To find a postpartum therapist, look for a licensed counselor who regularly works with
pregnancy and postpartum concerns, uses an approach with good evidence behind it, is
willing to coordinate with your OB or doctor, and offers sessions you can actually get
to with a new baby. A short consultation call is the fastest way to check all four.
If you are reading this at 3 a.m. between feeds, you do not need to research for days.
This guide keeps the decision simple.
When It Is Time to Look for Help
Many new mothers feel weepy or overwhelmed in the first week or two after birth. That
usually passes on its own. When low mood, worry or numbness lasts longer, gets
heavier, or makes daily life hard to manage, it is time to talk to someone.
The National Institute of Mental Health puts it plainly: **"Women with postpartum
depression generally will not feel better without treatment."** It also says that
"Perinatal depression can be treated"
(NIMH, Perinatal Depression).
The same is true for postpartum anxiety, which often shows up as constant worry,
checking on the baby, racing thoughts or trouble sleeping even when the baby sleeps.
If you are not sure which you are dealing with, our guides to
postpartum depression vs. baby blues and
postpartum anxiety can help you sort it out.
Look for Real Experience With Pregnancy and Postpartum
Postpartum struggles are shaped by things other clients do not face: broken sleep,
feeding, recovery from birth, changes in your relationship, and the pressure to feel
grateful all the time. A counselor who works with new mothers regularly will not be
surprised by any of it, including the thoughts you are afraid to say out loud.
Questions worth asking:
- How often do you work with pregnancy and postpartum concerns?
- Do you work with both postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety?
- Is it okay if I bring the baby to a session, or join by video?
- What do the first few sessions usually focus on?
Ask Which Approach They Use
NIMH notes that **"Evidence-based therapies for perinatal depression include
cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy."** Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy (CBT) helps you notice and change the anxious or self-critical thoughts that
feed postpartum depression and anxiety, and it gives you practical tools you can use
between feeds.
At our practice, postpartum counseling draws on
CBT, mindfulness-based work, and
person-centered therapy, which follows your lead. For mothers who want their faith
included, faith-based counseling is also available.
Not sure if this is the right fit? Start with a free consultation.
Make Sure They Work Alongside Your Doctor
Some mothers do best with counseling alone. Others do best with counseling plus
medication. Our counselors do not prescribe medication, so if that might help, your
counselor can work alongside your OB, midwife or primary care doctor, with your
permission. A good postpartum therapist sees themselves as part of your care team.
Choose Sessions That Fit Life With a Baby
The best therapist is one you can keep seeing. Ask about:
- Teletherapy. Video sessions from home are available anywhere in Texas, which
- helps in the weeks when getting out the door feels impossible.
- Scheduling. A regular weekly time makes progress steadier, and early sessions
- are often weekly.
- Cost and insurance. At our practice, insurance acceptance varies by clinician,
- so we confirm your options during the free consultation.
Postpartum Counseling in Humble and Atascocita
Krissy Cotten, MA, LPC, our director, works with women during pregnancy and after
birth, including postpartum anxiety counseling and
postpartum depression counseling. Sessions are at
our office on West Lake Houston Parkway in Humble, close to Atascocita, Kingwood and
the Lake Houston area, or by teletherapy.
A free 15-minute consultation is a low-pressure way to ask the questions above. Call
(832) 576-5538 when you are ready.
If You Need Help Now
If you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or thoughts of not wanting to
be here, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a
day. You can also call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at
1-833-852-6262. In an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency
room.
