Perinatal Therapy
an expressive approach for pregnancy through parenthood
helping you navigate the overwhelm of parenthood so you can reconnect to your Self
I get it. Our society emphasizes the beautiful parts about motherhood and tends to leave out the rest, so you weren’t prepared for the journey to be this hard. At times, you feel like you are meeting the edges of yourself, wondering if you will make it out of the darkness. In our modern world, the transition into motherhood can feel deeply isolating and disorienting. It can leave you feeling out of touch with the essence of yourself and surprised by the parts of yourself that have come to the surface.
Bringing a new baby in to your world, whether you are a new or seasoned parent, is one of life’s most profound human experiences. Yet, modern mothers are often lacking the “village” it takes to raise a family and expected to “do it all” with less support. It is no wonder that as many as 1 in 5 mothers experience symptoms of depression and anxiety in the postpartum period. Listen, Mama: You are not alone. We are not meant to mother alone. I believe that with support, you can find your way back home to yourself.
Perinatal Art Therapy is a mind, body and soul approach to navigating the many phases of parenthood. Art naturally engages our whole being, which can allow us to slow down and tune into the essence of ourselves. Through therapeutic art-making, I will help you acknowledge the root of your emotions, decrease the intense stress you are experiencing, and reconnect with wise part of your Self so that you can start to feel like you again.
“Images are the midwives between experience and language. The miracle of image making is that… it helps birth a story that holds countless memories and emotions.”
— Cathy Malchiodi, Art Therapist
Hi, Mama.
I’m Leanne.
I’m a Mama, Art Therapist and a Nurturer of the Mother. I’m trained in Perinatal Mental Health, and I specialize in working with mothers who feel overwhelmed with the emotional demands of parenthood. Through therapeutic art-making, I’ll guide you to regulate your emotions, reconnect with the essence of you, heal from old wounds, and get back to feeling like yourself again. She’s still in there, I promise.
My Style:
My approach to counseling is warm, grounded & relational. I believe that the therapeutic relationship is the most important piece of our work together. My hope is for you to feel safe and held in therapy with me; this allows for deep healing to transpire.
My approach to Perinatal Art Therapy is attachment-based; it means that when appropriate, therapeutic art-making is used to explore childhood relationship patterns with clients. The goal of this type of therapy is to identify needs that were not met during childhood and learn to re-parent yourself in present moments where your emotional needs are lacking.
Working with relationship patterns can include using art materials to: identify emotions, develop self-awareness, build connection or transform negative childhood experiences. During a typical Art Therapy session, you can expect a blend of deep discussion, mindfulness exercises and art-making. I integrate Art Therapy techniques with mindfulness and spirituality, which can include the use of breathwork, intuition, energy awareness, spiritual card decks or astrology.
How It Works:
plant the seed
Click the “book now” button below. Then fill out the form to schedule a free clarity call. In this call, I will ask you why you are seeking therapy, and I will answer any questions you have about counseling sessions with me.
grow roots
If we decide on the clarity call that we are a good fit to work together, we’ll schedule an intake session. Before we meet, I will have you review my practice documents and provide some information about yourself to help us get started.
blossom
We will meet for our intake session where I will get to know more about you and your goals for counseling. Then, we will set up regular 50-minute sessions. I recommend scheduling weekly or bi-weekly meetings to create momentum for healing.