Postpartum therapy
When motherhood feels harder than you imagined, we help you understand why—and find your way forward
Postpartum therapy provides essential support for mothers experiencing the profound emotional changes that often accompany the transition into motherhood. If you're struggling with persistent sadness, overwhelming anxiety, disconnection from your partner, or distress about your birth experience, therapy can help you navigate these difficult feelings during this vulnerable time.
Postpartum therapy at Thriving California is designed specifically for mothers navigating the complexities of early motherhood. Our doctoral-level clinicians offer depth-oriented, relational therapy for mothers throughout California, with in-person sessions near Napa, Lafayette, and Thousand Oaks, plus telehealth options statewide.
Who Postpartum Therapy Is For
Our postpartum therapy services support mothers experiencing:
Postpartum Depression and Anxiety - Persistent sadness, overwhelming worry, difficulty bonding with your baby, intrusive thoughts, or feelings of inadequacy that interfere with daily life and your ability to enjoy motherhood.
Birth Trauma - Lingering distress, flashbacks, or anxiety related to a difficult or traumatic birth experience, regardless of delivery type.
Relationship Challenges - Disconnection from your partner, increased conflict, resentment about parenting responsibilities, or difficulty navigating your changing relationship dynamics.
Identity and Adjustment Issues - Feeling lost in the role of mother, struggling to integrate your pre-baby self with who you're becoming, or difficulty adjusting to the demands of early parenthood.
New Parenting Concerns - Questions about your parenting approach, anxiety about your baby's wellbeing, or challenges establishing your role as a mother.
You don't need to be in crisis to benefit from postpartum therapy. If your emotional experience is affecting your ability to feel like yourself or connect with your baby and partner, we're here to help.
Our Approach to Postpartum Therapy
At Thriving California, we use psychodynamic and relational therapy approaches that go beyond surface-level symptom management. We understand that postpartum struggles often connect to deeper patterns—your own childhood experiences, your relationship history, and unconscious beliefs about yourself and motherhood.
In our therapeutic work, we help you explore the roots of your emotional experience while building a strong, trusting relationship where you can be completely honest without judgment. This depth-oriented approach creates lasting change rather than temporary relief.
Psychodynamic Therapy allows you to understand how your personal history influences your current experience of motherhood. We explore connections between past experiences and present feelings, helping you gain insight into patterns that may be contributing to your postpartum struggles.
Relational Therapy recognizes that healing happens within the context of a safe, supportive therapeutic relationship. Our clinicians work intentionally to create a space where you feel seen, heard, and understood as you navigate this transformative period.
For mothers experiencing relationship challenges, we also offer couples therapy using relationally-oriented approaches informed by Gottman principles. Our clinicians help couples understand the dynamics keeping them stuck, improve communication, and strengthen their partnership during the postpartum transition. Most couples at our practice complete their treatment goals within a year or so.
Specialized Birth Trauma Therapy
For mothers whose postpartum struggles stem from a traumatic birth experience, our Napa location offers specialized birth trauma therapy using somatic resourcing and bilateral stimulation. This time-limited therapy typically lasts three to six sessions for individuals or six to twelve sessions for couples.
In this work, you'll process your birth story starting with conception and pregnancy, moving through the birth itself, and into the postpartum period. As you work through the story with your therapist, you'll likely experience a significant reduction in trauma symptoms. Most clients find that by the end of treatment, their birth story no longer triggers the intense emotional and physical reactions they experienced when they first started therapy.
This specialized approach works directly with how trauma is stored in your body and memory, offering relief from flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and the emotional distress that can interfere with bonding and postpartum adjustment.
What to Expect in Postpartum Therapy
Getting Started
Most clients begin by scheduling a free 20-minute consultation through our online system. During this call, we'll learn about what you're experiencing and what you hope to address in therapy. This conversation helps ensure our approach aligns with your needs. We'll answer all your questions and discuss logistics including session timing and fees.
If our practice feels like a good fit, you'll complete a brief intake form and schedule your first session. Some clients prefer to skip the consultation and begin therapy immediately, which is also an option. In that case, we use the first session to get to know you and assess whether we're a good match.
The Therapeutic Process
The initial few sessions focus on understanding your unique experience. We'll learn about your pregnancy, birth, current challenges, and what you're hoping to work on. These early sessions build the foundation of trust and safety needed for deeper therapeutic exploration.
Once care is established, you'll typically meet with your therapist weekly for 50-minute sessions. The frequency can be adjusted based on your needs and circumstances. Weekly sessions provide consistency and momentum, helping you build on insights from previous sessions.
Flexible, Client-Led Work
Rather than creating rigid treatment plans, our clinicians hold your goals in mind while remaining open to what emerges in session. What you initially come in for may shift as you engage in the therapeutic work—this evolution is natural and healthy. You lead the process, bringing what feels most important and relevant each week, while your therapist offers observations and gently points toward areas that might warrant exploration.
In sessions, you might explore childhood experiences that connect to your current feelings about motherhood, process your relationship with your partner or your own parents, work through difficult emotions about your baby or your birth, or gain insight into patterns that are no longer serving you. Sometimes your therapist might offer suggestions for self-care practices or resources that could support your work, though we don't assign formal homework.
The therapeutic relationship itself is central to healing. Our clinicians create a space where you can be completely vulnerable without fear of judgment—a rare experience for new mothers who often feel pressure to appear capable and grateful. This relationship provides safety to explore the complex, sometimes contradictory feelings that accompany early motherhood.
