Maternal Mental Health
Whether you’re trying to concieve, pregnant or a new mom, Ali can give you the skills and tools you need to support your mental health.
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Online Mental Health Counseling for Illinois Moms and Moms-to-Be
Motherhood can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. But, struggling to conceive can put significant stress on your mental health and family relationships. Pregnancy and childbirth also present challenges for moms and couples. And the struggle doesn’t always end there. Settling into new roles and a new family dynamic can put additional pressure on maternal mental health.
Please know that you are not alone. Help is available! For more than a decade, Ali has helped women who are struggling with mental health issues related to infertility, pregnancy and motherhood. She specializes in and is passionate about helping women with perinatal mood and anxiety concerns. If you’re struggling with postpartum anxiety, depression or intrusive thoughts, or experiencing identity and transitional challenges, Ali can help.
In addition to her professional experience, Ali offers a unique perspective and understanding to her clients. Ali and her partner spent many years trying to conceive and going through fertility treatment. After several years of failed IUI and IVF transfers, Ali was finally able to carry a pregnancy to term successfully. However, after her son was born, he spent time in the NICU. As a result, Ali experienced and worked through postpartum anxiety. If her story resonates with you, she might be the therapist for you. She gets it!
While many women experience some mild mood changes during pregnancy or after the birth of a child, 15 to 20% of women experience more significant symptoms of depression or anxiety.
Anxiety & Depression Association of America
Types of Maternal Mental Health Support Available at Barnum Counseling
Counseling for Women Trying to Conceive
Looking forward to being a mom? It’s certainly an exciting time in your life. However, it’s common for conception, pregnancy and motherhood to take a toll on your emotional and mental health. Don’t wait to get the help you deserve!
Ali can help you to prepare and thrive. She has more than a decade of experience helping women build and maintain strong mental and emotional health. She supports women with:
Preparing for pregnancy
Recovering from pregnancy loss
Managing the roller coaster of fertility treatment
Considering other options for conception
Managing depression and anxiety caused by fertility issues
Having struggled to conceive herself, Ali can empathize with your concerns. She’ll help you find coping strategies you need to maintain and improve maternal mental health throughout the process.
Prenatal Counseling and Therapy
Pregnancy is an emotion-filled experience. If you struggled to conceive, you’re probably relieved and excited that you are pregnant! On the other hand, it’s common for many pregnant women to ALSO feel anxious and stressed about maintaining a healthy pregnancy. And, contemplating the responsibilities of parenthood is overwhelming to many women and couples. Ali can help!
Ali has advanced training in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders from Postpartum Support International. That means she’s uniquely equipped to help with maternal mental health issues like:
Anxiety and depression
Exhaustion not relieved by rest
Feelings of guilt or worry
Out of the ordinary emotional reactivity
You are not alone. Contact Ali today for prenatal support. You and your baby deserve it!
Postpartum Therapeutic Support
Most women experience unfamiliar emotions after giving birth. Crying and feeling overwhelmed with motherhood are common. This experience, often called the “baby blues,” effects up to 80% of new moms. However, if you’re still feeling this way more than two weeks after giving birth, it may be postpartum depression or anxiety. Are you experiencing any of these feelings?
Sad, depressed, anxious or panicky
Irrational or intrusive thoughts
Difficulty bonding with your baby
Feeling “out of control” or like you’re “out of your mind”
Worry that you might hurt your baby or yourself
Ali’s advanced training in perinatal mental health and eleven years of experience in offering therapeutic support to moms enables her to identify and treat these symptoms and more. All of Ali’s sessions take place online, in a secure Telehealth environment. You don’t have to leave home or find childcare to get the support that you deserve!
Therapy for Pregnancy Loss and Birth Trauma
Pregnancy loss and traumatic birthing experiences are some of the most painful things a woman and couple can endure. Have you or your partner experienced tragic loss or a frightening birth experience? Talking with a licensed therapist like Ali Barnum can help you begin to heal. At Barnum Counseling, you can find support navigating areas like the following:
Gently processing and working through the traumatic event
Reducing flashbacks and nightmares
Safely moving through the stages of grief
Finding peace and acceptance
Moving forward with additional family planning or trying to conceive again
Ali Barnum’s personal and professional experience make her uniquely qualified to help you heal from the grief that accompanies pregnancy loss or traumatic birth.
Take the first step toward maternal mental wellness by contacting Ali today. Remember, you’re not alone!
Couples Counseling for Parents and Parents-to-Be
Conceiving a child is the first step in the beautiful and complicated journey of parenthood. Sometimes fertility issues can delay that journey. Fertility issues can also put stress and strain on a relationship that can be difficult to overcome without professional guidance.
Are you expecting? Or, are you a new parent? If you or your partner are struggling with excessive worry, overwhelming sadness, or paranoia, you could benefit from professional support. Additionally, the pressures and anxiety that come from parenthood can create tension between partners. You may find that your relationship is suffering due to this change in your lives.
Have you felt or noticed any of these in your relationship?
A change in your ability to communicate effectively
One or both partners feeling neglected
Uncertainty or concern about your abilities as a parent
Feelings of guilt or worry
Feeling unsupported or alone
Find support individually and as a couple with therapy from Barnum Counseling. Ali will provide you with the tools and skills you need to succeed as a family!
You birthed a baby, and you birthed yourself into a new phase of life. There is no more pronounced shift in body, mind, and spirit than becoming a mother.
Kimberly Ann Johnson
Barnum Counseling is in network with most major insurance companies. If you would like to know if your insurance covers maternal mental health counseling, please contact Ali.
Don’t struggle alone with maternal mental health issues.
Contact Ali today to get the support you need!
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