Nobody said becoming a parent was easy, but we can help you navigate this hard transition to being parents successfully. Our team of psychotherapists specialize in supporting the entire family as your new addition leads to shifting relationships.
As you make room for your new addition, we understand the joy, stresses and general sense of feeling overwhelmed that go along with becoming parents. Whether you are looking for guidance on your own, or as a couple or family, we are here to help you to a loving, fulfilling start.
Services
Individual Psychotherapy
Our individual psychotherapy for pregnant and postpartum women helps women with mood and anxiety disorders. We also work with women experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which may be the result of a past trauma re-triggered by pregnancy, giving birth or breastfeeding.
Our team believes in holistic care for pregnant and postpartum women, and we regularly collaborate with other providers in the community, such as lactation consultants, birth and postpartum doulas, physical therapists and reproductive psychiatrists.
Additionally, we provide individual psychotherapy for men with mood and anxiety disorders or PTSD during the pregnancy and postpartum period. We recognize that the mental health of new fathers is also vulnerable during this transition, and that men have a unique set of stressors in the journey to parenthood.
Men commonly face increased financial pressures in the family, new or re-triggered feelings of helplessness (especially if your partner struggles with a postpartum mood or anxiety disorder) and feelings of jealousy or being left out of the mother-infant relationship.
We believe in the importance of both parents to their children, and see that the transition to parenthood can trigger strong emotions. Learn to embrace this time as an opportunity to re-work past experiences, explore and clarify values and integrate your new identity as a mother or father into a fuller sense of self.
Couples Psychotherapy
We provide couples psychotherapy at all points along the journey to becoming parents, regardless of your path – pregnancy, surrogacy or adoption.
We have specialized training in therapy for the couple's relationship, and in supporting couples with the challenges they face in the transition to parenthood, including: unexpected disagreements or problems communicating, grief and loss issues related to pregnancy loss, and sadness and frustration around infertility.
The couple's relationship sets the foundation for the new family and deserves to be a priority for care and nurturing. New research supports that the more safe and connected a couple feels in their relationship, the more resilient each partner will be in coping with life challenges including parenthood.
Family Psychotherapy
Our family psychotherapy supports all family relationships: the parent-infant bond, new sibling relationships, relationships with in-laws and grandparents. We understand that the most stressful times in a family are when members are being added or lost. At the same time, our relationships with each other serve as the most important source of resilience and healing.
We have specialized training in parent-infant attachment and helping parents learn to understand their baby's non-verbal messages. Of course, some babies are tougher to understand than others. In these cases, we support parents to learn and practice mindfulness skills to find their inner wisdom about how best to attune to their baby.
We also know and understand common family dynamics that arise during the transition to parenthood, including sibling rivalry with one or more older children, changing needs and boundaries with one's own parents, and negotiating the needs and expectations of new grandparents. Though these dynamics can be stressful, they present a wonderful opportunity to understand yourself and family members more deeply, and to find the courage and confidence to have authentic conversations that lead to greater intimacy and connection.
Group Psychotherapy
We offer various group psychotherapies that provide parents with emotional skills to support parent-infant attunement and bonding. Our treatment philosophy empowers parents to trust themselves and to know their baby so they can make decisions about what is best for their family. Additionally, our team specializes in providing a warm, safe atmosphere where parents can come together and learn, explore and clarify parenting values and identity.
Listen to our Podcasts
Our Transitions to Parenthood program director, Nikki Lively, interviews moms, dads and specialists about the postpartum life stage in "Let's Talk," The Family Institute's podcast series.
Becoming a Mother On Being a Father Becoming Us
Maternal Mental Health & Women of Color
Postpartum Depression Reproductive Psychiatry
CONTACT US
For questions about our services, requests for information, or to reach our Transitions to Parenthood program staff, please call 847-733-4300, ext. 716 or email Nikki Lively at nlively@family-institute.org.