Fiona Rogerson - Trauma and Perinatal Counsellor & Birth Educator, Perth

Fiona Rogerson - Trauma and Perinatal Counsellor & Birth Educator, Perth Specialist counselling and EMDR for birth trauma, perinatal trauma, PTSD & cPTSD. Perth + Aus-wide.

Does motherhood feel different from what you expected?Maybe you’ve felt unexpected waves of anger, anxiety that won’t se...
14/10/2025

Does motherhood feel different from what you expected?

Maybe you’ve felt unexpected waves of anger, anxiety that won’t settle, or a sense of detachment that leaves you feeling disconnected from yourself and your child. And then, when it passes, guilt and shame creep in, making you question if you’re doing this parenting thing “right.”

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Many parents we work with experience these challenges, and so often, the root cause is birth trauma, something that lingers far beyond the day itself and quietly shapes your parenting after birth trauma.

That’s why I’ve created a free guide, 7 Signs Your Birth Trauma Is Impacting Your Parenting.

Inside, you’ll discover:

➡️ What birth trauma really is and why it shows up long after the birth.
➡️ 7 signs it could be affecting how you connect with and care for your child.
➡️ How birth trauma influences your attachment and parenting experience.
➡️ Simple steps to begin creating more patience, joy, and connection in your parenting.

Parenting after birth trauma doesn’t have to feel this heavy, and you don’t have to carry it alone. With awareness and understanding, change becomes possible.

Download the free guide through the link in my bio and take your first step toward a parenting experience that feels lighter and more connected.

You can look like you’re absolutely thriving as a new mother, and still feel as though you're falling apart from the wei...
12/10/2025

You can look like you’re absolutely thriving as a new mother, and still feel as though you're falling apart from the weight of your birth.

So many mums tell me, “I should be fine by now.” They’re smiling in photos, caring for their baby, keeping everything together. But inside, something feels fractured. There’s a quiet sadness they can’t explain, flashes of anger that come out of nowhere, or moments where they feel completely numb. And because no one talks about it, they start to believe it must just be them. That they’re too sensitive, or not coping as well as everyone else.

Birth trauma often hides behind the mask of being “okay”.

You might look confident, capable, even happy, while beneath the surface sits exhaustion, grief, guilt, or a sense of failure.
You tell yourself to be grateful, but gratitude doesn’t cancel out trauma.
You can love your baby deeply and still feel wounded by what you went through.

Both can be true.

This is why processing your birth experience matters. When you give space to the parts of your story that feel too heavy or confusing, you begin to soften what’s been held so tightly. Trauma counselling or EMDR therapy can help you piece together what happened, reconnect with your body, and finally start to feel like yourself again.

Healing isn’t about forgetting your birth, it’s about lifting its weight.

If this resonates, head to the link in my bio to book your session and begin the process of healing your birth experience.

You can have a healthy baby and still feel completely wrecked by your birth.This is one of the hardest things for new mu...
09/10/2025

You can have a healthy baby and still feel completely wrecked by your birth.

This is one of the hardest things for new mums to admit. Because the moment your baby is in your arms, the world expects you to be okay. Grateful. Overjoyed. But for so many women, the birth experience leaves deep emotional bruises that no one else can see.

You might be smiling on the outside, but inside, you feel shaken.
Maybe your birth felt out of control, rushed, or full of fear. Maybe you felt unheard, like things were happening to you, not with you.
And now, even months later, there’s a heaviness in your chest that won’t shift.

You find yourself replaying what happened in the middle of the night. Certain moments come back out of nowhere.
Or maybe you avoid thinking about it at all, pushing it down and hoping time will take care of it. But your body remembers.
And you’re starting to wonder if it’s not just stress, but something deeper. Something unresolved.

That’s where a birth debrief can help. It’s not about rehashing every detail, or being told what you should feel. It’s about gently unpacking the pieces of your story that feel confusing, overwhelming, or painful, with someone who understands birth trauma and holds no judgement.

This is where healing begins.

When your experience is seen, heard, and validated. When you’re no longer carrying it all alone.

You don’t need to wait until it gets worse. You don’t need permission to get support.

Head to the link in my bio to book your debrief.

Birth trauma doesn’t always look like flashbacks or panic attacks. Sometimes it looks like snapping at your partner for ...
07/10/2025

Birth trauma doesn’t always look like flashbacks or panic attacks.

