"The reality is that you will grieve forever.
You'll not 'get over' the loss of a loved one;
you'll learn to live with it."
- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH
'Perinatal' refers to the time period right before and right after giving birth. Perinatal mental health looks at the vast variety of mental health concerns that can arise before, during, and after having a baby. This might look like the ones you hear about on TV or in the news like postpartum anxiety or depression, but that is just a small fraction of what can show up in pregnancy and as a new parent. As a mom myself, I know what it's like to feel lonely or to have the grief of getting what you want. I also know the devastating loss of losing a baby and how isolating that can be. I love working with parents at all stages, from your fertility/infertility journey to miscarriages or abortion; from your pregnancy through your birth experience, however that unfolded; through your postpartum experience and all of the grief and gratitude you may experience there. I work with all birthing people.
'Perinatal' refers to the time period right before and right after giving birth. Perinatal mental health looks at the vast variety of mental health concerns that can arise before, during, and after having a baby. This might look like the ones you hear about on TV or in the news like postpartum anxiety or depression, but that is just a small fraction of what can show up in pregnancy and as a new parent. As a mom myself, I know what it's like to feel lonely or to have the grief of getting what you want. I also know the devastating loss of losing a baby and how isolating that can be. I love working with parents at all stages, from your fertility/infertility journey to miscarriages or abortion; from your pregnancy through your birth experience, however that unfolded; through your postpartum experience and all of the grief and gratitude you may experience there. I work with all birthing people.
GRIEF & LOSS
Your grief is not a problem to be fixed. Grief is an intimate part of the human experience - we grieve because we love. It is natural to feel sadness, anxiety, depression, anger, guilt, fear, and many other emotions while grieving - grief wants to be felt, acknowledged, and expressed so that you don’t have to carry the heaviness of these emotions inside of you. It is common to feel ungrounded, mentally foggy, exhausted, or absent minded. Many people report feeling out of their bodies and unable to do the simplest of tasks or activities. Not knowing what you need or how to ask for help is also common. The grief can be so overwhelming it becomes difficult to reach out or even know what would be helpful, which can lead to isolation. It can be difficult to maintain one’s schedule or activities and many may shove their grief deeper inside just to function, however this can lead to more anxiety, stress, isolation, and ‘dis-ease’ in the body, mind, and spirit.
There is a great power and potential that lies within a broken heart. When we experience grief, our hearts feel like they crack open and grow bigger... if we allow it. And within the brokenness lies the potential for radical change to occur. In some ways we have to change, because it is too painful to stay where we are. The pain is what urges us to evolve so that we can ease our own suffering. We are never the same once grief happens. There is no going back to who we once were, and for many of us, this loss of innocence and our former identity is another loss to grieve. For some people, there is an inherent identity crisis within the grieving process. The person you once were may die with your loss, which can increase the anxiety, fear, and sadness of the loss itself. However, with the death of your former identity, there is also the opening for new parts of yourself to emerge.
Your grief is not a problem to be fixed. Grief is an intimate part of the human experience - we grieve because we love. It is natural to feel sadness, anxiety, depression, anger, guilt, fear, and many other emotions while grieving - grief wants to be felt, acknowledged, and expressed so that you don’t have to carry the heaviness of these emotions inside of you. It is common to feel ungrounded, mentally foggy, exhausted, or absent minded. Many people report feeling out of their bodies and unable to do the simplest of tasks or activities. Not knowing what you need or how to ask for help is also common. The grief can be so overwhelming it becomes difficult to reach out or even know what would be helpful, which can lead to isolation. It can be difficult to maintain one’s schedule or activities and many may shove their grief deeper inside just to function, however this can lead to more anxiety, stress, isolation, and ‘dis-ease’ in the body, mind, and spirit.
There is a great power and potential that lies within a broken heart. When we experience grief, our hearts feel like they crack open and grow bigger... if we allow it. And within the brokenness lies the potential for radical change to occur. In some ways we have to change, because it is too painful to stay where we are. The pain is what urges us to evolve so that we can ease our own suffering. We are never the same once grief happens. There is no going back to who we once were, and for many of us, this loss of innocence and our former identity is another loss to grieve. For some people, there is an inherent identity crisis within the grieving process. The person you once were may die with your loss, which can increase the anxiety, fear, and sadness of the loss itself. However, with the death of your former identity, there is also the opening for new parts of yourself to emerge.
TRAUMA
What is traumatic to me is going to be very different than what is traumatic for you - that is the nature of trauma. Trauma is any deeply distressing or disturbing experience that has impacted your life. Trauma can leave you feeling out of control, hypervigilant, ashamed, unworthy, not enough, too much, sad, isolated, and scared. Your experience of your trauma is your own and I support clients wherever you are on your journey to understanding yours. The most important thing to me is that you feel safe, so I will meet you where you are, whether that is the very beginning of your healing process or many years in. I find with trauma work that it can be important to understand trauma and your sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems. I use psychoeducation, EMDR, and Yoga Therapy to address trauma from a body-based perspective.
What is traumatic to me is going to be very different than what is traumatic for you - that is the nature of trauma. Trauma is any deeply distressing or disturbing experience that has impacted your life. Trauma can leave you feeling out of control, hypervigilant, ashamed, unworthy, not enough, too much, sad, isolated, and scared. Your experience of your trauma is your own and I support clients wherever you are on your journey to understanding yours. The most important thing to me is that you feel safe, so I will meet you where you are, whether that is the very beginning of your healing process or many years in. I find with trauma work that it can be important to understand trauma and your sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems. I use psychoeducation, EMDR, and Yoga Therapy to address trauma from a body-based perspective.
LIFE TRANSITIONS
Life transitions can be anything from a new job or changing careers, to getting married or divorced, to deciding to have a baby or choosing an abortion, to pursuing gender affirming care or coming out to your loved ones. Life transitions can be happy moments that we desire and dream of, and they can also be devastating losses and deep grief. We know that the only constant is change and any change can be difficult. I support clients to navigate and ride all of the waves that life has to offer and come to gentle acceptance - that doesn't mean you have to like it, it means you acknowledge that it is your truth.
Life transitions can be anything from a new job or changing careers, to getting married or divorced, to deciding to have a baby or choosing an abortion, to pursuing gender affirming care or coming out to your loved ones. Life transitions can be happy moments that we desire and dream of, and they can also be devastating losses and deep grief. We know that the only constant is change and any change can be difficult. I support clients to navigate and ride all of the waves that life has to offer and come to gentle acceptance - that doesn't mean you have to like it, it means you acknowledge that it is your truth.
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Tuesday - Thursday 9am - 3pm ET
Saturday 9am-12pm ET |