Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy
Fertility & Perinatal Mental Health Therapy
Compassionate therapy tailored to help you navigate the emotional complexities, cultivate resilience, and embrace the everyday joys and trials during this transformative time.
Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy
Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy
Born of the desire to help overwhelmed individuals prioritize their mental wellness. Providing online psychotherapy for adults & couples in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Navigate challenges with a guide you can trust
Confidently step into your new identity as a parent
Develop your parenting style that aligns with your values
“I thought this was supposed to feel natural.”
You’ve waited so long to be a parent, but why does it feel so hard?
The pressure to have all the answers and the fear of doing something wrong can make those early days of parenthood incredibly overwhelming.
We get it and we're here to help you through it at any stage of parenting.
Fertility & Perinatal Therapy In Washington DC, Maryland, & Virginia
How Do I Know If Fertility & Perinatal Mental Health Therapy Is Right For Me?
Becoming a parent is one of the most joyful and exhausting experiences, with moments of pure happiness and times when you feel completely overwhelmed. The exhilaration of growing your family may be overshadowed by previous losses, medical trauma, or grieving the loss of your own identity. Hormonal changes, environmental factors, and the profound life shift that come with welcoming a new baby can impact your mental health, and it’s okay to feel like you’re figuring it out as you go.
At Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy, we offer you tools and strategies to cope with the emotional roller coaster, helping you navigate through the highs and lows with resilience and a trusted guide. Using a variety of therapeutic approaches, we meet you where you are and develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
When you’re anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed as a new or hopeful parent, it can feel like you’re the only one to feel this way. Perinatal mental health therapy is a safe space for you to slow down, focus on yourself, and get the support you need to manage and enjoy this season of life.
Therapy can help when you are:
- Overwhelmed
- Discouraged from fertility struggles
- Feeling lonely or disconnected
- Experiencing grief and loss
- Facing frequent sadness
- Disconnected from your baby
- Navigating an unplanned or unexpected pregnancy journey
- Exhausted or irritable from lack of sleep
- Grieving parts of your previous identity
- Afraid of hurting your baby or yourself
Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy
7 Ways Fertility & Perinatal Mental Health Therapy Can Help
Perinatal therapy can help you:
Know That You Are A Good Parent
You are a good parent, but we understand that it doesn’t always feel that way. Parenthood is complex. It demands all of our emotional and physical attention while pulling at threads of relational dynamics we may have experienced as a child. In Perinatal Therapy, we help you identify and lean into your strengths, helping you build confidence in your parenting abilities. By addressing self-doubt and guilt, therapy empowers you to feel more assured in your role as a parent.
Get The Emotional Support You Need
We offer a safe space for you to recover and express your emotions, fears, and frustrations related to infertility, pregnancy, and parenthood. Our therapists provide validation, empathy, and coping strategies tailored to your needs, helping you navigate through feelings of sadness, anxiety, or overwhelm and give you strategies to care for your emotional well-being. We also provide you with needed psychoeducation about what changes are happening in your body and how that affects your emotions.
Enjoy Your Pregnancy And Baby
When the transition to parenthood is different than you expected, making you feel disconnected from yourself, your loved ones, and your baby, it can be overwhelming. In therapy, we help you work through these feelings so you can fully enjoy being pregnant or having a baby; finding moments of peace and joy amidst the chaos, and allowing yourself to cherish the special milestones and create lasting memories with your family and support system.
Find Footing In Your New Identity
You’re not lost, but you are in a new stage of life. The lack of sleep, showers, and time to yourself when you have a new baby can leave you wondering where you lost yourself along the way. Our therapists help you welcome who you are becoming as a new parent. By addressing the emotional and psychological changes that come with pregnancy and parenthood, therapy supports you in finding balance and identifying your sense of self as a parent (of one child, two, three, or more!).
Feel Connected to Your Baby
f you don’t feel immediately connected to your baby after birth, you’re not alone. It’s a process, and in therapy, we come alongside to help you navigate this season. Whether you’re feeling disconnected or struggling to form a strong attachment, therapy provides guidance and support to foster a nurturing and loving relationship with your child.
Confidently Feed Your Baby
Whether breastfeeding, formula feeding, or a combination of both, therapy can help you navigate the overwhelm of feeding your baby. By addressing anxieties and providing practical advice (while helping you ignore “well-meaning” advice from the people around you), therapy supports you in making feeding a more positive and less stressful experience.
Process an Unexpected Pregnancy Journey
Navigating an unexpected pregnancy or a pregnancy that didn’t meet your expectations can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve experienced previous losses, a challenging pregnancy, or a traumatic birth. It can be difficult to connect with your baby without first processing those past experiences. Your feelings are real and valid, and you don’t have to face them alone. Our compassionate therapists provide a safe space to process your emotions, heal from past traumas, and build a meaningful connection with your baby.
