Perinatal Therapy for Women in Herndon, Virginia
Postpartum, Birth Trauma, and adjusting to Parenthood.
Postpartum Therapy in Virginia
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone.
Whether you’re navigating the “baby blues,” struggling with postpartum depression or anxiety, processing a difficult birth, or adjusting to the profound identity shift of becoming a mother, postpartum therapy offers a space where your full experience is welcomed and understood.
In our work together, we slow down and make room for what this season has truly been like for you—without pressure to minimize, rush through, or “look on the bright side.” You may be carrying intrusive thoughts, constant worry about your baby, feelings of guilt or inadequacy, or a sense that you’ve lost touch with who you were before. You may also be holding grief around your birth experience, feeding challenges, infertility, or how different this chapter feels from what you imagined. These experiences are more common than many people realize, and they deserve care and attention.
Postpartum therapy focuses on helping you feel more like yourself again. Feeling more grounded, more connected, and more supported. Together, we’ll build practical tools to manage anxiety and mood symptoms, process difficult or traumatic experiences, and gently reconnect you with your own needs, identity, and sense of self. I integrate approaches such as EMDR, somatic therapy, and art therapy to support healing on both an emotional and nervous system level, especially when words alone don’t feel like enough.
EMDR for Birth Trauma
Giving birth can leave emotional imprints that are hard to name. Those moments that felt frightening, violating, or out of your control. Even when others say, “At least you’re both okay,” you might carry memories that feel anything but resolved. Perhaps your thoughts loop back to a single moment. Or your body tenses at reminders you didn’t expect. Maybe you left the birth feeling shaken, disconnected, or like you failed.
Whether your trauma came from a long labor, a medical emergency, a C-section, a loss of control, a NICU stay, difficulty with breastfeeding, a stillbirth, or even feeling unheard or unsupported during birth; those experiences matter. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, or tapping), to help your brain process or desensitize the traumatic memory and begin to heal.
I use EMDR as one of the ways we can gently approach these experiences together. EMDR doesn’t ask you to explain everything in words. It doesn’t require you to relive it all. Instead, it supports your brain and nervous system in releasing what’s stuck—so you can feel more at home in your body and more connected to your life now.
Support for the journey.
Many individuals benefit from perinatal therapy for:
Prenatal Anxiety & Depression – Coping with mood changes, fears, or stress during pregnancy.
Postpartum Depression & Anxiety (PMADs) – Support for overwhelming emotions, intrusive thoughts, or feelings of sadness, irritability, or guilt.
Birth Trauma & Loss – Healing after a difficult/traumatic birth experience, miscarriage, stillbirth, termination/abortion, or infant loss.
Identity & Relationship Changes – Navigating shifts in self-identity, relationships, and roles as a new parent.
Fertility & Reproductive Challenges – Emotional support for those experiencing infertility, pregnancy loss, or medical complications.
Reach out today to learn more or schedule a consultation.
Suicide & Maternal Mental Health Resources in Virginia
Thoughts of suicide in pregnancy or postpartum can feel incredibly scary and often carry intense shame. Thoughts that don’t make sense or feel scary can you lead you to secrecy when you most need help.
You are not alone in this, and support is available.
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Postpartum Support International HelpLine
Call or Text 1-800-944-4773
Postpartum Support International -
Call or Text 988
988 Lifeline -
Text ASKUS to 741741
Crisis Text Line -
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Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room if you are in immediate danger.ion
Perinatal FAQs
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Look for a therapist who specializes in perinatal mental health and has training in trauma-focused approaches like EMDR. A PMH-C certified therapist understands the unique challenges of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum and can provide safe, compassionate support. Most importantly, choose someone who helps you feel heard, understood, and never judged as you process your experience and begin to heal.
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A therapist trained in perinatal mental health can help you understand what you’re going through, learn coping tools to manage overwhelming thoughts and emotions, and begin to feel like yourself again.
With the right support, it’s absolutely possible to heal, strengthen your bond with your baby, and navigate this tender season with more confidence and compassion for yourself.
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Birth trauma isn’t defined by how your birth looked on paper, but by how it felt to you. You might be experiencing birth trauma if you have flashbacks or nightmares about your birth, feel anxious or panicky when reminded of it, avoid conversations or places connected to the experience, struggle to bond with your baby, or feel overwhelmed with sadness, guilt, or anger.
Healing is possible. You don’t have to do this alone.
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Breastfeeding trauma and grief are sure tender subjects and often the focus of therapy. While I am not a lactation consultant and can’t help you directly improve your breastfeeding journey, I can offer space to help you manage the emotions connected to breastfeeding challenges.
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Yes! Intrusive thoughts and Postpartum OCD can be a common aspect of Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders. In therapy, I can help you develop effective strategies to minimize these thoughts and the distress caused by them.
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The grief, shame, guilt, depression, and anxiety that accompanies an infertility journey is so raw and painful. I’ve walked alongside many women as they work through the complications and trauma of infertility. You don’t have to do this alone.
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Yes, pregnancy and postpartum can be a vulnerable time for eating disorders or body image struggles. The pressure to “bounce back,” changes in your body, and the stress of new motherhood can trigger old patterns or new challenges. Healing is possible as you learn to embrace your body and start to develop new coping strategies and improve your sense of self.
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Yes. I was certified in Perinatal Mental Health before I had my first child, but after going through my own pregnancy and postpartum journey I realized how much I hadn’t fully understood about the REAL experience.
I have a busy toddler and hope to continue to grow our family. Your therapist is not about my journey, but so many of my clients find it important to know that I understand their experience more deeply.
How I Can Help You
Are you ready to start your healing journey?
I’d love to schedule a complimentary 20-minute consultation call to discuss your needs, answer any questions, and determine if we’re the right fit to work together on your journey.