Therapy for Working Mothers, Postpartum Anxiety & Depression
Support for Working Mothers, Postpartum Anxiety & Depression, Identity Changes & the Emotional Transition to Motherhood for Women in St. Louis, Missouri & Illinois.
Motherhood Changes You
Motherhood changes everything—including you.
Perhaps you imagined motherhood would feel natural, joyful, and fulfilling. Instead, you feel anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, or like you've somehow lost yourself along the way.
Maybe you love your child deeply but don't recognize the woman you've become.
Perhaps you're returning to work while carrying the invisible weight of motherhood, wondering how everyone else seems to manage what feels impossible.
Or maybe anxiety, sadness, intrusive thoughts, guilt, or anger have made this season feel far different than you expected.
You don't have to navigate this alone.
WhyWork With Joanna
At the heart of my work is the belief that motherhood deserves to change you—but it shouldn’t require you to lose yourself.
Motherhood is one of life's most profound emotional and psychological transitions.
It can bring joy alongside grief, confidence alongside uncertainty, and deep love alongside overwhelming responsibility.
They say it takes a village to raise a child. I believe mothers deserve a village, too. While therapy can't replace a community, it can become a place where you no longer have to carry everything alone—a place to slow down, feel understood, and reconnect with yourself as you navigate this season of life.
Common Challenges I Help Women Navigate
-
![]()
Postpartum Anxiety
Constant worry.
Racing thoughts.
Difficulty relaxing.
Feeling responsible for preventing something terrible from happening.
Always feeling "on."
-
![]()
Postpartum Depression
Feeling disconnected.
Persistent sadness.
Emotional numbness.
Loss of joy.
Wondering whether you're failing as a mother.
-
![]()
Working Mother Burnout
Trying to succeed at work while carrying the mental load at home.
Feeling like you're falling short everywhere.
Never feeling fully present.
Constant guilt.
-
![]()
Identity After Motherhood
Many women describe feeling like they have "lost themselves."
Not because they love motherhood any less.
But because so much of who they once were now feels difficult to find.
-
![]()
Mom Guilt
Whether you work outside the home or stay home with your children, guilt often follows.
You worry you aren't doing enough.
You compare yourself to other mothers.
You question every decision.
-
![]()
Relationship Changes After Baby
The transition to parenthood often changes relationships.
Communication becomes harder.
Resentment grows.
Intimacy changes.
You may feel more like roommates than partners.
Could It Be More Than Postpartum Anxiety?
Many new mothers experience racing thoughts and constant worry after having a baby. For some women, those thoughts become intrusive, unwanted, and incredibly distressing.
If you find yourself constantly seeking reassurance, avoiding certain situations, checking on your baby repeatedly, or feeling terrified by unwanted thoughts that don't reflect who you are, you may be experiencing postpartum OCD rather than postpartum anxiety alone.
Postpartum OCD is common, highly treatable, and often misunderstood.
As a therapist trained in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)—the gold-standard treatment for OCD, I help women understand the difference and receive treatment tailored to their specific symptoms.
Motherhood was never meant to be carried alone.
For generations, mothers were supported by families, neighbors, and communities who shared both the practical and emotional work of raising children. Today, many women find themselves carrying that weight with far less support while feeling pressure to do it all.
Therapy cannot replace a village—but it can become an important part of yours.
It can be a place where you no longer have to hold everything together. A place where you don't have to minimize your anxiety, hide your sadness, or pretend you're enjoying every moment of motherhood.
Whether you're navigating postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, OCD, intrusive thoughts, the transition back to work, relationship changes, or simply wondering why you no longer feel like yourself, our work together will focus on helping you understand your experience with greater compassion rather than criticism.
How Therapy Can Help
Together, we'll work toward:
finding relief from postpartum anxiety and depression
reducing the grip of guilt, perfectionism, and self-criticism
making sense of intrusive thoughts or OCD without fear or shame
navigating the transition into motherhood and returning to work
strengthening communication and connection in your relationships
reconnecting with your identity beyond the roles you carry
developing greater emotional flexibility and self-compassion
Motherhood changes your life.
It shouldn't require you to lose yourself.
Common Questions About Motherhood & Postpartum Mental Health
-
Yes. Many working mothers feel pulled in multiple directions while trying to meet the demands of work, parenting, relationships, and everyday life.
Feeling overwhelmed doesn't mean you're failing—it means you're carrying a tremendous amount.
-
Many working mothers feel pulled between the demands of work and family, leaving them feeling like they're never doing enough in either role.
Therapy can help you understand where that guilt comes from, challenge unrealistic expectations, and develop a more compassionate relationship with yourself.
-
Many women feel caught between competing expectations.
Therapy can help you understand the unrealistic standards you've internalized while developing a more balanced and compassionate perspective.
-
There isn't a perfect balance, and trying to achieve one often contributes to burnout.
Therapy can help you better understand the pressures you're carrying, set healthier boundaries, and create a more sustainable way of balancing work, motherhood, and your own well-being.
-
Yes. Therapy can help you better understand the emotional weight of constantly managing your family's needs, set healthier boundaries, and develop more sustainable ways of caring for both yourself and those you love.
-
Returning to work often brings conflicting emotions, including guilt, grief, and self-doubt.
Therapy provides a space to process these feelings, challenge unrealistic expectations, and navigate this transition with greater confidence and self-compassion.
-
Becoming a mother changes more than your daily routine—it often changes your identity. Many women become so focused on caring for everyone else that they lose touch with their own needs, interests, and sense of self.
Therapy can help you reconnect with who you are, not just as a mother, but as a whole person.
-
Yes. The transition to parenthood often changes communication, emotional connection, and relationship dynamics.
Therapy can help you better understand these changes, strengthen communication, and build a more connected relationship with your partner.
REASONS TO BOOK
REASONS TO BOOK
You’re drawn to therapy that goes beyond symptom relief—a space with a curious, reflective, and empathetic therapist who helps you uncover the unconscious origins of your thoughts, feelings, and relational patterns, and understand how they continue to shape your present experience.
CLINICALLY TRAINED
DEEP, INSIGHT-ORIENTED APPROACH
Therapy can be challenging work, and having a skilled, clinically trained therapist by your side makes all the difference. After transforming my own career from attorney to therapist, I completed several years of advanced clinical training at both the St. Louis and Chicago Psychoanalytic Institutes. This depth of training allows me to look beyond symptoms alone, helping you understand the underlying patterns that keep you feeling stuck.
WARM AND APPROACHABLE
Starting therapy can feel vulnerable. My goal is to make the process feel approachable by creating a space where you feel comfortable being yourself, asking difficult questions, and exploring what matters most to you.
