Rhode Island and have received the Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) through Postpartum Support International. This means I have completed extensive training in the field of Maternal Mental Health which allows me to better and more fully utilize my practical experience and other training to evaluate and treat women during this transitional time in their life.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on encouraging clients to challenge distorted thoughts which results in changing the way they feel. This helps to eliminate destructive patterns of behavior.
Through this new understanding of thought patterns, CBT empowers clients to help recognize that their perceptions directly influence their responses to specific situations. Mindfulness based techniques are also used as a tool to promote calmness, clarity, and connection with yourself.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) focuses on roles and relationships in your life as well as the impact of stressful life events and times of transitions. IPT provides strategies to resolve problems within four key areas: interpersonal deficits, unresolved grief, difficult life transitions, and role disputes.
The main goal of IPT is to improve the quality of a person’s relationships and social functioning to reduce areas of distress.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that has been proven most effective for the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The exposure in ERP refers to exposing yourself to the thoughts, images, objects, and situations that make you anxious and/or start your obsessions. The response prevention part of ERP, refers to making a choice not to turn to compulsive behaviors once the anxiety or obsessions have been triggered.
What advice do you have for someone who might be struggling with expectations?
Expectations surrounding a new baby is one of the larger motivations for people seeking counseling. The expectations we have, or that other’s place on us (consciously or unconsciously), can bring about so many feelings, some of which may be hard to share with those even in our inner circles who we usually rely on. It is very common for the excitement to bring about "free” advice; it can even come in the form of "when you were a baby we..." and this can be difficult to navigate without feeling like you are letting someone down or making them feel bad.
Learning how to assert your choices and boundaries as a new parent is not easy for anyone, so first please realize while it is easy to feel lonely in this role you most certainly are not. Second, listen to yourself (and spouse/partner if you have one) primarily and spend time each day doing so (this is an active self-care situation). Thirdly, learn about community resources and supports. And of course when it just seems like too much to sort through on your own, reach out to a specialist who will listen, support, and help to strategize.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Here are some facts regarding Mental Health in the Perinatal Period:
*21% of women tested positive for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADS) in prenatal screenings. These disorders include Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and Psychosis.
*Perinatal Depression around the time of pregnancy, affects 1 in 5 women, making it one of the most common complications of pregnancy.
*Anxiety and related disorders were found to be more common than depression among pregnant and postpartum women.
*OCD is one of the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed perinatal disorders. It is estimated that as many as 3-5% of new mothers, and some new fathers, will experience symptoms including (but not limited to) obsessions or intrusive/scary thoughts, compulsions related to these thoughts, hypervigilance, extreme fear, and a sense of horror or embarrassment regarding the thoughts.