Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I have a perinatal (occurring during pregnancy through around one year following childbirth) mood or anxiety disorder (PMAD) or if it’s the “baby blues”?

First of all, what is a “normal” postpartum experience anyway? Many new parents experience some level of sleep deprivation and feeling tired, overwhelmed, irritable, crying, feeling not like yourself, worry, difficulty bonding with baby, and more. The main differences lie in the frequency, intensity, severity and persistence of symptoms, their effect on your daily life (are you still able to complete normal daily tasks such as eating, sleeping, showering, and connecting with others in a relatively usual way for you?), and how you feel that you are adjusting to a “new normal”.

What is commonly known as “baby blues” occurs shortly following birth due to rapid hormone shifts and should not persist after about 2 weeks postpartum. Symptoms of the baby blues will improve naturally within this time frame, some of these symptoms include:

  • Mood swings

  • Difficulty sleeping

  • Sadness

  • Random episodes of crying (often for “no reason”)

  • Difficulty bonding with baby

  • Irritability

  • Appetite changes

  • Worrying

  • Feeling overwhelmed

Symptoms of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders like postpartum depression (PPD) and postpartum anxiety (PPA) will persist beyond 2 weeks postpartum and may not even begin until baby is a few months old. These symptoms impact your daily life and make it difficult to function as usual. Symptoms of PPD include:

  • Depressed mood or severe mood swings

  • Consistent difficulty sleeping - trouble falling and/or staying asleep (even when baby is sleeping)

  • Significant appetite changes

  • Uncontrollable anger or rage

  • Frequent and persistent crying or tearfulness (often for “no reason”)

  • Feeling hopeless or helpless

  • Extreme overwhelm

  • Feeling empty or numb

  • Feeling disconnected from others

If you would like to learn more, please check out the fact sheet below.

https://postpartumstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Patient-Info-Sheet-FINAL.pdf

Symptoms of PPA (postpartum anxiety) and OCD

  • Scary or intrusive thoughts

  • Excessive worry or racing thoughts (“what if’s”)

  • Difficulty falling and/or staying asleep more often than not (many times this can be due to excessive worry and racing or ruminating thoughts)

  • Frequent fear or panic

  • Physical symptoms such as a racing heart or shortness of breath/tight chest, shakiness

  • Avoidance or isolation

  • Feeling preoccupied with baby’s safety

  • Feeling of dread

For a more comprehensive description of PPD/PPA, please visit postpartum progress https://postpartumprogress.com/the-symptoms-of-postpartum-depression-anxiety-in-plain-mama-english

***These are just a guideline of common symptoms and are by no means diagnostic or all encompassing. Each individual will have their own unique experience and symptoms. However, if you feel any of these or other symptoms you are experiencing are persistent, worsening, or interfering with daily life, or you just feel “off” and like you need more support, trust your instincts and seek professional help.***

If I don’t have a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder (PMAD), do I still need treatment?

My personal opinion is that ANYONE can benefit from therapy. You don’t need to have a particular mental health diagnosis to benefit from treatment. Attending therapy is one way to take care of your mental health needs.

How can therapy help me? Although therapy is not guaranteed to “work”, with diligence, dedication, and patience, the following are some of the ways investing in therapy can help you.

  • Discover who you are

  • Identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts and patterns causing emotional distress, relationship conflicts, or feelings of despair and low self-esteem

  • Find new ways to bond with your child(ren), family, and most importantly, yourself, creating stronger feelings of hope and confidence.

  • Define your values and create attainable goals aligned with these values

  • Create a toolbox of helpful skills to help manage symptoms of anxiety or depression

  • Enhance communication skills

What is a typical session like? Sessions are always tailored to client needs. Generally speaking, sessions may include typical talk therapy, problem solving, learning coping skills, distress tolerance skills, psychoeducation about a particular topic or type of therapy and how to apply and use this knowledge in daily life, and more. The first session is a “get to know you” type of session for both of us. We will discuss whatever you are comfortable with sharing; things such as why you are seeking treatment, medical, psychological, and social history, if you have sought therapy in the past, logistics such as paperwork and payment, what you would like to accomplish in therapy, and anything else that might be pertinent for your treatment. Therapy is hard work, and you get out what you put in. It will not always be easy. I will create a safe space for you to be vulnerable and begin to heal.

How long can I expect to be in therapy? This depends on many different factors and will always be decided upon collaboratively. Some clients are looking for longer term support and will continue therapy for a year or longer, some may need more circumstantial or specific goal oriented treatment that may only last a few months. In general, I suggest committing to weekly appointments for at least 6-8 sessions to build rapport and trust, acquire a good foundation of coping skills, and establish and maintain progress as more frequent sessions help to continue this forward momentum. Progress is revisited intermittently throughout your treatment and goals of therapy can be changed at any time, it is a fluid process.

What types of therapies do you practice? Some of the therapies I use are Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Intuitive Therapy, Brainspotting, and EMDR. I consider ACT to be my main theoretical orientation as my personal belief is that tying behavioral changes to deeply meaningful values is most beneficial for long lasting change. However, therapy is always tailored to you, the client, and I have training in a variety of other therapies that we may utilize skills and concepts from depending upon your needs and preferences.

Do you accept insurance? I am able to accept a limited number of insurance clients (via Sondermind), please inquire for current availability and current insurance carrier contracts. If I am not contracted with your insurance company, I may be considered an “out-of-network provider” and you may be able to receive out of network benefits. In that case, I am able to provide you with a receipt (“superbill”) that you may choose to submit to your insurance company, reimbursement by your carrier is not guaranteed. I also aim to keep my services accessible to everyone. For this reason, I offer limited reduced fee options, please inquire for details. Payments received via credit or debit cards.