Perinatal Mental Health
Reproductive and parenting journey
The reproductive journey can be an eye-opening and profoundly moving experience.
We all have astoundingly different experiences through conception, pregnancy, birth, postpartum and parenting. Yet, no one talks to us, teaches us or helps us to feel well prepared for this time in our lives.
Often individuals and couples find their way to Counselling & Co. to help prepare for and navigate each phase of the reproductive journey and the multiple transitions we experience in parenthood. We are here to help you with each of the following experiences:
(In)Fertility
There is no such thing as a typical infertility treatment journey. You have likely been through a comprehensive range of treatments that have lasted months or years. Maybe you have had a successful pregnancy in the past and are struggling to get pregnant again, or maybe you have been experiencing recurrent pregnancy losses.
Individual and couple therapy can be an important part of your fertility treatment plan. Through counselling, we help you to express and explore all of the emotions, trauma and relational injuries that can occur during fertility treatment.
At Counselling & Co. we believe you deserve a safe and supportive place to discuss all of the complex fertility considerations and family-building options. We will work together to develop a holistic plan to help you cope with the physical, sexual, mental, financial, and emotional all consuming experience that is infertility. We know this journey can feel isolating, which is why we invite you to connect with us to build out your circle of support and reassure you that you are not alone.
Pregnancy
Finding yourself pregnant can bring about a variety of emotional reactions ranging from joy to dread. Although you may be really excited to grow your family, being pregnant can still bring fears of labour and delivery, changes to your body, and life after the baby. You may also face unanticipated decisions if your pregnancy was unplanned or tests rendered devastating results. These time-sensitive and incredibly complex decisions are like no other and can feel debilitating. All of these conflicting emotions make it hard to relax and feel excited about what is to come.
Pregnancy counselling allows you to explore and manage all of your emotions and fears. Therapy can help you plan for the things you can control while providing you with support and a plan to deal with everything in between that may be out of your control.
At Counselling & Co. we care deeply about supporting women during their pregnancy journey. We are here to guide you through anxiety, decision-making, birth planning and how to ensure you are well-supported on your birthing day. Our therapists provide a secure and non-judgemental space to process the complex decision you are facing. We welcome you to reach out should you have any questions.
Birth Trauma
Birthing is one of the most emotionally, psychologically and physically enduring experiences. It's no wonder women (baby & birthing partner) can experience events during labour, birth or immediately afterwards that can be traumatic. The events can range from loss of control and dignity, feeling unheard and coerced, including the absence of informed consent to medical procedures that can be invasive and have long-lasting effects. The impacts you may be experiencing could affect you in a variety of ways, leaving you fearful, immobilized and traumatized.
Therapy for birth trauma will help to organize and process all that you endured. We know you likely intended for things to unfold differently and counselling will help you to deal with and manage the reality of the events that actually took place. You deserve a safe and trauma-informed space to process and make meaning of what happened to you, how you are changed, and to grieve the loss of your intended birthing story.
At Counselling & Co. our goal is to ensure you have the tools and resources to re-establish a secure connection with your body, birth experience and partner that is honoring of you and all you endured. We can help you work through the fear of having another child, entering into your next pregnancy and birth with confidence that this is the right option for you.
Our therapists are here to support you in developing a plan to communicate your wishes and to inform care providers of your difficult experience, allowing you to feel in control and empowered to advocate for what you and your partner desire during a future pregnancy, labour and delivery.
Postpartum
The transition to motherhood comes with preconceived ideas, expectations and fantasies. It's a natural way to prepare for motherhood, but it can be incredibly dysregulating and disappointing if your expectations don't match what you actually experience.
After giving birth, postpartum mental health conditions like anxiety, depression and rage affect many women and their partners. Feelings of guilt, confusion, resentment, anxiety and great unhappiness can last for weeks or months up to one year after delivery, making it a struggle to bond with your baby and interfere with your ability to care for yourself, your relationship, or find joy.
Postpartum Counselling can help you deal with the responsibility of fiercely loving this tiny dependent human, while also dealing with the sheer terror of anticipation that a crisis is looming around every corner. It can be incredibly freeing to share all of your truths about the realities of new motherhood, the details we are all thinking but are sometimes too scared to say out loud. You don't have to stick it out alone.
