WHO WE ARE
OUR SERVICES
For some, the pregnancy or delivery was not as expected; for others, the path to becoming pregnant was not as “easy” as Mean Girls or middle school health made it sound. For some, they spent a small fortune to bring a child into their home; for others, the day-to-day of being a mom is so different than you anticipated.
The reality of bringing a child into your home is just one piece and part of the parenting journey.
In my (Kim) own experience, even after taking courses and reading books, I didn’t realize how hard experiencing postpartum would be as I navigated getting to know myself again, my constantly changing body, getting to know my husband as a dad, and getting to know my brand-new baby who needed me for everything when he was first born.
As I entered motherhood myself, I realized just how complicated its beauty and grit, its emotions and grievances can be.
MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH
Becoming a mom can be a dream and desire from early in life. What we don’t realize early in life is that the path to become a mom isn’t always as seamless as it seems. For some, the path to motherhood involves years of longing, difficulty getting pregnant, losing pregnancies, receiving diagnoses like “unexplained infertility,” and pursuing adoption.
All ways and paths of becoming a parent are unique and worth naming their own privileges and pain points.
One thing many of us know in our hearts is that when we do anything for the first time, we don’t usually feel like we are any good at it. It's hard to feel like you are good at being a new parent- when you are sleep deprived, trying to find time to keep yourself and your house clean, and feed yourself. That's a recipe for so many negative messages to creep in regarding worth, expertise, and identity.
I’ve always been passionate about getting to know moms and their kids but becoming a parent myself opened my eyes up to the world in an even greater way.
"You can make it, but it's easier if you don’t do it alone.”
-Betty Ford
What does counseling for maternal mental health look like at Steady Hope?
Our goal at Steady Hope Counseling is to support women at all different stages of the dream to be moms.
We desire to create safe spaces to share about exploring your desire to become a mother, fertility experiences, pregnancy, and beyond.
We desire to hold space to name realities around motherhood that are often not talked about. For example, the loneliness and isolation that may be felt in those early weeks of knowing you are pregnant or the fear that may be felt at any stage of pregnancy.
Our Decatur team of therapists works with women:
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Who may find themselves identifying as the 1 out of 7 who meet the criteria for perinatal mood and anxiety disorder.
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Who aren't experiencing symptoms classified as diagnosable “postpartum anxiety or depression” but who want to have a safe space to talk about how massive the transition to motherhood is!
Topics that we may discuss in perinatal therapy:
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The dream and desire to become a mom
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The path and story that is yours as you pursue becoming a mom
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The myth of “super mom”
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Expectations
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New identity
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Pressures
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Mom guilt
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Personality traits and how they can show up in parenting/how we view our parenting experience
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Recovery
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Messages about your body
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Identity of being a feeding source or decisions around feeding
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Mamahood in our modern world full of Google, Instagramers, and all the experts
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Parenting
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Loads in motherhood
Our goals include helping you identify support systems by building your “village,” offering communication tips and tools, and naming and holding space for expectations and realities of being a mom.
Whatever your journey has been, experience hope for maternal mental health with counseling for women in Decatur, Ga.
Our team of therapists would love to connect with you to hear about your own story surrounding a desire to be a mom, questions regarding if you want to be a mom, or your experience of becoming a mom. Contact us to set up a free 15-minute consultation about maternal therapy today.
