Therapy for Perinatal and Postpartum Mental Health

in Washington, D.C. and Bethesda, MD

What is Perinatal Mental Health?

Perinatal mental health encompasses the mental health conditions that can occur during pregnancy (antenatal) and in the two years after childbirth (postnatal).

These conditions can affect both mothers and fathers and include:

  • Antenatal depression

  • Postpartum depression

  • Postpartum anxiety

  • Postpartum psychosis

  • PTSD after a traumatic birthing experience

Why is Perinatal Mental Health so important?

Becoming a parent marks one of the biggest shifts in a person’s identity. The birth of one’s baby also marks one’s birth as a parent.

Caring for an utterly helpless newborn can evoke such intense feelings inside oneself that may be unfamiliar. The parent who feels so confident in their profession might feel utterly helpless while holding their infant.

In becoming a parent, one also revisits their own experiences of being parented, consciously or not. If one’s relationship with one’s own parents is complicated, this can make one’s current relationship with one’s child confusing.

No matter what challenge you experience in early parenthood, thinking together in therapy helps you heal and chart your path forward.

Supporting Perinatal Mental Health

Often, parents feel they don’t have time for psychotherapy because of the many competing strains on their time, attention, and finances. A parent taking care of their mental health IS taking care of their baby.

Dr. Donald Winnicott famously spoke of this interdependence: “There is no baby without a mother.” He meant to describe the inextricable link between mother and baby and the caregiving environment.

Do you have more questions so you can decide if therapy is the next best step?

Call or email me to schedule a free 20-minute consultation. I would be happy to talk with you so that we can discuss your concerns.