Therapy provides crucial emotional support during one of life’s most significant transitions. Pregnancy, childbirth, and the early stages of parenting can bring a mix of joy, stress, and exhaustion, which can strain relationships. Therapy helps by:

• Improving communication: Learn how to express your needs and listen to each other effectively, which can reduce misunderstandings and conflict.
• Managing stress and anxiety: Pregnancy and the postpartum period can bring anxiety, worry about the baby’s well-being, or concerns about life changes. Therapy helps you navigate these emotions.
• Supporting mental health: Postpartum depression and anxiety affect many new parents. Therapy can provide early support and help you understand mental health changes during this period.
• Strengthening the relationship: Therapy helps couples build emotional intimacy, fostering a stronger connection amidst the challenges of parenthood.

No, therapy is beneficial for both partners. The transition to parenthood affects everyone in the relationship, not just the person who gives birth. Partners may experience feelings of isolation, exhaustion, or confusion about their new roles. Therapy creates a safe space for both individuals to express their thoughts and feelings. It allows both partners to share their experiences, develop coping strategies, and feel supported during this transformative time.

The length of therapy depends on your goals and the challenges you’re facing as a couple. Some couples find that a few sessions are enough to work through immediate concerns or to establish effective communication strategies. Others may want ongoing support to navigate more complex issues or to continue strengthening their relationship over time. Your therapist will work with you to create a treatment plan that suits your needs, whether it’s short-term or longer-term therapy.

The first session is designed to help both of you feel comfortable and understand the therapeutic process. Here’s what you can expect:

• Introduction and background: Your therapist will begin by asking about your relationship, your current challenges, and what brought you to therapy. This is your time to discuss any concerns about pregnancy, postpartum, or your relationship.
• Setting goals: You’ll work together to identify what you want to achieve through therapy, such as improving communication, managing stress, or addressing specific concerns related to the transition to parenthood.
• Assessment of current dynamics: The therapist may ask questions to better understand your communication styles, roles within the relationship, and how you’ve been coping with changes.
• Building rapport and trust: The first session is also about creating a space where you both feel heard and supported. You’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about therapy.

Yes, therapy is an important resource for addressing postpartum depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. Many parents experience feelings of sadness, anxiety, or overwhelm after childbirth, and therapy can help by:

• Identifying symptoms: Early intervention can prevent symptoms from becoming more severe. A therapist can help identify if you’re struggling with postpartum depression or anxiety.
• Providing coping strategies: Therapy offers practical tools and strategies to manage emotions and stress, including mindfulness techniques, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), or emotion-focused therapy.

Supporting both partners: It’s not just the birthing parent who can experience postpartum mental health challenges—partners can also feel the strain. Therapy offers support to both people in the relationship.

Absolutely! Many couples focus on the practical aspects of parenthood—baby names, finances, nursery preparation—but the emotional changes can be just as profound. Therapy helps couples by:

• Managing expectations: Discussing what you both expect from parenthood, including the emotional and relational shifts that come with it.
• Creating a shared vision: Developing a plan for how you want to approach parenting together, from decision-making to dividing responsibilities.
• Building resilience: Parenting can be tough. Therapy can help strengthen your ability to adapt and support each other through challenges.

It’s common for one partner to feel overwhelmed while the other may not yet recognize the need for therapy. In these cases, it can be helpful to:

• Communicate openly: Express how you’re feeling and why you think therapy would be beneficial for both of you. Focus on how therapy could strengthen the relationship and provide both of you with support.
• Encourage a joint session: Sometimes, a single session can help both partners see the value of therapy and recognize how it can benefit their relationship. Your therapist can help navigate these conversations.
• Individual sessions: If your partner isn’t ready for therapy, you might consider starting with individual sessions to help you manage the challenges you’re facing. In many cases, individual therapy can help you gain clarity and prepare for a future joint session.

Because couples are often working on managing relational patterns, not symptom reduction of an individual diagnosis, insurance does not offer coverage for this type of service. Perinatal couples therapy is only offered in a self pay format.

Therapy is a process, and progress can look different for each couple. Some signs that therapy is working include:

• Improved communication: You start expressing your thoughts and feelings more openly, and you feel heard and understood by your partner.
• Reduced stress: You feel more equipped to handle the stress and challenges of the perinatal period together.
• Stronger connection: Your emotional bond deepens, and you feel more supported in your roles as partners and parents.
• More cooperation: You begin to navigate the complexities of parenting together, with less conflict and more teamwork.

Your therapist will regularly check in with you to ensure that the goals of therapy are being met and will make adjustments as needed.

Yes, everything discussed in therapy is confidential. Your therapist is bound by ethical guidelines to ensure your privacy, and no information will be shared without your consent. However, there are some legal exceptions, such as in cases where there is a risk of harm to yourself or others. If you ever have any concerns about confidentiality, please feel free to discuss them with your therapist.