Sometimes it looks like snapping at your partner for no reason, feeling detached from your baby, or avoiding touch because it suddenly feels overwhelming.

When we think of birth trauma, most people imagine the moment of birth itself. But what often goes unseen are the ways it continues to show up long after birth.

I often hear from mothers who say they feel “off” since having their baby.. more anxious, easily startled, restless, or unable to relax. Some notice changes in their appetite or sleep. Others feel disconnected from their partner or struggle to bond with their baby, despite wanting to.

These are not character flaws or signs of weak parenting. They’re behavioural responses that develop when the body and mind haven’t fully processed what happened. Sometimes, even when we think we’ve “moved on”, our nervous system hasn’t.

In counselling, we look beneath these patterns to understand what’s really driving them. Together, we explore how your birth or perinatal experience impacted you... emotionally, physically, and relationally.

Using approaches like EMDR therapy, birth debriefing sessions, and trauma counselling, we process the stuck memories and sensations that keep you feeling on edge or disconnected.

The goal isn’t to erase what happened, but to help your body and mind understand that it’s over, that you’re safe now. When this happens, everything begins to shift. You start to respond instead of react. You feel calmer with your baby. More present with your partner. More like yourself again.

If you’ve noticed these signs in yourself or someone you love, please know there is a path forward. Visit the link in my bio to learn more about birth debriefs, perinatal counselling, or EMDR therapy here in Perth and online.

Healing isn’t about erasing the past or pretending it didn’t happen.It’s about understanding how your experiences, espec...
05/10/2025

Healing isn’t about erasing the past or pretending it didn’t happen.

It’s about understanding how your experiences, especially a traumatic birth or difficult perinatal period, might still be influencing the way you parent, the way you bond with your baby, and the way you relate to your partner.

Many mothers I work with notice signs long after birth... moments of anxiety, irritability, or emotional distance. Some describe feeling broken after birth, struggling to connect, or not feeling like themselves again.

These are often signs of unresolved birth trauma or perinatal trauma still being carried in the body and mind.

In counselling, we explore what’s beneath these reactions.

Through approaches like EMDR therapy, we process the memories that keep you feeling stuck, ease the ongoing emotional and physical tension, and help you rebuild a sense of calm, confidence, and connection in motherhood.

Healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means being able to respond with presence, rebuild your relationships, and truly reconnect with yourself again.

If this sounds familiar, drop a 💛 below and I’ll reach out to share how we can support you.

It’s not always PND.If your birth left you feeling raw, alert, avoidant or disconnected, but not necessarily low or hope...
04/10/2025

It’s not always PND.

If your birth left you feeling raw, alert, avoidant or disconnected, but not necessarily low or hopeless, you might be wondering what’s going on. Especially when the conversations around postnatal mental health focus almost exclusively on depression.

Postnatal depression and birth trauma can overlap, but they’re not the same. Many parents find themselves confused, even misdiagnosed, because their symptoms don’t fit the narrative they’ve heard.

PND often brings feelings of sadness, numbness or disinterest. Birth trauma tends to show up differently: flashbacks, hypervigilance, panic, shutdown, shame. It’s the imprint of something that felt frightening, overwhelming, or unsafe. And it’s more common than we think.

You deserve to understand what you’re experiencing. Not just to find the right support, but to feel less alone in it. When we can name it, we can start to heal it.

Save this post to come back to when you need it.

Setting boundaries in motherhood and family life isn’t always easy. For many parents, it can feel uncomfortable, especia...
09/09/2025

Setting boundaries in motherhood and family life isn’t always easy. For many parents, it can feel uncomfortable, especially if you’ve been conditioned to keep the peace or put everyone else first. Yet boundaries are one of the most important ways we protect our wellbeing, strengthen relationships, and honour what matters most.

We see this come up often with clients around parenting choices, family planning decisions, and the everyday pressures of raising children. Saying no to visitors after birth. Deciding how to share parenting roles. Choosing whether or not to have another baby. Even the small, daily moments, like asking for help, or carving out time for yourself, require boundaries that feel safe and clear.

Here’s the four-step process we use with clients to make it easier:

1️⃣ Identify your values.
Asserting boundaries is rarely comfortable. It can bring up guilt, discomfort, even a sense of panic, especially if you’ve spent years putting others’ needs ahead of your own. This is why coming back to your values, your why, is so important. Boundaries are not about being difficult; they are about protecting what matters most to you.

