My background and passion have always been in caring for women and babies, and more specifically the fragile transitional time for families during the childbearing year. I am a mental health therapist and formerly a birth doula and childbirth educator. My passion and focus is on providing a safe space for women and men to process the range of mental, emotional, and physical challenges that occur in association with pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Challenges can present when trying to conceive a baby, in experiencing pregnancy stress and difficulty managing anxiety, to depression or complications, in pregnancy loss(es), in birth trauma, to postpartum exhaustion, depression, anger, or OCD that negatively effect parenting. We live in a culture that revels in the joy of new life but has a difficult time supporting new mothers, fathers, and families during this delicate time in their lives. In addition to the challenges that parents and families face, care providers also experience stress, anxiety, and secondary trauma. As a caretaker of families before, during, and after childbirth, it is important for doctors, midwives, nurses, and doulas to find a safe space to process the professional experiences that may become personal wounds if not appropriately dealt with. With my background and experience in birth, I am able to offer a unique understanding of the birth world and mental health support. My goal is to help women and men, families and providers the ability process their experiences with compassion, and to find a way through the heaviness to a place where joy and healing can be found.
