Beyond Diagnosis: A Non-Pathological Approach to Perinatal Mental Health
When Motherhood Feels Heavy—But You’re Told It Shouldn’t
Becoming a parent can bring deep joy—but it can also stir grief, rage, fear, and uncertainty. When those emotions surface, many birthing parents feel dismissed or judged. Too often, their pain is labeled as a “disorder” instead of being seen and understood.
In my work as a perinatal therapist in Washington State, I take a different approach—one that honors the emotional depth of your experience. My perspective is rooted in depth psychology and influenced by my graduate thesis, Hysteria: Archetype of the Pathologized Feminine, which explores how women’s suffering has been misunderstood and pathologized for centuries.
The Roots of Misunderstanding: Hysteria and the Feminine
The word hysteria comes from the Greek hystera, meaning uterus. For generations, women's emotions—especially when expressed in times of transition or trauma—were seen as irrational or dangerous. This idea has shaped modern mental health care, especially in how it treats women during the perinatal period.
Symptoms like anxiety, overwhelm, or postpartum rage are often treated as clinical problems to be fixed, rather than as messages asking to be heard.
A Different Way to Understand Your Experience
In my therapy practice, I don't see symptoms as something "wrong" with you. I see them as meaningful responses to:
The stress of becoming a parent in a culture that offers little support
The emotional aftermath of birth trauma, loss, or fertility struggles
The deep identity shifts that come with motherhood
Unprocessed experiences from your past that resurface now
Instead of rushing to a diagnosis, we slow down. We listen. We explore what your symptoms are trying to say.
What Non-Pathological Therapy Looks Like
Here’s what you can expect in our work together:
Compassionate support that honors your story, not just your symptoms
Tools for resilience, emotional regulation, and connection
A safe space to process trauma, grief, or identity changes
A blend of depth-oriented talk therapy and body-based methods like Lifespan Integration
Whether you’re struggling with postpartum depression, grieving a loss, or just feeling overwhelmed by the weight of it all, you are not broken. You’re human. And you deserve care.
Making Room for Your Whole Self
Therapy doesn’t have to mean something’s “wrong” with you. It can be a place to reconnect with yourself, make meaning of your experiences, and find solid ground as you move through this life-changing time.
You don’t need to fit into anyone else’s idea of what motherhood “should” look like. You just need a place to land and someone to help you feel seen.
If you’re seeking thoughtful, non-pathologizing perinatal support in Washington State, I invite you to reach out.
Sessions are available in-person in Woodinville or via secure telehealth across Washington.
