Parenthood & Perinatal Support
When parenting doesn’t feel the way you thought it would.
Just the ongoing, exhausting work of doing everything — and wondering where you went in the process.
When Parenthood Feels Heavier Than You Expected
You can love your child and still feel completely overwhelmed. You can be grateful for your family and still feel like you’ve lost yourself in the process. You can love your partner and still feel unsure about starting a family.
At Hearten Therapy, we offer perinatal and parenthood support for people navigating the emotional weight of caregiving, identity shifts, and mental load. Whether you’re adjusting to life after birth, struggling to decide if parenthood is for you, or feeling the slow burn of decision fatigue—this is a space to be seen, not judged.
We provide virtual therapy across Illinois for new and experienced parents—including those navigating fertility, adoption, or questioning becoming a parent—with inclusive care that sees the full picture and supports what you’re really going through.
What We Help With
Parenthood can sometimes feel more like crisis management than connection.
You’re “on” all the time. Scanning for what might go wrong. Holding everything together. Wondering if you're doing enough—even when you're doing everything.
We help clients navigate:
Postpartum anxiety and high-functioning hypervigilance
Intrusive thoughts, fear-based decision making, and emotional overload
Mental load and emotional labor that make it hard to rest
Guilt around asking for help or needing space
Identity loss after becoming a parent
Relationship strain related to caregiving roles and expectations
Ambivalence about becoming a parent
Parenting with a partner who isn’t aligned
Fertility challenges, grief around parenting, or nontraditional family paths
At Hearten Therapy, we offer therapy for parents that meets you in the middle of the chaos—when caregiving feels relentless, identity feels blurry, and rest feels out of reach. Even if no one else sees the cracks, we’re here for what it’s costing you to hold it all together.
How Therapy Helps
This isn’t checklist therapy. It’s space to say what you’re actually feeling—and hear it reflected back without shame.
We help you:
Validate what’s real – Yes, it has a name. Postpartum anxiety, caregiver burnout, and identity loss are real—and you don’t have to pretend they’re not.
Untangle fear from truth – We help you notice the patterns that keep you stuck in overfunctioning or shutdown, and gently shift them.
Reclaim your voice – Whether that means communicating your needs, redefining your role, or simply asking for help without guilt.
Redistribute the mental and emotional labor – So you can stop doing everything before anyone even notices.
Because you shouldn’t have to carry all of this—and process it alone.
Who We Work With
We work with adults across Illinois who are looking for:
Parents of all genders, roles, and family structures
LGBTQ+ and BIPOC parents seeking culturally responsive care
New parents navigating postpartum mental health concerns
Stay-at-home parents, working caregivers, and those trying to do both
Individuals exploring parenthood, ambivalence, or fertility challenges
Couples in which one partner wants kids and the other isn’t sure
At Hearten, therapy for parents—and those considering parenthood—is relational, inclusive, and attuned to the emotional weight that caregiving can carry.
Virtual therapy available throughout Illinois — because you deserve space to process what this season is asking of you.