Therapy for Women in Newport Beach, CA
Care for you, too.
Therapy for women navigating anxiety, depression, pregnancy, postpartum, motherhood, identity, relationships, and the changes that can come with different stages of life.
I offer in-person therapy in Newport Beach and online throughout California, with specialized training in perinatal and maternal mental health.
Women’s Mental Health Therapy in Newport Beach
You get to be a person here, not just the person everyone needs something from.
There can be a lot to hold at once.
Relationships. Work. Family. Your body. Parenting. Decisions about whether you want children. Caring for people you love. Changes you expected and others you absolutely did not.
Therapy gives us somewhere to pay attention to you in the middle of all of it.
You don't need to arrive with a perfectly articulated problem. We can start with what's been feeling hard and figure out together what needs more attention.
Perinatal Mental Health Therapy in Newport Beach
Pregnancy and postpartum can be complicated, even when they're deeply wanted.
There is often an enormous amount of attention on the physical parts of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum- and much less space for what's happening emotionally.
I work with women experiencing anxiety, depression, overwhelm, intrusive thoughts, identity changes, relationship stress, difficult birth experiences, and other mental health concerns during pregnancy and postpartum.
My work in this area is informed by advanced training in perinatal mental health.
You can tell me how this experience has actually been for you. There isn't a version you're supposed to give me.
Postpartum Therapy for Anxiety & Depression
Loving your baby and struggling can both be true.
Postpartum life can hold completely contradictory experiences.
You can love your baby and miss your old life. Feel grateful and overwhelmed. Want help and hate needing it. Be surrounded by people and still feel incredibly alone.
Anxiety and depression during the postpartum period can affect sleep, concentration, relationships, confidence, and your ability to feel like yourself.
You don't have to prove that things are “bad enough” before asking for support.
We'll start with what's happening and what you need.
Therapy for Pregnancy Anxiety & Intrusive Thoughts
A thought can feel frightening without saying anything about who you are.
Pregnancy and postpartum anxiety can bring constant worry, checking, difficulty relaxing, fears about your baby's health or safety, and thoughts or images that feel upsetting or completely unlike you.
Having an intrusive thought doesn't mean you want it to happen.
We can talk about what you're experiencing without judgment, understand what's keeping the anxiety going, and work toward helping your mind and body feel less consumed by it.
Nothing you say needs to be cleaned up before you bring it here.
Birth Trauma Therapy & EMDR in Newport Beach
Sometimes everyone went home healthy, and it still didn't feel okay.
A birth doesn't have to look traumatic from the outside to have felt frightening, overwhelming, painful, or out of your control.
Emergency interventions, medical complications, feeling unheard, unexpected changes to the birth you anticipated, separation from your baby, or fear for your own or your baby's safety can stay with you afterward.
As a Certified EMDR Therapist, I can incorporate EMDR when memories or experiences surrounding pregnancy or birth continue to feel intensely present.
We can care for what happened without asking you to be grateful that it wasn't worse.
Therapy After Pregnancy & Infant Loss
Your baby matters here.
Miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal loss, and other pregnancy or infant losses can bring grief alongside physical recovery, medical experiences, trauma, changes in relationships, and the painful adjustment to a future that suddenly looks different.
My work with pregnancy and infant loss is informed by specialized training in both perinatal mental health and traumatic bereavement.
There is room to talk about your baby, not only about your symptoms.
And when trauma has become intertwined with the loss, we can care for that too.
Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy for Women
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Perinatal mental health therapy focuses on emotional and mental health concerns during pregnancy and the postpartum period. This can include anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, trauma, difficult birth experiences, adjustment to parenthood, relationship changes, and pregnancy or infant loss.
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The perinatal period generally includes pregnancy and the period following birth. Mental health concerns can begin during pregnancy, immediately postpartum, or months after having a baby.
You don't need to determine whether you technically fall within a particular timeframe before reaching out.
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Yes. Anxiety and depression can occur together or separately during the postpartum period.
Postpartum anxiety may include persistent worry, racing thoughts, difficulty relaxing, physical anxiety, checking behaviors, fears about your baby's safety, or intrusive thoughts.
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Unwanted intrusive thoughts can occur during pregnancy and postpartum and can be extremely upsetting.
Having an unwanted thought is not the same as wanting something to happen. If intrusive thoughts are causing significant distress or affecting your daily life, therapy can help you understand and work with them.
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EMDR can be used to address traumatic or distressing experiences related to pregnancy, labor, delivery, medical complications, or postpartum experiences when clinically appropriate.
As a Certified EMDR Therapist, I can help determine whether EMDR would be useful as part of your treatment.
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Yes. I work with women following miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal loss, and other pregnancy and infant losses.
My work is informed by training in perinatal mental health, traumatic bereavement, and EMDR.
Perinatal & Women’s Mental Health Support in Newport Beach
You get to matter in your own life, too.
You don't need to wait until you're completely overwhelmed to ask for somewhere that's yours.
Tell me what's been happening. We'll figure out what you need from there.