Pregnancy & Postpartum Therapy in California

Online Pregnancy & Postpartum Therapy in California

You thought this would feel different. You read all the books. Took the classes. You prepared as much as you could and have worked so hard to do this “right.” But it’s so much harder than you ever expected.

Maybe you can’t stop checking on your baby.
Maybe you’re having scary or intrusive thoughts.
Maybe your mind jumps to worst-case scenarios all day.
Maybe you're crying more than you expected, or you’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, irritable, numb, or unlike yourself.
Maybe you're constantly Googling, researching, tracking, or second-guessing your decisions in a desperate effort to feel more certain, calm, or “in control.”

And when people tell you everything is okay (or even when you know it yourself), your body doesn’t believe it.

If any of this sounds familiar, you don’t have to carry it alone.

At Palmetto Psychology Clinic, we provide specialized online therapy for pregnancy and postpartum mental health concerns across California.

Whether you're experiencing anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, overwhelming stress, identity changes, relationship challenges, or simply feeling unlike yourself, we're here to help.

Our goal is to help you feel more grounded, supported, present, and confident in this season of life—so you're not just getting through it, but actually enjoying it.

We’ve helped hundreds of California moms through this transition.
If this resonates, you’re not alone, and we can help.

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Common Challenges During Pregnancy & Postpartum

It doesn’t always look obvious from the outside.

Many women who are struggling are highly functioning, responsible, and "on top of things," so from the outside, they may look like they're thriving. But internally, it can feel exhausting. You might:

  • Constantly overthink or replay your decisions

  • Feel unable to relax, even when you finally have a moment to yourself

  • Wake up with a racing heart or knot in your stomach

  • Spiral with "what if" thoughts throughout the day

  • Feel emotionally overwhelmed by things that never used to bother you

  • Experience scary, intrusive, or unwanted thoughts

  • Feel disconnected from yourself, your baby, your partner, or the pregnancy

  • Struggle with guilt, shame, or the feeling that you're not doing enough

  • Feel irritable, short-tempered, or unlike yourself

  • Obsessively research, track, plan, or seek reassurance

  • Struggle to trust yourself or your decisions

  • Feel sad, numb, anxious, overwhelmed, or all of the above

Why Pregnancy and Postpartum Can Feel So Overwhelming

Pregnancy and early motherhood come with enormous shifts in responsibility, identity, hormones, relationships, sleep, and routine. Even when a baby is deeply wanted and loved, these changes can feel overwhelming. And often, it doesn't look the way people expect it to look.

Many women don’t seek support because they assume:

  • "I'm just a stressed mom."

  • "Everyone struggles like this."

  • "I should be able to handle this."

  • “This is just part of becoming a parent."

While pregnancy and postpartum are challenging seasons, living in a constant state of anxiety, overwhelm, sadness, guilt, numbness, or emotional exhaustion isn't something you have to keep pushing through alone.

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Our approach is warm, collaborative, and tailored to your unique experience. We know how vulnerable it can feel to ask for help, especially during a season when it seems like everyone expects you to be happy and grateful all the time.

We also know that healing is possible with the right support.

By the end of therapy, our clients often tell us they feel more grounded, more confident, and more connected to themselves, their relationships, and their lives. Instead of spending their days stuck in survival mode, they feel more present, more resilient, and more able to engage with the moments that matter most.

How Therapy Can Help

Pregnancy and postpartum therapy isn't about telling you to "just relax," "be grateful," or "enjoy every moment."

At Palmetto, we help you understand what you're experiencing, why it's happening, and what can help you feel more like yourself again. We combine evidence-based approaches with compassionate support to help you navigate this season with more confidence and ease.

In therapy, we may work on:

  • Understanding your emotions, thoughts, and patterns

  • Managing anxiety, depression, overwhelm, or intrusive thoughts

  • Processing a difficult pregnancy, birth, postpartum experience, or fertility journey

  • Navigating identity changes and the transition to parenthood

  • Reducing guilt, perfectionism, and self-criticism

  • Learning how to tolerate uncertainty and let go of impossible expectations

  • Managing stress and the mental load

  • Strengthening relationships and communication

  • Rebuilding trust in yourself and your decisions

  • Creating more space for rest, connection, joy, and the parts of yourself that may feel lost right now

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FAQs About Pregnancy & Postpartum Mental Health

  • While you can’t fully prevent PPD or PPA, you can build protective factors.

    Therapy with us during pregnancy can be a powerful way to set realistic expectations, ensure support, and gain tools for managing anxiety.

    We can help you prepare emotionally for postpartum and equip you with the skills we know will support you through the challenges of the transition to motherhood.

  • Not necessarily, though it may mean you’re at a higher risk. The good news is that with the right support and early intervention, many women have a very different experience in subsequent pregnancies. We’d love to support you!

  • Pregnancy and postpartum involve massive hormonal, physical, and identity shifts. This version of your life is fundamentally different than before, in mind, body, and spirit.

    This makes feeling disconnected from yourself incredibly common, and it’ssomething we can work through together by clarifying your values, stripping away the external noise, and using self-compassion to help you meet yourself where you’re at through this stage of becoming.

  • Fear around childbirth is more common than people talk about. In therapy, we can help you process your fears, talk through ways to feel more in control (like how to advocate for yourself, be flexible with your plan, and clarify your boundaries), and approach birth with greater confidence.