At Counselling & Co., we know motherhood is all about two truths, it is possible to love your baby and feel frustrated. It makes sense to enjoy motherhood while simultaneously missing your friends or job. Postpartum counselling is an opportunity to find your new normal while living amidst these contradictory feelings and experiences! You will learn to tackle your fears and self-criticism and feel more confident in the decisions you make.
Parenthood
Life with a new baby is exhausting, but here is what they don't tell you, parenting a toddler, tween, and teens is also exhausting just in a different way. It's hard not to compare your experience of parenting or your children to others. Feelings of jealousy and resentment arise as you see how “easy” these other parents have it. Being on call 24/7 and feeling touched out is no joke on how it impacts your mental health and your relationship with your partner. Parenthood doesn’t come with a manual and as a result, our journey into parenthood is often a beautifully humbling experience which stretches us in many ways that we never imagined possible.
Individual and couples counselling prior to and after baby arrives can be a brilliant way to unpack all of the stress of parenting. Therapy is a space for you to tune into your emotional reactions, impulses, and perceptions that may impair your ability to think clearly and remain flexible while interacting with your kiddo and partner. We know how hard it can be on your relationship to feel like you are losing complete control over your schedule, as well to struggle with intimacy and closeness, let alone navigate all of the parenting choices we are up against. In couples counseling we will focus on increasing communication and supporting you in adapting to your new roles so you can create shared meaning and strengthen your foundation as you journey thought parenthood together.
At Counselling & Co. we are here to remind you to be more compassionate with yourself and figure out how to extend this compassion to your partner or children when they are amidst a meltdown. We will help you work through feelings of mom guilt, cultivate an attitude of curiosity rather than demand control and learn to tackle tantrums like a champ. We get wanting to raise children that are warm, genuine, kind-hearted and resilient. But it is also hard at times to know how to respect these little people and their needs, while still respecting and taking care of your own. We want to help you manage this journey so you can find it in you to be more present with your little(s), your partner and for yourself. We are here to help you cultivate a sense of resilience and to give yourself permission to be ok with things the way they are right now, because we know you are doing the best you can.
Grief & Loss
Losing a pregnancy, and experiencing the death of a baby during birth or postpartum is incredibly devastating. The anguish families feel is often unbearable and traumatic. The shock and pain of the loss takes our breath away, it's a pain like no other.
Not being able to change or reverse what has happened causes feelings of powerlessness, confusion, anger, guilt, fear and the grief can leave us feeling broken. People rarely talk openly about these painstaking losses which can leave you feeling misunderstood, unrecognized and invisible.
We want you to know that we see you and your experience of your grief and loss is not too awful to talk about here. We hold space for your story and for the unique way you carry and express your grief. Our therapists are highly skilled in supporting you through making difficult decisions and through the profound and painful experiences of pregnancy and infant loss.
At Counselling & Co. we are here to offer support during and after a loss to process what is happening, as well as prepare for what happens next. Our therapists understand the significance of this pain. They will envelop you in compassionate care, as we value the love and connection you feel with your baby regardless of gestation or age. Our hope is to help you find ways to honour and commemorate your love and loss, leading you to find more ease and emotional balance as each day passes. When you feel ready, we are here.
Areas of Treatment
Preparing to bring baby home
Advocating for pregnancy and birthing preferences with care providers
Family, pregnancy and birth planning
Managing the transition to parenthood
Mom guilt
Postpartum anxiety & depression
Stress & overwhelm
Mom rage
Unique challenges of fatherhood
Parental burnout
IVF & assisted reproduction
Pregnancy loss & misscarriage
Stillbirth & infant loss
Terminating a pregnancy for medical reasons
Traumatic birth experience
Loss of identity and grief
Body image
Self-care while managing it all
Back to work planning
Feeling unseen, under-appreciated & resentful
Developing a nurturing self & attachment parenting
Feeding decisions like formula, breastfeeding & pumping
How to help a new mom
Therapists Available
Have you lost touch with yourself or loved ones?
Counselling & Co. is committed to providing therapeutic services that enrich your healing journey and quality of life. We provide a compassionate place to help you:
Feel seen and heard
Strengthen your emotional well-being
Repair your relationships