Therapy for Partners and Couples
While we primarily work with mothers, we welcome fathers and non-birthing partners who are struggling during the postpartum period. Partners may experience their own postpartum depression or anxiety, feel disconnected from their baby or partner, or struggle with their changing identity and role. In individual therapy for fathers, we use the same depth-oriented, relational approach to explore these experiences.
For couples navigating postpartum challenges together, our clinicians help both partners understand the dynamics keeping them stuck. We work with you to improve communication, address underlying issues, and strengthen your relationship during this demanding time. Our therapists reflect back patterns they observe and help each partner understand where their reactions are coming from, creating space for empathy and connection even amid conflict.
Accessing Postpartum Therapy in California
Our group practice serves families throughout California through both in-person and telehealth sessions. We have a location near Napa, Lafayette, and Thousand Oaks, and offer secure video sessions for clients anywhere in the state.
Telehealth therapy can be particularly beneficial for new mothers, eliminating travel time and allowing you to attend sessions from home while your baby naps or a partner watches your child. Whether you prefer in-person or virtual sessions, our doctoral-level clinicians provide the same high-quality, specialized care.
We work with out-of-network benefits, which means you may be able to receive reimbursement from your insurance company for therapy services. During your consultation, we'll discuss fees and can provide information about how out-of-network benefits work.
Take the First Step Toward Support
If you're struggling during the postpartum period, reaching out for support is an act of courage and self-care. Many mothers hesitate because they're not sure if therapy is the right fit or if their struggles warrant professional help. The free consultation we offer provides a no-pressure opportunity to explore whether our approach feels right for you.
You can share what you're experiencing, ask questions about how therapy works, and get a sense of whether our clinicians seem like a good match for your needs. There's no obligation to continue after the consultation, and if our practice isn't the right fit, we'll help you find resources that might serve you better.
The postpartum period is temporary, but the patterns you establish and the healing you pursue during this time shape your experience of parenting for years to come. You don't have to navigate these challenges alone.
Ready to learn more about postpartum therapy at Thriving California? Schedule your free 20-minute consultation today to discuss how we can support you during this transformative time.
Located in:
Napa, CA
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Postpartum therapy addresses the unique challenges that arise during the transition to motherhood, including hormonal changes, identity shifts, relationship dynamics, birth experiences, and the demands of caring for a newborn. Our clinicians understand how these factors intersect and use depth-oriented approaches to explore not just your symptoms, but the deeper emotional landscape of becoming a mother. This specialized understanding allows us to address issues that general therapy might not fully recognize.
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You can begin postpartum therapy at any point during the first year after birth or beyond. You don't need to wait until you're in crisis or until your struggles reach a certain severity. If you're experiencing persistent difficult emotions, relationship challenges, or distress about your birth that interferes with your daily life or ability to enjoy motherhood, therapy can help. Many mothers wish they had reached out sooner.
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Yes, we welcome fathers and non-birthing partners who are struggling during the postpartum period. Partners can experience their own postpartum depression, anxiety, identity shifts, and adjustment challenges. We use the same depth-oriented, relational approach to support fathers and partners as they navigate this transition. We also offer couples therapy for partners working through postpartum challenges together.
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The duration of postpartum therapy varies depending on your individual needs and goals. For depth-oriented work focused on postpartum depression, anxiety, or relationship challenges, therapy is typically ongoing with weekly sessions. The flexible nature of our approach means we don't set predetermined endpoints but instead work with you as long as feels beneficial. For birth trauma specifically, treatment is time-limited and typically lasts three to six sessions for individuals or six to twelve sessions for couples.
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Your first session focuses on getting to know you and understanding your unique experience. We'll learn about your pregnancy, birth, current challenges, and what you're hoping to address in therapy. This session helps us assess whether our practice is a good fit for your needs and begins building the therapeutic relationship. You'll have plenty of opportunity to ask questions and share what feels most important to you.
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Yes, we offer secure telehealth sessions for clients throughout California. Virtual therapy can be especially helpful for new mothers because it eliminates travel time and allows you to attend sessions from home. Whether you choose in-person sessions near Napa, Lafayette, or Thousand Oaks, or prefer telehealth from anywhere in California, you'll receive the same high-quality care from our doctoral-level clinicians.
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We use psychodynamic and relational therapy approaches that explore the deeper roots of postpartum struggles. These methods help you understand how your personal history, childhood experiences, and relationship patterns influence your current experience of motherhood. For birth trauma, our Napa location offers specialized therapy using somatic resourcing and bilateral stimulation. We don't use approaches like CBT, DBT, or IFS for postpartum work, as we've found that depth-oriented methods create more lasting change.
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Individual postpartum therapy is focused on your personal experience and doesn't require partner involvement. However, if relationship challenges are part of what you're working on, we also offer couples therapy where both partners can address postpartum dynamics together. You can choose individual therapy, couples therapy, or both depending on what feels right for your situation.
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We work with out-of-network benefits, which means you may be able to receive reimbursement from your insurance company for therapy services. During your free consultation, we'll discuss fees and can provide information about how out-of-network benefits work. Many insurance plans offer some level of reimbursement for out-of-network mental health services, though coverage varies by plan.
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The best way to find out is to schedule a free 20-minute consultation. During this call, you can share what you're experiencing and learn about our approach to see if it resonates with you. We'll help you determine if our depth-oriented, relational therapy is a good match for your needs. If our practice isn't the right fit, we're happy to provide referrals to other resources that might serve you better.