Perinatal Mental Health Support
"We’re constantly being bombarded by problems that we face and sometimes we can get completely overwhelmed. But we should always feel like a hummingbird. I may feel insignificant, but ... I’ll be a hummingbird, I’ll do the best I can."
Wangari Maathai
You Are Not Alone, Even When It Feels That Way
Trying to conceive, being pregnant, giving birth, and caring for a newborn are full of ups and downs. If you feel anxious, depleted, sad, numb, overwhelmed or not like yourself at any point along the way, it can be hard to admit, even to the people closest to you.
Perinatal mental health covers the full range of emotional experiences that can happen during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. That includes anxiety, depression, grief, birth trauma, and the complex feelings that come with a NICU stay or an unexpected diagnosis.
These experiences are more common than most people realize. And they are treatable.
What is Perinatal Mental Health?
Perinatal mental health is about how you feel emotionally during pregnancy and in the years after birth. It includes conditions such as:
Perinatal anxiety – ongoing worry, fear, or panic during conception, fertility treatment, pregnancy, or after birth
Perinatal depression – sadness, emptiness, feeling disconnected, or irritability that feels out of character and does not go away
Birth trauma – frightening or traumatic experiences during labor, delivery, or right after birth
NICU-related stress and PTSD – the fear, helplessness, and grief that can come after a premature birth or medical emergency
Pregnancy loss grief – the grief of miscarriage, stillbirth, or termination for medical reasons, often carried in silence
Adjustment difficulties – struggling to find your footing as a new parent
If you are experiencing any of these, what you are feeling is real. It is not a sign that you are a poor parent or that something is permanently wrong with you.
What makes Dr. Armer Different?
Dr. Armer holds the Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C), a specialized credential for providers with advanced training in perinatal mental health. Not all mental health providers hold this certification.
Her understanding also goes beyond her credentials.
Dr. Armer navigated pregnancy and early parenting while completing her doctoral degree, managing the demands of graduate training alongside the realities of becoming a parent. She has lived through a NICU hospitalization with her own child and spent years parenting a child with complex medical needs and severe disabilities, alongside that child’s siblings. She knows what it means to love deeply while running on empty. She knows what it feels like when the experience of parenting looks nothing like what you expected.
That lived experience shapes every session. Not as a script. As real understanding.
Who Is This Support For?
Brightways Psychology supports individuals across the full reproductive and perinatal journey, including:
While trying to conceive
Difficulty conceiving, pregnancy loss, and fertility treatment can bring a unique kind of grief and anxiety that is often invisible to people outside that experience. The physical toll of fertility treatment, including the pain and hormonal mood changes that come with injections, adds another layer that is rarely talked about. Each appointment, each result, each cycle can carry enormous emotional weight. Support during this time can help you cope with uncertainty and process loss without losing yourself in the process.
During pregnancy
Anxiety about birth, previous pregnancy loss, a complicated pregnancy, or becoming a parent can make this time feel more frightening than joyful. Therapy during pregnancy is not just appropriate, it is often the most effective time to build the tools you will need after your baby arrives.
After Birth
Whether your birth went as planned or not, the postpartum period can bring feelings that are hard to name and even harder to share. Depression, anxiety, and birth trauma do not follow a schedule. You do not have to be newly postpartum to deserve support.
After a NICU stay
A NICU hospitalization can leave parents with PTSD, anxiety, grief, and a deep sense of isolation. Watching your newborn fight to survive, while managing your own physical recovery, is one of the most stressful things a family can go through. The emotions that follow deserve real, specialized support.
After pregnancy loss
Miscarriage, stillbirth, and termination for medical reasons are losses that are often grieved in silence. The loss is real. It does not matter how early it happened or what anyone else says. Therapy can help you grieve fully without having to minimize what you went through.
Partners and fathers
Perinatal mental health struggles are not limited to the birthing parent. Partners experience anxiety, depression, and birth trauma too, and are often the least likely to seek support. This practice welcomes partners and fathers.
How treatment works
Dr. Armer uses proven approaches based on your specific needs, including:
Accelerated Resolution Therapy® (ART) for birth trauma, NICU-related PTSD, and pregnancy loss. ART can help resolve trauma in as few as 1 to 6 sessions. You do not have to describe your experience in detail. It is available virtually and in person.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for perinatal anxiety and depression. It helps you identify and change thought patterns that are keeping you stuck.
Mindfulness-based coping and stress reduction to help manage anxiety, build present-moment coping skills, and create space amid uncertainty.
Supportive therapy for adjustment, grief, and the hard emotions that come with conception, pregnancy, and parenting under circumstances you did not choose. It helps create a safe space to share the things that feel too heavy, too complicated, or too hard to say out loud to the people closest to you.
Every approach is tailored to where you are right now, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Sessions are 50 minutes for standard psychotherapy ($250) and up to 90 minutes for Accelerated Resolution Therapy ($450). A free 15-minute phone call is available to discuss your needs before your first appointment.
Serving California Families
Virtual therapy is available to anyone in California. In-person appointments are available in Palo Alto on Thursdays at 220 California Ave, Suite 120D.
You do not need to be in the San Francisco Bay Area to work with Brightways Psychology.
FAQs
Most frequent questions and answers about Perinatal Mental Health Support
[For general practice questions see our Services FAQ section. For getting started, see our Home Page FAQ section]
Is perinatal mental health therapy only for mothers?
No. Partners, fathers, and other caregivers experience perinatal mental health challenges too. Dr. Armer welcomes anyone affected by the perinatal period.
How soon after birth can I start therapy?
There is no waiting period. You can begin therapy at any point during pregnancy or after birth, whether your baby is one week old or two years old. Perinatal mental health challenges do not have an expiration date.
Do I need a diagnosis to start therapy?
No. Many people who benefit most from perinatal mental health support do not have a formal diagnosis. If you are struggling, that is enough reason to reach out.
Can I do therapy virtually while caring for a newborn or infant?
Yes. Virtual sessions on Mondays are designed to be accessible from wherever you are. You do not need childcare to attend a session, although a quiet space helps.
What if I had a traumatic birth but it was a long time ago?
Birth trauma does not have an expiration date. Many people seek support years after a traumatic birth, often when a new pregnancy or life change brings it back up. ART is effective for trauma regardless of when it happened.
Will my insurance cover perinatal mental health therapy?
Brightways Psychology is out of network with all insurance providers. If you have a PPO plan with out-of-network behavioral health coverage, a superbill will be provided for reimbursement. CPT codes are 90791 for the first session and 90834 or 90837 for ongoing sessions.
How is Dr. Armer different from other therapists who treat postpartum mood and anxiety difficulties?
Dr. Armer holds two specialized certifications: a Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) and a Master Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) Practitioner certification. The PMH-C reflects advanced training in supporting individuals through the emotional challenges of pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. ART is a trauma-focused treatment that can resolve distressing experiences in as few as 1 to 6 sessions without requiring clients to describe what happened in detail.
She also has lived experience as a parent that includes NICU hospitalization and parenting a child with complex medical needs. She has a genuine understanding of what it means to navigate the perinatal period and the challenges of caregiving.
Take the First Step
A free 15-minute phone consultation is the easiest way to find out if Brightways Psychology is the right fit. There is no paperwork, no commitment, and no pressure.
Erin Armer, PhD (PSY31832) is a licensed clinical psychologist and certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C) at Brightways Psychology in Palo Alto, California. Virtual therapy is available statewide across California.