2️⃣ Separate frustrations from value ruptures.
Not every irritation means a boundary is being crossed. A messy house may be frustrating, but if someone dismisses your choices about feeding or sleep, that’s a rupture of your values and needs a response.

3️⃣ Weigh it up.
Boundaries often stir discomfort or pushback from others. Before you act, ask yourself, what matters more, keeping the peace in the moment or staying true to what my family and I really need? Most of the time, staying true to your values is needed, but there are times when you might decide that flexibility feels right for you in that situation.

4️⃣ Communicate clearly.
You don’t need to over-explanation. Try simple, compassionate words: “We’re not ready for visitors yet,” or “This is the decision we’ve made for our family.”

Boundaries in parenting and family life aren’t about shutting people out. They’re about creating the conditions you and your children need to feel safe, respected, and supported.

If this resonates, save it for when you need the reminder!

We’re thinking of you today x
06/09/2025

We’re thinking of you today x

Birth trauma doesn’t just stay in the birth room. It can follow you into parenting in ways you never expected.You might ...
04/09/2025

Birth trauma doesn’t just stay in the birth room. It can follow you into parenting in ways you never expected.

You might notice yourself reacting in ways that feel out of proportion, snapping over something small, feeling paralysed by a decision, checking on your baby over and over. Or maybe it’s quieter: a numbness you can’t shake, a constant hum of fear, or the urge to keep control over every little detail.

These responses aren’t proof that you’re failing as a parent. They’re signs your nervous system is still on high alert, shaped by an experience where you felt unsafe, unseen, or powerless.

Rage. Intense fear. Numbness. Seeking constant validation. Difficulty making decisions. Obsessive checking. Inconsistent boundaries. Pervasive guilt. Overprotectiveness. Maternal gatekeeping and micromanagement. These can all be ways trauma shows up in the day-to-day of parenting. They’re not choices, they’re survival patterns. And like all survival patterns, they can be understood, worked with, and softened through support.

If you recognise yourself in any of these, know you are not broken, and you are not alone. With the right tools and a safe space to process what happened, parenting can begin to feel lighter. If you’d like support to get there, you can reach out or book via the link in my bio.

You cannot numb the pain without also numbing the joy.When you've lived through trauma, especially birth trauma or medic...
02/09/2025

You cannot numb the pain without also numbing the joy.

When you've lived through trauma, especially birth trauma or medical trauma, your body learns how to shut down what feels unbearable. You might find yourself going through the motions, not quite present. Maybe you're holding your baby but feel strangely disconnected. Or you find yourself snapping in moments that should feel calm. It can be confusing, even shame-inducing. You’re not cold or ungrateful. You’re protecting yourself.

This kind of numbing isn’t a conscious choice. It’s what your nervous system does when it doesn’t feel safe. The problem is, when we suppress the fear, sadness or grief, we also dull our ability to feel warmth, joy and love. Even moments that should bring relief or pride can feel strangely flat. It’s not your fault. Your body has done its best to keep you going.

In our practice, we work gently with the parts of you that had to go numb in order to survive. Through EMDR and trauma-specific counselling, we create space to feel again, at a pace that honours your nervous system. You don’t have to force anything open. Together, we build safety, piece by piece. Over time, your emotional world becomes more available again, not just the pain, but the joy, connection and softness that felt so far away.

Healing does not mean re-living. It means re-learning how to feel without fear.

If you're ready to begin, head to the link in my bio. We would love to support you.

🚨 Calling all midwives, birth workers, and professionals supporting perinatal individuals…It’s time to rethink the way w...
02/09/2025

🚨 Calling all midwives, birth workers, and professionals supporting perinatal individuals…

It’s time to rethink the way we approach birth trauma... not as a one-time event, but as a multifaceted experience that reaches deep into a woman’s past and future.

Birth trauma doesn’t just happen in the delivery room; it’s shaped by how care is delivered and how individuals are treated. This trauma has lasting effects on a woman’s sense of self, relationships, and even her parenting. The system needs to change, and it starts with you.

