Why I Offer Postpartum Support and Couples Therapy, Postpartum
Traditionally, postpartum is seen as a time that is challenging for the mother and the mother alone. This is far from the truth. The postpartum period is a time that can be challenging for the birth mother, father and other family members, such as other siblings.
The impact of bringing another child into the world impacts everyone in the family. From the mother-in-law, to the father, to the sibling, in some way, each member is impacted. For this reason, I offer couples therapy in Miami, couples therapy online as well as family therapy in Miami or family therapy online. As a couples therapist and a family therapist, I have a background and extensive training in understanding the impact a new baby has on a marriage, a relationship and a family. Couples therapy and Marriage counseling can effective at helping couples that feel like they have lost their connection with each other, they are feeling distant, or angry at their partner. Some other reasons why I offer therapy and counseling for the whole family include:
Dads Get Postpartum Depression and Mood Disorders Too
We often think that women, moms, are the only ones who get postpartum depression or the baby blues. This is not true. It is believed that around 1 in 10 fathers will get postpartum depression and there is a 50% chance that if the mother has postpartum depression that the Dad will too. It is for this reason, that I always discuss the couple’s relationship when I am working with the client. It is important to know what is happening in the relationship, the marriage, to understand the full picture. If possible, I invite the partner of the client to a session to understand their perspective and understanding. A couples counseling session can always be helpful to the goals and treatment of therapy, though it is not essential to success.
Parenting is Hard and Couples Counseling Can Help you Navigate Postpartum and Parenting
Especially now as we venture through the pandemic, being a new Mom, and Dad, is hard. We don’t have the community and support that we would normally, leaving us feeling isolated and alone as new parents. Often as new parents we are sleep-deprived, drained, overwhelmed with all the changes postpartum, including hormonal changes. This has a huge impact on our family and our relationship with our partner. If we have older children in the house and we are struggling postpartum, this can lead to the older child acting out or increasing troubling behavior. For our partner, they might feel left out, like they don’t know how to help or if they are the person you channel you anger and frustration to. A family is a system, and one part of the system changes with the introduction of a new baby, the whole family has to shift and adjust to change.
Having a New Baby Impacts a Marriage and Relationship
Research shows that the year after having your first baby is the most challenging for couples, with couple satisfaction decreasing the most in that first year postpartum. So much has changed. You go from it just being you and your partner, having time and energy to dedicate towards each other, to exhaustion, mood changes and constant focus on a baby. Sometimes couples don’t realize the impact a baby has had on their relationship until they are in a crisis. It doesn’t have to get that bad in order for you to reach our for extra support. There are things that you can do, conversations that can be had, that can really help and support the strength of the marriage and relationship.
Is Couples Therapy Postpartum Right for Me?
You might not be ready to start couples’ therapy yet. Maybe, you know you are feeling anxious and overwhelmed but not sure what your partner is feeling. Maybe you had you first child a year ago, and have just now realized, as you adjust to the changes of being a new Mom, that your relationship isn’t where you want it to be. If you are curious about how we might be able to help you in couples’ therapy, or in individual therapy of moms or moms postpartum please reach out. We offer a free 20 minute consultation where we can chat and answer any questions you might have about counseling.
Couples Therapy Miami and Online Couples Therapy in Florida
We offer couples therapy in Miami, marriage counseling miami and online therapy in Florida. Our physical office is located near Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, Brickell and is a short drive from Midtown, Design District and Miami Beach. We offer online therapy and online counseling for people wishing to participate in therapy from the comfort of their home.
To begin marriage counseling in Miami or online therapy in Florida, please follow these steps:
Contact our Miami therapist, April Brown, LMFT
Request an initial consultation appointment with a therapist who specializes in marriage counseling,
Find more connected in your relationship with the support of your couples therapist
Other Therapy Services Offered at The Heard Counseling:
The Heard Counseling and April Brown, LMFT offers counseling in Miami and counseling online in Florida to couples, individuals and teens at our therapy center based in Miami, Florida. In addition to offering marriage counseling in Miami and couples counseling in Miami, their couples therapist in Miami offer birth trauma therapy, anxiety therapy, therapy for dads, therapy for moms in Miami and Florida, infertility counseling and support, therapy for women and families who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss, and counseling for teens in Miami. Check out their blog for information on therapy and mental health . Contact their counseling office to begin therapy.