Perinatal Therapy in Chicago, Illinois
Perinatal Therapy
The perinatal season can be long, nonlinear, and emotionally complex.
Too often, the hardest parts go unseen. You do not have to figure this out alone.
Even if your experience looks different than you imagined, it is real and worth care. Therapy can help whether you are:
-
Facing Fertility Struggles or Medical Complexity
You may be navigating IVF, fertility treatments, pregnancy loss, or reproductive grief. You might be mourning something that never had the chance to begin or bracing for another cycle without knowing what comes next.
This is a space to process grief, fear, and exhaustion without having to minimize what you are carrying.
-
Overwhelmed During Pregnancy
You are pregnant, but instead of feeling connected or excited, you feel anxious, numb, or detached. You may be questioning whether you feel ready or grieving who you were before everything changed.
Perinatal therapy offers support for the emotional complexity of pregnancy, including ambivalence, fear, and identity shifts.
-
Trying to Make Sense of Postpartum Shifts
You thought this season would feel different. Instead, you feel overwhelmed by pressure, intrusive thoughts, or the constant sense that you are not doing enough.
Therapy helps you slow down, understand what is happening beneath the surface, and reduce the shame that often keeps people silent during postpartum adjustment.
-
Not Feeling Like Yourself Anymore
You are functioning, but emotionally something feels off. You may feel exhausted, withdrawn, or constantly on edge. You keep wondering whether this is normal, but you are not sure where to bring the question.
Perinatal therapy helps you reconnect with yourself without dismissing or pathologizing your experience
What This Therapy Looks Like
This is not just about managing symptoms or checking in on mood. It is about understanding how grief, fear, perfectionism, and identity shifts are showing up and learning to respond with more care and clarity.
Together, we may explore:
The pressure to do everything without asking for help
Why it feels difficult to trust others with your baby or your experience
The grief of what has changed, even when the change was wanted
Relationship dynamics under stress and how to reconnect
How guilt, resentment, or numbness may be protective responses
You do not have to sort this out alone or pretend you are fine because your baby is.
Meet our perinatal therapists
Mollie Bass, LMFT, PMH-C
Mollie is certified in Perinatal Mental Health. Her work is relational, trauma-informed, and grounded in respect for the emotional weight of this season.
She provides therapy for:
Individuals navigating pregnancy, postpartum adjustment, infertility, IVF, loss, or identity shifts
Couples experiencing emotional disconnection, mismatched experiences of the perinatal period, or strain related to new parenthood
Clients of all backgrounds, including LGBTQIA+ individuals and non-traditional family structures
Emily Buettner, LMFT
Emily is currently working toward her PMH-C. She helps clients navigate the emotional and relational changes that can come with pregnancy and parenthood.
She provides therapy for:
Individuals navigating pregnancy, postpartum adjustment, or the transition into parenthood
Couples experiencing relationship stress, changing family roles, or disconnection during major life transitions
Clients exploring anxiety, perfectionism, family-of-origin dynamics, grief, or identity shifts
McKenna Carmen, MFT
McKenna has a particular interest in reproductive and family life transitions, including helping people understand how changes in family life can affect identity, relationships, and their connection to themselves.
She provides therapy for:
Individuals navigating infertility, postpartum changes, new parenthood, or family life transitions
Couples adjusting to changes in roles, communication, intimacy, and connection
Clients experiencing grief, identity shifts, relationship stress, or complicated emotions during major life transitions
You Do Not Need to Be at a Breaking Point
You don’t need to be at a breaking point to reach out.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, misunderstood, or just not like yourself… therapy can help you slow down and make meaning of what you’re carrying.
Together, we’ll explore what support could look like for you right now.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Perinatal therapy supports individuals and couples through the emotional, physical, and psychological challenges of preconception, pregnancy, and the postpartum period. This includes, but is not limited to, postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety, fertility challenges, grief and loss, adjustment to parenthood, identity shifts, relationship changes, and emotional overwhelm.
-
No. Perinatal therapy includes fertility struggles, pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and identity changes connected to parenthood.
-
Yes. Perinatal therapy can support couples navigating emotional disconnection, differing experiences of pregnancy or postpartum life, and relationship strain during this season.
-
Yes. We provide virtual perinatal therapy throughout Illinois.
-
No. Many clients seek support without a diagnosis. Therapy is available whether you are feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure what you are experiencing.