WOMEN AND MENTAL HEALTH
INFERTILITY COUNSELLING
Tired of seeing yet another pregnant belly?
Endlessly debating whether to go to that baby shower?
Googling more symptoms and reading more forums?
I get it. Infertility is an emotional rollercoaster that challenges the best of us. Whether you feel shame, rage, helplessness, or loneliness, counselling can help you sort through these feelings, navigate big decisions, and offer a guidepost moving forward.
PREGNANCY COUNSELLING
Pregnancy can:
Create higher highs and lower lows
Be unfamiliar, changing you physically and emotionally
Leave you overthinking, wanting time to both speed up and slow down
Feel rocky, especially after previous loss
I love helping clients find stability and peace in their pregnancy.
PREGNANCY LOSS COUNSELLING
The loss of a pregnancy is not your fault. It is unfair and can feel devastating. There are many layers of grief with pregnancy loss. Feelings of shame, anger, "why me?", are all valid. Counselling can help with healing and address feelings of worry and anxiety moving forward.
TRAUMATIC BIRTH COUNSELLING
We can experience trauma if there were major challenges during the birthing experience AND we can also experience trauma even if everything "went right" during the birthing experience.
Birth trauma can include:
Feeling constantly in "fight or flight"
Feeling detached, numb, or shut down
Not being able to think about your birth experience
Constantly reliving your birth experience
You don't have to feel this way forever. Counselling can help.
POSTPARTUM CHALLENGES
"This is harder than I expected"
"Why is this so hard for me?"
"Shouldn't I be enjoying this time more?"
"I miss my old life"
"Sometimes I wish I could go back"
"How can I be more present?"
"I can't sleep or relax"
"I've never felt this kind of love"
"I feel so much worry and fear for my baby's safety and wellbeing"
"I can't remember what it is to feel happy"
"Is this more than the baby blues?"
"Is what I'm feeling normal?"
"I miss my partner"
"I hate my partner"
These are real thoughts I hear from my clients. You are not alone, and talking it through helps.
BODY IMAGE THERAPY
Do you dislike seeing photographs of yourself?
Does your body feel changed and unfamiliar?
Do you think if only you looked a certain way, things would be better?
Our bodies and what we expect of them change personally and culturally over time. It is challenging to go forth in our day when we don't feel physically confident. Exploring our own attitudes and feelings towards our bodies can go a long way in healing our daily tensions with it.