  • Pregnancy can bring a level of anxiety that feels surprising, even if you’ve never struggled with anxiety before.

    Hormonal changes, increased responsibility, and the uncertainty of what’s ahead can all amplify worry. Many women find their minds constantly scanning for what could go wrong.

    This is so common, and something therapy at Palmetto can help you better understand and manage.

  • When you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and carrying the mental load of caring for a baby, your nervous system can feel constantly on edge. Anger is often a signal that something deeper needs support, like unmet needs, anxiety, or burnout.

    We can help you get to the root postpartum rage and irritability so it stops interfering with your decisions and relationships.

  • Yes. You can deeply love your baby and still feel overwhelmed, stretched thin, or even regretful. These feelings can coexist, and they don’t mean you made the wrong choice or that something is wrong with you.

  • Because it is different! Your identity, your routines, your relationships, your body, and your sense of time and freedom all shift in a relatively short period. Feeling disoriented or like you’re still adjusting is incredibly common during this season. We can help you accept these shifts and find realistic ways to reintegrate parts of your pre-baby life so that things starts to feel a little more familiar.

  • So many capable, loving mothers have this thought, especially in moments of overwhelm. It’s often a reflection of how hard this transition is, not a reflection of your ability (or desire) to be a good parent.

  • Motherhood often comes with intense internal pressure to “do everything right.” That can lead to constant second-guessing and guilt, even when you’re doing more than enough. Learning how to relate differently to that guilt is a big part of the work we do in therapy.

  • It’s completely normal to feel excited and worried, especially about how having another baby will impact your relationship with your older children.

    Therapy can help you process those fears, set realistic expectations, and feel more emotionally prepared for the transition.

Other questions? Schedule a free consultation to chat live.

FAQs About Therapy at Palmetto

  • Therapy at Palmetto is a collaborative, supportive process.

    Whether you’re seeking help for postpartum anxiety, depression, or challenges in motherhood, we’ll start by getting to know you — your story, your goals, and what feels most important to you right now — to create a therapy plan tailored to your specific circumstances.

    Over time, therapy will help you feel calmer, more grounded, and more connected to yourself and those around you.

    For more about our approach, visit our services page.

  • Finding the right therapist is key to feeling supported and understood.

    During your free consultation, we’ll learn more about what you’re looking for and match you with a clinician who specializes in your specific concerns — whether that’s pregnancy and postpartum mental health, fertility challenges, anxiety, or trauma.

    If it’s not the perfect fit, we’ll help connect you with someone who is.

  • Yes. We exclusively offer telehealth sessions for clients throughout California. Many clients — especially new and expecting moms — appreciate the flexibility of virtual sessions. You can access the same high-quality, evidence-based care from the comfort of your home, at a time that works for you.

  • Yes! We love seeing your little ones and you are welcome to cuddle, nurse, or contact nap with them during your sessions. To maintain your privacy and to ensure you get the most out of therapy, verbal toddlers and older children should not be in the room with you during therapy.

  • Our session fees vary depending on the clinician and type of service. Fees reflect the expertise of our highly specialized doctoral-level psychologists. Rates fall within the typical range for private practice therapy in the Bay Area.

    We also offer lower-fee services with our student therapist.

    We’re happy to discuss your needs and share more about costs during your free consultation.

  • We are an out-of-network therapy practice, which means we do not bill insurance directly.

    Many of our clients receive partial reimbursement from their insurance company for therapy sessions. We provide monthly superbills to make the process simple.

    We recommend checking with your insurance provider about your out-of-network mental health benefits.

    Standard Notice: “Right to Receive a Good Faith Estimate of Expected Charges” Under the No Surprises Act

    You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost.
    For more information visit CMS.gov.

  • It’s a little different from client to client depending on needs, scheduling, and budget. We generally recommend that all clients start with us on a weekly basis.

    After making some initial progress, some clients will move to a biweekly cadence. As you approach graduation from therapy, you and your provider may elect to space sessions out to meet monthly or on an as-needed basis.

    You and your provider will work together to create a custom treatment plan tailored to your goals and needs.

  • It depends on your goals. Some clients come for short-term therapy to manage postpartum adjustment or anxiety, while others continue longer-term to work through patterns that have built up over time.

    You and your therapist will collaborate to find a pace and approach that feels right for you and regularly check in about your progress.

  • That’s completely normal. Many clients start therapy uncertain about what they need — they just know something isn’t working.

    You don’t need to have the perfect words or plan to begin. Our therapists are here to meet you where you are and help you find clarity, confidence, and relief.

    If you’re unsure, book a free consultation so we can make recommendations and help you decide whether therapy is the right fit — no strings attached.

  • We offer a free consultation to help you explore whether therapy at Palmetto Psychology Clinic feels like the right fit.

    You can schedule directly through our website, email us at hello@palmettopsychology.com, call us, or send us a text at (628) 285-1745 — we’ll take care of the rest.

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Our Team

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

If you’re here, something in you is ready for support.

We offer online therapy for pregnancy and postpartum mental health across California, including the Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Marin), Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego — and we’d be honored to help you feel more like yourself again.

Start with a free consultation so we can get to know and you match you with the right therapist for your needs.

Book an intro call