Postpartum Depression Therapy in Chicago
Affirming care in an inclusive environment in Logan Square and Avondale for baby blues to depression and helping anyone thinking, “It’s not supposed to feel like this.”
WHAT HAVE WE DONE?!
The postpartum phase can be overwhelming; therapy can help!
Where to begin with the postpartum period? It can be a roller coaster: joy, tears, confusion, testing reflexes when the first blowout occurs. Adjustments abound. Relationships shift. Day becomes night, night becomes… a potentially anxiety-inducing time of feeding, not sleeping, and checking baby’s breathing. After the meal train ends, isolation and sadness can creep in.
Having a nonjudgmental therapy space to discuss all of these adjustments, feelings, and experiences can be incredibly supportive for both birthing and non-birthing partners.
Therapists at Common Thread Counseling Chicago can help differentiate between a typical baby blues experience and a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder, like depression, anxiety, or OCD.
Postpartum Depression vs. Baby Blues
Postpartum depression is a common disorder experienced up to a year after birth, though studies have shown it can surface years after.
You may have postpartum depression if you have:
intense feelings of sadness
despair
difficulty bonding with the baby
irritability
are withdrawing from friends and family
fatigue (beyond normal new parent fatigue)
Postpartum depression differs from baby blues in that it is a mood disorder that can start any time in the perinatal period and can last for months to years if left untreated.
Baby blues are related to the intense drop in hormones after birth, include oscillating mood swings, typically starting 2-3 days after birth, and last around two weeks.
Our Approach to Therapy for Postpartum Depression
Postpartum therapy can help both parents with mood changes, emotional regulation, and major adjustments.
We incorporate:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): to assist you with identifying and replacing negative thought patterns and behaviors
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT): tools to increase healthy communication and support within your relationships.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): increasing psychological flexibility and acceptance of difficult emotions, values clarification and what really matters to you
Postpartum counseling can assist with processing traumatic experiences using narrative therapy and strengths-based techniques.
We can also discuss the experience of matrescence and parenting challenges throughout the lifespan.
An important part of perinatal therapy can be medication management and being connected with the correct prescriber. If you would like, we can help connect you with a reproductive psychiatrist, who specifically works with people in the perinatal period.
