Postpartum Counseling Jacksonville FL

About Postpartum Counseling in Jacksonville

Whether you're a new mom or you've just had your fifth baby, motherhood has evolved in our society. Being a mother carries a lot of pressure and weight as many mothers have a lack of support around them as they are pregnant and raising their children. Moms are inundated with a wide range of messages about how they should be raising their children via social media and the internet. Many women have little to no paid maternity leave and have to return to work regardless of their emotional health and mental well being.Then there's the huge topic of childcare: the cost and finding someone you trust to watch your baby after you return to work.

It's normal to experience a brief period of feelings of sadness called the baby blues that lasts up until a few weeks after giving birth. However, 1 in 5 women experience more by way of a perinatal mood disorder. Perinatal refers to pregnancy, post-loss, and postpartum. The postpartum period includes the first year after giving birth as well as an additional 2-3 years afterwards. Experiencing anxiety symptoms or symptoms of depression can be scary at first. If you are having a hard time, please remember nothing is wrong with you. You are in no way a bad mom.

Symptoms of Postpartum Depression:

• Depressed mood or severe mood swings

• Crying too much

• Difficulty bonding with your baby

• Withdrawing from family and friends

• Loss of appetite or eating much more than usual

• Inability to sleep, called insomnia, or sleeping too much

• Overwhelming tiredness or loss of energy

• Less interest and pleasure in activities you used to enjoy

• Intense irritability and anger

• Fear that you're not a good mother

• Hopelessness

• Feelings of worthlessness, shame, guilt or inadequacy

• Reduced ability to think clearly, concentrate or make decisions

• Restlessness

• Severe anxiety and panic attacks

• Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby

• Recurring thoughts of death or suicide

Symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety:

• Constant worry

• Feeling that something bad is going to happen/intrusive thoughts

• Racing thoughts

• Disturbances of sleep and appetite

• Inability to sit still

• Physical symptoms like dizziness, hot flashes, and nausea

In addition, many mamas experience birth trauma. Maybe one of your births didn't go the way you had hoped and planned. Perhaps, you experienced complications or trusted the medical staff, but they created an unpleasant experience for you. Birth trauma is a very real thing and is being recognized more and more.

Benefits of Postpartum Therapy

The benefits of postpartum counseling are huge. If you start therapy sessions while pregnant, it gives you the gift of time to prepare for the mental health challenges and emotional challenges that come with being a new mom or repeat mom. Even if you seek mental health support after the baby is born, a good therapist will provide you a safe space to talk about whatever is weighing on you. The therapist will help you process various thoughts and feelings you are struggling with, building a support system, and develop helpful coping strategies as well as a fresh perspective.

In addition to individual postpartum counseling, there are support groups available as well. Postpartum Support International offers a multitude of virtual support groups. Oftentimes, midwives and doulas in your area offer in-person support groups for new mothers and repeat mothers.

Here in Jacksonville, Florida we also have an intensive outpatient program for mothers called The Motherhood Space Day Program. With this program, you attend 3 mornings a week for up to 3 weeks.

Finding the Right Postpartum Therapist in Jacksonville, FL

Qualifications to Look For

It is recommended that you seek a licensed mental health professional to help support you during the postpartum period. Some therapists specialize in maternal mental health and have pursued additional training in this area.

Questions to Ask Potential Postpartum Therapists

When you speak to a therapist that you are interested in working with, you may want to ask them any or all of the following questions to figure out if they're the right therapist for you:

• How many years experience do they have as a therapist?

• Do you have additional training in maternal mental health?

• How much of their practice involves postpartum counseling?

• How would they describe their approach to postpartum counseling?

• Do they use other approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

What to Expect During Postpartum Sessions

Duration and Frequency of Therapy

The frequency of postpartum counseling sessions may be weekly at first, but can move to every other week depending on your specific needs. The therapist and client will work together to decide on the best treatment approach for the client.

Therapy sessions can last as long as you need it to. Often sessions are more frequent at first to help decrease postpartum symptoms and then move to less frequent or on an as needed basis.

During postpartum counseling, the therapist will ask about your symptoms to determine if you're having postpartum depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, or another PMAD (perinatal mood and anxiety disorder). PMAD's I do not personally treat include perinatal obsessive compulsive disorder, postpartum psychosis, and perinatal bipolar.

How to Get Started with Postpartum Therapy in Jacksonville, FL

To get started with your postpartum care, fill out the form below. I’ll reach out to schedule a time to chat and make sure I’m the best fit for you and your concerns. I specialize in Maternal Mental Health including postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and birth trauma and would be honored to help support and guide you during your pregnancy and beyond.

Our first therapy session is 90 minutes. After that, regular virtual therapy sessions are 60/90/120 minutes depending on what you prefer. Our first few therapy sessions are very much about building rapport and trust and getting to know your current situation and history. We discuss what you want to get out of therapy; what your goals are to create an individualized treatment plan. I start where you want to start. You do not have to share anything that you are not yet ready to share. We always go at a pace that is comfortable with you.