How does a therapist help with anxiety?

In our work together, we'll use evidence-based approaches like IFS or EMDR to help you understand and gently ease your anxiety. During therapy sessions, we'll focus on building coping skills, practicing simple relaxation techniques, and creating strategies that fit your life. We don't prescribe medication, but if medication management feels helpful, we can collaborate with a psychiatrist or another mental health provider to support your treatment plan.

When should I see a therapist for anxiety?

If worry, panic, or stress is making it hard to focus at work, get restful sleep, or feel connected in your relationships, it may be time to reach out for support. Conditions like social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder can feel overwhelming, but they're also treatable with the right care. In therapy, we'll create a plan that gives you coping strategies and tools to help you feel more steady, calm, and grounded in your everyday life.

Will therapy help me overcome anxiety completely?

Therapy may not take away every stress in life, but it can help you manage anxiety so it no longer feels like it's running the show. In our sessions, we'll focus on building coping skills, strengthening your confidence, and finding practical ways to help you feel calmer, more present, and more in control of your life.

What type of therapist is best for anxiety disorders?

The best therapist for anxiety is someone who understands how it shows up in both your mind and body, and who uses evidence-based approaches to help treat it. As licensed therapists, we draw from methods like IFS and EMDR, both proven ways to reduce anxiety and strengthen coping skills. What matters most, though, is that you feel safe, supported, and truly heard in our sessions.

How long will I need anxiety therapy?

There's no set timeline for treating anxiety, because each person's story is different. Some people notice changes after just a few therapy sessions, while others choose to continue longer to work through deeper patterns or co-occurring challenges like anxiety and depression. We'll move at a pace that feels right for you and create a treatment plan that supports lasting healing rather than a quick fix.

How do I know if therapy is working?

You'll usually start to notice small but meaningful shifts — maybe feeling calmer in situations that once overwhelmed you, sleeping more soundly, or second-guessing yourself less. Progress doesn't always mean anxiety disappears, but therapy may help you manage anxiety so it no longer feels like it's in control. Together, we'll check in on your goals and adjust the treatment plan so you can see and feel the changes that matter most to you.

How much do sessions cost?

Session fees vary based on your clinician. Carli's fee is $200. Elaine's fee is $250. We will meet weekly for the first month and then decide if we want to continue meeting weekly or shift to every other week, if clinically appropriate. Payment can be made via cash, check, or card (including HSA). While I do not accept insurance, I can provide a superbill (receipt), which you can submit to your insurance for potential reimbursement if you'd like.

ONLINE & IN-PERSON IN AZ

Postpartum Depression Therapist in Phoenix, AZ

You love your baby. And you're still struggling. Both of those things can be true at the same time.

Let’s hop on a quick 15-minute call to talk about your goals, answer your questions, and see if working together feels right.

Schedule a Consultation

Ready to talk? Call or text at: 520-660-3914

Could What You're Feeling Be More Than the Baby Blues?

The baby blues are real. Tearfulness, mood swings, and feeling overwhelmed in the first two weeks after delivery are incredibly common and usually lift on their own. But when the sadness doesn't go away, when it deepens, or settles in, or starts to feel like the new normal, what you're experiencing may be postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression is one of the most common complications of childbirth. And yet so many new moms suffer in silence, convinced that what they're feeling is a personal failing rather than a medical reality. It isn't. PPD is a perinatal mood disorder driven by hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, identity shifts, and the enormous weight of caring for a new baby. It can also occur during pregnancy, not just after. And it is highly treatable.

And it's not only mothers. Fathers and birthing partners can experience postpartum depression, too. Research suggests that up to 1 in 10 new dads develop PPD in the first year of their baby's life, often going unrecognized because nobody thinks to ask. If you're a partner who is struggling, you are just as welcome here.

The most common symptoms of postpartum depression show up in ways like:

Persistent sadness or feelings of emptiness that don't lift
Loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy
Difficulty bonding with your baby, which can feel frightening and shameful
Intense fear, restlessness, or a sense of dread you can't shake
Intrusive thoughts that scare you
Feelings of helplessness or worthlessness as a mother
Changes in sleep that go beyond what a new baby causes
Withdrawing from your partner, family, or friends
Feeling like your baby or your family would be better off without you

Working with a Compassionate Postpartum Depression Therapist in Phoenix, AZ, Can Help.

If any of these feel familiar, please know this: you are not a bad parent. You are a parent who is struggling with a real mental health condition that responds well to the right support. And seeking help is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself and for your baby.

We want you to know that postpartum depression is not a life sentence. With the right support, most new moms and dads experience meaningful relief, often sooner than they expect. What makes the difference is care that goes beyond surface-level symptom management to understand what's actually driving your PPD and address it at the root.

Our Approach To Postpartum Depression Counseling

Our approach is trauma-informed from your very first session. We don't arrive with a generic treatment plan. We arrive curious about your specific story: your pregnancy, your birth experience, your history, and what's happening in your nervous system right now. From there, we build a treatment plan around you.

Here's what therapy for postpartum depression can actually give you:

A safe space where you can say the things you haven't been able to say out loud yet
Real clarity on what's driving your PPD and a treatment plan built around that, not a generic protocol
Relief from birth trauma and intrusive thoughts through Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), one of the most effective evidence-based treatments for perinatal distress
Practical coping strategies to manage the hard days while we do the deeper work together
A slowly returning sense of yourself: your energy, your joy, your identity beyond new motherhood
A stronger, more present bond with your baby as the weight of PPD begins to lift

We draw from EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), always tailored to what feels right for you. Our therapists hold the PMH-C (Perinatal Mental Health Certified) credential, the gold standard for therapists treating perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. That specialist training shapes everything about how we work with postpartum depression.

You won't feel like this forever.

We're here to help you find your way back.

Schedule A Free consult

FAQS

Common questions about postpartum depression support

Yes. Postpartum depression is highly treatable, and most new moms and dads experience meaningful relief with the right combination of therapy and support. At Third Place Therapy, we use evidence-based approaches to address what's driving your PPD, not just manage the symptoms on the surface.
We don’t prescribe medication, but if medication management feels helpful, we can collaborate with a psychiatrist or another mental health provider to support your treatment plan.
The best postpartum therapy is the one that fits your specific experience. For many parents, trauma-informed approaches like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) are particularly effective, especially when PPD is connected to birth trauma or earlier life experiences. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can also help with building coping strategies day to day. We'll work with you to find the right fit.
Yes. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be particularly effective for postpartum depression that is connected to birth trauma, a difficult pregnancy experience, or earlier life events that have been reactivated by becoming a parent. EMDR works by helping your nervous system process distressing memories that are keeping you stuck, so they lose their hold.
Yes. Perinatal depression can occur during pregnancy as well as after delivery. Prenatal depression is part of the same perinatal mood and anxiety disorder spectrum and deserves just as much support. You don't need to wait until after your baby arrives to seek help. In fact, addressing depression during pregnancy can make a significant difference for both your well-being and your baby's.
Every person's experience of PPD is different, and so is the timeline for healing. Some clients notice meaningful shifts within a few months. Others choose to continue longer to work through underlying patterns that have been activated by the transition to parenthood. We work at your pace, reassess your goals regularly, and never push you toward a finish line that doesn't feel right for you.
Yes. We offer telehealth postpartum depression counseling across all of Arizona. Online therapy is available for all of our postpartum support services, and for many new parents, it's the most practical option. Getting to an in-office appointment while caring for a new baby is its own stressor. Online sessions let you access the support you need from wherever feels most comfortable and safe.