AREAS OF FOCUS
Individual Adults – People often seek out therapy when they find their previous coping skills are no longer working. It may be due to a crisis, a loss, or a life transition that has left you feeling stuck, anxious, stressed, angry, depressed, grief-stricken or some combination of these. Therapy can help relieve uncomfortable feelings and work towards finding better ways to deal with unforeseen obstacles that inevitably arise in life.
Infertility & Loss – Are you struggling to create the family you always thought you’d have? Do your thoughts about having a child interfere with other aspects of your life – work, relationships? Do you feel alone in this journey? Do you find yourself wondering why getting and staying pregnant seems so easy and natural for other women, but seems impossible for you? This is a subject that has remained taboo in our society. While pregnancy loss is very common and infertility is becoming more so as women wait to have children until later in life, they are still subjects that people don’t know how to talk about. Not being able to talk about your feelings, not feeling understood, or getting inappropriate responses can exacerbate how isolating it can feel. You are not alone in this. My job is to give you the space to express all of the emotions that are coming up around this difficult time in your life. I work with individuals and couples to address these issues.
Pregnancy and Neonatal Loss – It’s possible that the loss you’ve suffered has gone unnoticed by others, making the grief you and your partner are experiencing silent. Perhaps others have acknowledged your profound loss, but the impact it has on you isn’t quite understood by your community. If you have experienced loss, we will find ways to honor and grieve the loss of your child/children. We will open up a safe, non-judgmental space for you to talk about your baby. Sometimes creating art, lighting candles or listening to music can be helpful in giving voice to your sadness. Together we’ll find what feels right to you. We’ll look for ways to build supports in your life and look at your options for next steps. If you decide you would like to try to conceive again, we will address the issues that may come up during this process.
Infertility – The inability to conceive month after month inevitably takes a toll. You may be blaming yourself or your partner, you may be avoiding situations where there are children or pregnant women, you may feel like sex is a chore, you may be fighting with your partner, you may feel depressed or anxious, you may not even know how you feel because you are so overwhelmed. These are all normal reactions to a situation that feels far from normal. Together we will work on alleviating the stress that accompanies infertility, enhance coping skills, practice relaxation skills, identify supports and discuss your different treatment options.
Perinatal Support – Are you pregnant, a new mom or have you recently experienced a loss of a pregnancy? This is the perinatal phase and it can be a very delicate time for many women.
Did you know that 80% of new moms have the baby blues in the first few weeks after birth? And at least 1 in 7 women experience more serious depression or anxiety during pregnancy or postpartum, including those women who have lost their babies. If you start to feel better after 4-5 weeks postpartum, you most likely had the baby blues. If troubling feelings and thoughts persist past that time, it’s time to get support and help. What do these feelings and thoughts look like?
Maybe…
You are feeling like a failure because you are sad, crying, or anxious.
You are thinking that you made a huge mistake, you don’t like your baby or being a mom, or that you aren’t a good mom.
You are thinking that this isn’t what you expected and this isn’t the happiest time of your life.
You are overwhelmed, angry, or irritable.
You are having panic attacks, can’t sleep and can’t eat.
You are feeling traumatized.
It’s pretty normal to feel ashamed of these feeling, to push them down and not want to talk about them. But I’m here to tell you that you have NOTHING to be ashamed about. There are many reasons for these symptoms and together we can figure them out. All of your symptoms are treatable, no matter how severe. It’s a sign of strength to reach out, so please do. I want you to know that with help, it will get easier.
Caregiving – Are you providing care for an elderly family member or friend? When was the last time you took time out to do something for yourself? Many caregivers are so caught up in the day-to-day responsibilities of caring for another person that they neglect their own needs. Research has shown that caregivers have a higher mortality rate than non-caregivers and it is directly linked to a lack of self-care. Caregiving can be an all-consuming task. It can also be very isolating. You might not be able to leave the house and can’t afford to hire care. You may lose touch with friends and family because you can’t find time or energy to spend with them or they don’t understand how demanding this job is for you. You may need to make difficult decisions for the person you are caring for but don’t have the mental energy to do so. Caregiver burnout happens frequently, leaving you feeling depleted and unable to provide the level of care you would like. We will work together to address the burnout and find ways to combat it. We will create a plan to increase your self-care, identify supports, and weigh any decisions you may need to make regarding the person you are caring for. I work with individuals and families to help with the complexities of caregiving. If you are unable to leave your home, please contact me about the possibility of meeting in your home for sessions and/or online sessions.