Your free 20 minute consultation is waiting for you!
Book online or contact us.
About Us
Why Work With
Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy
We believe that everyone deserves to find some calm amidst life’s challenges.
When you’re struggling with holding it all together, prioritizing everyone else’s needs over your own, or just trying to understand how to make life a little easier, it can be hard to know what you need or where to start. There are so many competing priorities that you feel overwhelmed and alone in a life that isn’t giving you enough connection, acknowledgement, or ease. We want to help you create a life that feels balanced, successful, and aligned with your core values.
At Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy, our clinicians help you align your behaviors and decisions with your core values. You’ll have a greater sense of confidence and greater sense of ease moving through your day.
Our goal is for you to leave therapy feeling greater mental clarity to make deliberate decisions that bring happiness to your life.
With over 40 years of combined experience, our therapy practice was built on the philosophy that no one should have to go through the hardships of life alone and that with the right help, you can quiet the chaos of day-to-day life, prioritize your mental health, and live a life with greater ease and satisfaction. We see clients in person at our Vienna, VA office in Fairfax County and virtually throughout Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Christina Moynihan
MSW, LICSW
Psychotherapist & Founder
Our practice is committed to:
Compassion
We genuinely care about your mental wellness and aim to help you improve your life and relationships through compassionate care.
Inclusion
We create a welcoming and inclusive environment where you feel heard, understood, and respected, allowing you to fully participate in your journey.
Sincerity
We are committed to creating a safe space where you can openly express your true feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and joys, and where you can expect your provider to be genuine, honest, and truthful.
Enthusiasm
We approach your mental wellness journey with genuine excitement and passion, fuelled by the belief in your potential for growth and transformation.
Empowerment
We see your strength and resilience and empower you to take action that focuses on reaching your goals and living a life you love.
Our Team
Match With a Fertility & Perinatal Mental Health Therapist
Meet our team of psychologists and psychotherapists, and find the right fit for you. We have team members licensed in multiple jurisdictions including Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Our APPROACH
How Fertility & Perinatal Mental Health Therapy Works
1
We understand your story
We take the time to understand your unique journey into parenthood. Your experiences and feelings are an important part of your story, and we honor them as we begin our work together.
2
We identify where you want to be
Together, we explore your hopes and goals as a new parent, find balance in your new life, and manage emotions effectively by aligning actions with values. Our goal is to support you in finding a path that feels true to you and your family.
3
We support you along the way
We work with you to find clarity and navigate the complexities of parenthood. Therapy is a collaborative process, and we’re here to support you every step of the way, empowering you to embrace this new chapter with confidence and compassion.
Taking care of others begins with taking care of yourself.
Questions About Fertility & Perinatal Mental Health Therapy
When should I consider fertility or perinatal therapy?
We welcome men and women at all stages of their pregnancy journey. We understand that there are many complicated aspects of each person’s experience with pregnancy, and your mental wellness along this journey matters.
If your baby was born more than two weeks ago, but you still find yourself crying most days, avoiding making eye contact with your baby, experiencing “scary” thoughts that you could never share with anyone, or doubting whether or not you should be parenting this baby, therapy could be beneficial. Seeking support if you’re struggling with these feelings is a sign of strength, and therapy can provide a safe space to explore and address your emotions, learn coping strategies, and receive the support you need to navigate the challenges of parenthood.
Will you take my baby away?
What if you think I am crazy?
Is perinatal therapy only for women?
How long does perinatal therapy last, and how often are sessions scheduled?
How can therapy help me with infertility?
Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy
How To Get Started
Whether you prefer meeting in person at our Vienna, VA office in Fairfax County or connecting virtually from home, getting started is simple. Book your session online, complete your intake forms electronically, and you are on your way.
Schedule your intake appointment or a free 20-minute consultation! You can book online using the button below, submit a message via our contact form, or call us. Free consultations are optional.
Have questions? Call 571-771-1989 and you can speak to one of our administrative staff. They are happy to help answer any questions or match you with a therapist.
Send Us A Message!
Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy
The Relief Perinatal Mental Health Therapy Can Bring
We recognize that the timeline for everyone’s treatment outcomes are unique and may shift along with the circumstances life presents to you. Many people experience some symptom relief in just a few sessions, but depending on your treatment goals, you may consider a longer commitment to the therapeutic process. We encourage you to come as you are, stay as long as you need, and leave when you’re ready.
Over time, you may notice relief and improvements such as:
- Relief from overthinking
- A better understanding of what to expect from your pregnant body, baby, infant, or toddler
- Being better able to recognize and cope with the anxiety, sadness, and worry as they arise
- More confidence in your role as a parent
- Redefining yourself in this new stage of life
- Being able to enjoy moments with your new family more often
- Feeling equipped with tools to help you get through the day
Online perinatal therapy in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia
Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy
You deserve to feel your best as you navigate this journey. We can help.