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You can love this new chapter and still feel the weight of the transition.
You are navigating a massive biological, psychological, and internal identity shift.
This transformation starts long before the baby arrives and continues long after.
You might be lying awake at 3 AM from pregnancy insomnia or a newborn who won't settle, wondering if you are cut out for this.
Maybe you're haunted by scary thoughts of harm coming to the baby that make you freeze in terror.
Our therapists understand the struggle often shows up in the small moments—feeling on edge, crying unexpectedly, or feeling disconnected from your partner or baby.
For you, maybe it shows up as the:
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Rage: A sudden, white-hot anger when your partner is sleeping soundly while you are uncomfortable or awake with the baby.
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Fog: A heavy blanket of exhaustion or ambivalence that makes it hard to feel excited about the future.
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Mask: Pretending to be the glowing pregnant person or the blissful new parent while feeling lost on the inside.
Our goal is to make things feel lighter and more manageable. Not perfect, just more possible.
Your Guide to Perinatal Therapy
Jump to:
What is perinatal distress, really?
During pregnancy and postpartum, your brain actually changes.
The amygdala (the fear center) grows to help you protect your baby.
It isn’t a character flaw.
Nothing about what you’re feeling is a sign of failure. Your mind and body are simply reacting to a major transition.
Anxiety and hyper-vigilance are signs that you care deeply.
But sometimes, this biological protection mechanism gets stuck in the on position.
When you are sleep-deprived, hormonally shifting, or unsupported, your nervous system can get stuck in overdrive:
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Anxiety: Your body tries to predict danger.
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Depression: Your body tries to conserve energy.
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Rage: Your body tries to fight for space and boundaries.
Therapy helps you work with your biology, not against it, to turn down the alarm so you can breathe again.
Are you experiencing signs of perinatal or postpartum distress?
It doesn't always look like crying or getting angry.
Physical Signs (The Body Struggle)
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Touched Out: You feel prickly, overstimulated, and stretched thin.
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Phantom Cry: You hear the baby crying even when you are far.
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Chest Anvil: Heavy pressure on your chest prevents deep breathing.
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Wired but Tired: You are exhausted, but your body jolts awake.
Emotional Signs (The Feeling Struggle)
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Grieving the Old You: You miss your past freedom, body, or work.
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Lost Pieces: You feel you’ve lost pieces of who you used to be.
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Resentment: You feel anger toward your partner for leaving.
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Numbness: You are watching a movie of your life rather than living it.
Mental Signs (The Cognitive Struggle)
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Doom Loop: Your brain plays worst-case scenarios on repeat.
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Decision Paralysis: You find yourself unable to make simple choices.
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Mom Brain: You lose your train of thought and forget things easily.
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Checking: You check the baby’s breathing multiple times a night.
If you see yourself in this list, you are not failing. Your body is working hard to protect you and your little one.
What causes perinatal or postpartum struggles?
There is no one single cause or stressor.
It is a perfect storm of biology, environment, and psychology:
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Matrescence (The Identity Shift): Just like adolescence, matrescence is a developmental phase where your hormones, brain structure, and identity rewrite themselves. It can be messy, awkward, and exhausting,
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The Nervous System Load: Modern parenting is sensory overload. The noise, touch, crying, and lack of sleep keep your body in a chronic state of fight or flight.
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The Village Deficit: We are biologically designed to raise children in communities. Doing it alone or in a nuclear family places an unnatural burden on your shoulders.
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Birth Trauma: If your birth didn't go as planned, or if you felt unheard, unsafe, or out of control, your body may still be holding onto trauma energy, keeping you alert.
Therapy provides the village and the safety you need to process these layers.
When is it a good time to consider perinatal therapy?
You don’t have to wait until things feel unbearable to reach out.
You might be thinking it's not that bad, or everyone is tired, I just need to try harder.
But white-knuckling through parenthood comes at too high a cost.
It might be time to reach out for support if:
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The Mask is Heavy: You feel like an imposter who is about to be found out as a bad parent.
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You Are Scaring Yourself: Your intrusive thoughts are harder to dismiss, or you're afraid to be alone with baby.
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Your World is Shrinking: You are avoiding leaving the house, driving, or seeing friends because of anxiety.
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You Are Resenting Your Partner: The conflict in your relationship is escalating and you feel like opponents.
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You Can't Rest: Even when you have help, you can't physically relax your body.
You deserve more than to just survive this season.
You deserve care just as much as the baby you’re caring for.
How can therapy help with perinatal and postpartum challenges?
Therapy works with your body and brain.
We offer a warm, steady space. A place to land.
We aren't here to rush you or fix you—we're here to help you feel understood, grounded, and resourced.
Therapy is a space to clear the mental load and rewire your nervous system for safety.
Perinatal therapy can help you:
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Soothe the Alarm: Learn somatic tools to tell your body I am safe right now, so you can lower your heart rate and actually sleep.
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Process the Story: Whether it’s a traumatic birth or the loss of your old identity, we help you digest the grief so it doesn't get stuck in your body.
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Tame the Critic: Replace the inner voice that says I'm a bad mom with a voice of self-compassion and reality.