For many perinatal professionals, the reality of working in the current system feels far from the calling that first drew them to this work. You entered this field with the desire to help, but instead, you find yourself limited and bounded by a system that often causes more harm than good. The fear-based, restrictive maternity care system is draining and can leave you feeling like you’re not able to provide the compassionate, effective support you imagined.

Rethinking Trauma: The Live Workshop is here to change that. This 5-hour online workshop is a transformational experience that will move you from feeling restricted by the system to reclaiming your role as a trauma-responsive, empowered professional. You’ll be able to confidently support individuals through and after birth trauma, reconnecting with the reason you entered this field in the first place.

This is your chance to transform the care you provide and become part of a new paradigm of birth care... where the focus shifts from managing trauma to preventing it and fostering healing. The system can change, and it starts with you.

THIS FRIDAY...
Sept 5, 9am-2pm AWST Perth time (online)

🔥 BONUS: Use the code RT100 at checkout for $100 off the training price.

This workshop offers 5 hours of PD with an attendance certificate provided, and it’s an absolute must for anyone supporting perinatal individuals.

👉 Ready to step into trauma-responsive care? Secure your seat today through the link in my bio. Payment plans are available.

I can’t wait to see you there! 💪🏽✨

When I opened my practice in 2019, I had one clear goal: to build a team of exceptional therapists who could offer the h...
31/08/2025

When I opened my practice in 2019, I had one clear goal: to build a team of exceptional therapists who could offer the highest level of care and expertise to the people we support.

I knew I couldn’t do it alone, and honestly, I didn’t want to. I wanted a team I could trust completely, a team that, in many ways, is better than me. And I can say with full confidence that’s exactly what we’ve created.

Here’s who we are and why I’m so proud to share this incredible team with you...

Danielle is an outstanding perinatal and trauma counsellor, EMDR therapist, and Birth After Trauma educator. She works deeply in attachment EMDR, parts work, and EFT, with a thoughtful and generous heart that her clients absolutely adore. As a mum herself, Danielle’s path into this work was shaped by her own experiences, making her perfect for this work.

Caroline brings a unique and holistic skillset to her work as a perinatal and trauma counsellor, couples counsellor, and attachment specialist. Her expertise in mother-baby attachment and infant wellbeing is backed by her background as a physiotherapist, naturopath, and Bowen therapist. As a mum of three, her compassion and deep understanding of trauma and childbearing physiology make her an invaluable part of this team.

And me... I’m Fiona. I’m a Perinatal and Trauma Counsellor, EMDR therapist, educator, and trainer. My own journey through pre/postnatal depression, multiple losses, secondary infertility, IVF, and perinatal trauma led me here. Therapy was my anchor, and I returned to university (with my three kids in tow) determined to support others the way therapy supported me. I’ve also worked as a birth and postnatal doula and childbirth educator, grounding me firmly in this work.

Together, we support individuals and couples navigating:
Birth trauma and perinatal PTSD
Anxiety, depression, and grief in the perinatal period
Challenges with conception and pregnancy loss
Preparing to birth again after trauma

We’re deeply passionate about what we do. We know this work intimately, and we know how to walk alongside you as you heal.

If you’re ready to take that next step, we’d love to support you. Send me a DM and we can get started.

Address

6/640 Beeliar Drive, Success
Perth, WA
6164

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61402017425

Website

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Who is Fiona Rogerson?

Thank you for being here. My work has developed from a culmination of my own personal experiences of birth and motherhood (which included secondary infertility, IVF, pregnancy loss, instrumental birth, postnatal depression and breastfeeding struggles, but ultimately beautiful positive birth) together with what I witnessed to be similar experiences of other mothers through my initial work as a professional pregnancy and birth photographer which first began in 2009, together with my work as a birth/postnatal doula and antenatal educator. What I found to be a crucial but missing element for the parents I worked with, and for myself as well, was genuine, professional support that could help them navigate perhaps the most intense phase of their life... their perinatal period.

Through my counselling I provide a safe, supportive space for mothers and fathers to feel validated and fully heard, unravel and identify confusing and troubling thoughts and emotions, find clarity among their feelings, and discover strategies and tools to move forward toward achieving fulfillment and happiness. I provide confidential support in all areas of perinatal difficulties for women and men, including birth trauma and debriefing, pre and postnatal anxiety, low-self-esteem, loss of identity, fertility, unplanned pregnancy, and grief and loss.

Dare to walk a different path. I will light your way.