Postpartum Therapist in Vermont

Postpartum Therapy

The First Year

A postpartum therapist in Vermont for new parents who feel like something is off and can't put a name to it. I'm Amber, LCMHC, PMH-C. I see clients in person in Richmond and online anywhere in the state.

"Something feels off and I don't know why"

That's the sentence I hear most often. You have the baby you wanted. People keep telling you how happy you must be. And you're anxious all the time, or flat, or angry at your partner, or crying in the car, and none of it matches what you thought this would feel like. You're not sure if this is normal, or how long it's supposed to last, or whether you're allowed to ask for help when nothing is technically wrong.

Baby blues, postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression

The baby blues are the tearful, overwhelmed, up-and-down feeling most new parents get in the first couple of weeks. It usually lifts on its own as sleep and hormones settle.

Postpartum anxiety is when the worry doesn't settle. Constant checking on the baby, racing thoughts, trouble sleeping even when the baby sleeps, a sense that something terrible is about to happen.

Postpartum depression is heavier and lasts longer. Numbness, hopelessness, not wanting to be around the baby or anyone else, guilt about all of it.

You don't have to sort out which one you have before you call. That's part of what we do together. If you're having thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby, call or text 988 now, or go to the nearest emergency room.

Working Together

What therapy looks like

We start with what's happening in your days and nights, not with a worksheet. I work from a trauma-focused lens because for a lot of women, becoming a parent brings up things from their own childhood they thought were finished. I'm trained in EMDR, which can help with a hard birth or an older experience the birth stirred up. Mostly, though, we slow down, name what's going on, and build a way through it that fits your brain and your household.

If part of what's hard is family, meaning your parents or your partner's parents and the boundaries around visits and advice, that's work I do a lot of.

In person in Richmond, online across Vermont

I'm at The Village Collective in Richmond one day a week. The rest of the week I see clients by video, which for most new parents is the only realistic option.

When to reach out

If it's been more than a couple of weeks and you don't feel like yourself. If your partner or a friend has said they're worried. If you've been thinking about looking for help for a while and keep not doing it. Any of those is enough.

Getting started

We begin with a free 15-minute video call to see if we're a fit. From there I send intake paperwork through a simple portal and we book a first session.

Ready to talk?

Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consult

Or call (802) 276-1030.