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Reclaim Your Identity: Find out who you are now—integrating the parent you have become with the person you have always been.
We provide specialized support for women and parents navigating perinatal and postpartum anxiety, depression, body image, grief, self-esteem, or trauma.
What therapy approaches work best for perinatal distress?
We use evidence-based modalities tailored for your struggles and your strengths.
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): If you have scary thoughts, ACT helps you stop fighting your thoughts (which makes them stronger) and start observing them with curiosity. You unhook from anxiety and focus on your values.
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EMDR Therapy: If you are haunted by flashbacks of your birth, the NICU, or a past trauma, EMDR helps your brain process those memories. It takes the sting out so it becomes a story from the past, not a threat now.
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Narrative Therapy: You are rewriting your life story. Narrative Therapy helps you separate yourself from the problem. We help you grieve your old life and write a meaningful new chapter.
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Somatic Therapy: Talk therapy often can't reach the fight or flight stress stored in your body. Somatic Therapy helps you release the physical tension by working with your nervous system directly to ground you.
Our therapists blend approaches together to fit your unique needs.
If you are looking for a specific modality, visit our Approaches to Therapy page to see what our therapists offer.
What happens in perinatal therapy?
Come exactly as you are, mess and all.
We offer online perinatal and postpartum therapy to make it as low-barrier as possible for you.
Babies are always welcome in our sessions.
Here is what you can expect from therapy:
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Intake: We create a judgment-free zone where you can say the things you are afraid to say out loud (like I hate this right now). We validate your reality.
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Stabilization: We focus on small, doable shifts that reduce the pressure so you can breathe again. How can we get you 20 minutes of sleep? How can we lower the anxiety today? We build your resourcing toolkit.
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Deep Work: Once you are steady, we gently explore the deeper roots—the birth story, the identity shift, or the family cycles you want to break.
You set the pace. We follow your lead.
At Therapy Alberta, the goal is always the same: to create a space where you feel safe enough to heal.
Meet our featured Perinatal Therapists
Our therapists are real humans, and parents who get it.
CERTIFIED CANADIAN COUNSELLOR
I help touched out parents and high-achievers find their footing again. If your nervous system feels fried or you are carrying the weight of birth trauma, I use Somatic Therapy and EMDR to help you release the pressure and find calm in your body.
Exclusively Online
REGISTERED SOCIAL
WORKER
I offer a culturally safe space for parents navigating the identity quake of motherhood. Using ACT and Narrative Therapy, I help you release the pressure to do it right, process expectations, and find a parenting path that honors you.
Exclusively Online
Why does parenting feel so hard in Alberta right now?
Parenting doesn't happen in a vacuum.
Living in Alberta adds unique layers of stress to the perinatal and postpartum experience.
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Healthcare Gap: Finding a family doctor or accessing consistent obstetrical care in Alberta is becoming increasingly difficult. The anxiety of waitlists, closures, or not having a dedicated provider adds stress when you just want to be safe.
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Solo-Parenting: If you are single parenting, or your partner works away in the oil patch or on rotation, you have to do a lot on your own. And for FIFO work, the re-entry friction can cause conflict.
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Economic Anxiety: The boom and bust cycle creates a background hum of financial fear. The pressure to get back to work or be productive can rob you of the slow time you need to heal.
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Winter Isolation: Trying to care for a newborn when it is -30°C and dark at 4 PM can be incredibly isolating. Cabin fever exacerbates depression and makes it harder to access your community.
We understand these pressures because we live here, too.
It's time to let someone hold space for you.
You don't need to be fixed because you aren't broken.
You need a place to set down the heavy load.
To lower the alarm.
Find your breath.
The next step is simple. You can book a free, 15-minute consultation to meet a therapist and see if it feels like a good fit for your family.
No pressure, no commitment, just a conversation.
Our therapists offer daytime, evening, and weekend appointments to fit your lifestyle.
Common Questions About Perinatal Therapy
What if I have scary thoughts about my baby?
This is one of the most common and least talked about symptoms of postpartum anxiety. It does not mean you want to hurt your baby. It usually means your brain is hyper-scanning for threats because you love your baby so much. We can help you reduce the fear around these thoughts.
Do I need a diagnosis or postpartum depression to come?
No. You do not need a diagnosis. If you are struggling with overwhelm, identity loss, rage, or just the transition, that is enough. We support you through the full spectrum of Matrescence.
Can I bring my baby to the session?
Absolutely. We welcome babies in our sessions. If you need to feed, change, or rock your baby during therapy, we support you no matter what.
Do you treat birth trauma?
Yes. Birth trauma is real and valid, even if you have a healthy baby. We use EMDR and Somatic approaches to help you process the emotional and physical impact of a difficult birth.
Is this covered by insurance?
Yes, our therapists (Psychologists, Social Workers, and CCCs) are covered by most major insurance plans (Blue Cross, Canada Life, SunLife, etc.). We recommend checking your specific plan for coverage.
Do you offer online perinatal therapy?
Yes, we offer secure video therapy to parents across Alberta. Online therapy is just as effective as in-person sessions, and it can be especially helpful for families with busy schedules or those living in rural areas.
If you have more questions about therapy or the process, visit our FAQ page or contact us.
