Perinatal OCD, Anxiety, Trauma Therapy in Philadelphia
Women’s emotional wellness across the lifespan: Supporting you through pregnancy, postpartum, reproductive concerns, new parenthood and beyond
Perinatal Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) treatment in Philadelphia and across PA
Having scary or intrusive thoughts about your baby in the postpartum period is common. You might be having thoughts like, “What if I hurt my baby?” or “What if I lose control?” These thoughts can feel frightening and confusing especially because they go against how you actually feel. If you have unwanted thoughts about harm coming to your baby and find yourself avoiding caretaking or engaging in behaviors to decrease your distress (like checking on the baby frequently, cleaning and washing excessively, or asking for reassurance often) ERP can help! Treating perinatal OCD is a specialty expertise of mine and my goal is to help parents better understand intrusive thoughts, reduce compulsions and avoidance, and return to caring for their baby and themselves with greater confidence.
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Intrusive thoughts can sound like:
What if I snap and hurt my baby?
What if my baby gets sick because of germs?
I can’t stop checking if my baby is breathing.
Do these thoughts mean I am a bad mom?
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Intrusive thoughts or obsessions are common in the postpartum period. This period marks a rapid increase in responsibility for an infant you care deeply about. This can cause anxiety and distress. Behaviors like checking, washing, or other measures to prevent something bad from happening are part of parenting in small doses. Unfortunately, when they grow in frequency and don’t actually help relieve anxiety they start to increase distress and get in the way of the life you want to live. That’s where ERP comes in to help!
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ERP is an effective treatment for OCD and can be used in the perinatal period. It involves gradually approaching situations that have been historically avoided and learning to tolerate challenging emotional responses, learning that fears do not come true, and learning to embrace a life with uncertainty. My approach to ERP includes a values-driven, collaborative method wherein your desires for your life and insights are in the driver seat as we develop a pathway forward together.
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My approach is collaborative and aims to first build a trusting relationship to build comfort with the process of therapy. I approach ERP with a compassionate and curious stance and work collaboratively with you to determine the pace. We will start with a thorough assessment and progress gradually to an exposure practice. This involves using your values to determine which situations we will approach while decreasing rituals or compulsions. The goal of ERP is to help you live the life you want by helping you tolerate uncomfortable sensations or feelings, learn feared outcomes are not likely to occur, and to learn embrace uncertainty.
Perinatal OCD is one of my areas of specialty where I have extensive experience both as therapist and as trainer. My goal is to help parents better understand intrusive thoughts, reduce compulsions and avoidance, and return to caring for their baby and themselves with greater confidence. If you are curious, please reach out to learn more!
Reproductive, Perinatal, or Postpartum Anxiety
The perinatal period can bring about increased anxiety and stress for birthing parents and non-birthing parents alike! Many of the people I work with find themselves caught in cycles of worry about their baby, parenting decisions, or their family's wellbeing. Others feel tense, overwhelmed, panicky, or highly self-critical as they navigate the transition to parenthood. Others may find themselves feeling anxious about the reproductive process and uncertainty about when and if they will become pregnant. Whether you are concerned about your reproductive health or feeling anxious caretaking an infant, therapy can help you to process this transition, reduce anxiety, and make meaningful changes to live the life you want.
Therapy for Reproductive Trauma or Loss
Experiences such as infertility, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, reproductive challenges, or birth trauma can bring intense emotions and uncertainty. Therapy can help you to clarify your thoughts and feelings and find extra support to move through challenges. It can also be a helpful place to process difficult emotions including grief, reduce internal conflict around your reproductive narrative, cope with anxiety about the reproductive process, or tap into more resiliency in the face of stressors. My approach is to combine empirically-supported treatments like CBTs for anxiety and trauma responses, with person-centered approaches that emphasize your own insights, understanding, and pathway forward through these challenging experiences. If you would like to learn more about treating reproductive or birth related trauma, please visit the trauma and PTSD section of my website.
Women’s Emotional Wellness Across the Lifespan
The reproductive, perimenopausal, and menopausal transitions are higher risk periods for experiencing anxiety, OCD, and other mood symptoms. They are also a very rich time of change where further exploration of one’s values and desires for life may arise. I work well with people who are going through these transitions and are hoping to make sense of these changes and transitions, decrease symptoms, and both tolerate and explore new emotional depths. Whether you are experiencing challenges in the reproductive years or beyond, therapy is a helpful tool to assist you through life transitions. Please feel free to reach out if you would like to find out if therapy could be a good fit for you!