Clinicians are Shoreacres Therapy treat a range of psychological concerns that can occur during pregnancy and the first year postpartum, including anxiety, distressing thoughts, low, agitated mood, and more. We assess and treat the following mental health conditions:

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

• Major depressive disorder (MDD)

• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Panic disorder

We recognize that it can be difficult to access childcare.

Babies are welcome during online appointments. Mothers often have their baby monitor with them during their appointment with baby sleeping in another room, or bring baby onto the video call. Telephone appointments are also available.

You are welcome to bring your baby to your in-person appointment in Burlington, ON. The room where we will meet has space for baby to either be held by you, or stay in their carseat/stroller, or sitting on the floor on a blanket with you.

Clinicians are Shoreacres Therapy help women who have experienced a traumatic birth using gold standard treatment for trauma, including cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure (PE). We define birth trauma as any experience that occurred during childbirth that felt traumatic to you.

Many new moms think they are not unwell enough to need support. As if you somehow wouldn’t qualify, or someone else may need it more. There is also a huge amount of stigma around mothers needing mental health support, and fear of providers thinking you are not a good mother, which can be barriers that prevent mothers from seeking support.

While it’s true that all new mothers experience fatigue, increased irritability and stress, and changes in weight and mood, and that these changes interfere with the way life once was, you may benefit from therapy if:

• Your symptoms are in excess of what most new mothers experience

• Your symptoms are very different from how you usually are

• Your symptoms persist even when things may improve with your baby (e.g., your baby is sleeping but you are still unable to sleep).

  It can be hard to know whether your symptoms are “worse” than normal or average, especially if you are a first time mother. Trust your gut, and get a professional opinion on how you are feeling by booking a free consult or first intake appointment with us.

If you feel mostly well, but some days feel like more of a struggle, or if you have waves of sadness that come and go, or you feel more agitated and angry than usual and are unsure why, it is worth having an expert assess your symptoms to help determine whether therapy could be helpful.

Research estimates upwards of 90% of new mothers experience “scary thoughts” at some point postpartum. If your thoughts scare you (i.e., feel inconsistent with who you are), then the thoughts are most likely part of an anxiety response. The most common types of scary thoughts include:

• Thoughts of suffocation or SIDS

• Thoughts of accidents

• Ideas or urges of intentional harm

• Thoughts of losing the baby

• Illness

• Unacceptable sexual thoughts

• Contamination

Our clinicians are trained to listen to and assess your thoughts.

Believe it or not, we are less concerned about the content of your thoughts, and are instead more focused on helping reduce the distress these thoughts cause you.

Therapy can help you learn to feel less afraid of the intrusive thoughts, and focus your time and energy on connecting with your baby.

We have heard it all in terms of the kinds of scary thoughts women can have during pregnancy and postpartum, and we recognize disclosing these types of thoughts to a professional can feel intimidating.

We are here to support you.

Society tells you you’re supposed to be the “rock” for your partner, and shouldn’t you be able to keep it all together since you weren’t the one who gave birth to the baby? And yet, research finds that non-gestational parents (e.g., fathers) are just as much at risk for feeling down, depressed, or anxious as gestational parents. There can be stigma associated with admitting you are struggling. Regardless of your role, we can help you make sense of what you are feeling and support you in the adjustment to parenthood.

No, you may self-refer for our services. Your family doctor/OBGYN/midwife/doula may also choose to complete our Referral Form and fax it to us.

We never want finances to be a barrier to new parents getting help. Complete our contact form and mention you are seeking low-fee services, and we will connect you with someone from our team who can help.

It can be helpful for women struggling during pregnancy or postpartum to have others closest to them know about what is going on. As a Psychologist, I find it helpful to speak to someone close to you to get a better understanding of their concerns based on what they have observed about you. I also find it helpful to be able to speak to someone close to you, ideally someone living with you, to provide education about what it is you are experiencing and tailored strategies for how this individual can best support you at home (and not make things worse).

Because of these reasons, I often offer to speak to someone close to you over the phone as part of treatment.