Postnatal Counselling In Vancouver, BC
Why Postnatal Counselling Matters
The period after giving birth can bring profound physical and emotional changes. While welcoming a new baby can be joyful, it can also feel overwhelming, isolating, and disorienting. Postnatal counselling provides essential mental health support during this vulnerable time, helping new mothers and parents process their experiences and care for their well-being.
Hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, recovery from childbirth, and shifts in identity and relationships can increase stress and place parents at greater risk for postpartum depression, anxiety disorders, and other perinatal mood concerns. Without support, these challenges can affect your emotional health, your relationship with your baby, and your overall quality of life.
Postnatal counselling offers a safe space to talk openly about your feelings, normalize your experience, and explore treatment options that support healing and long-term well-being.
Support for New Mothers and Parents After Birth
At Sana Counselling, we support new mothers, parents, and families as they adjust to life after childbirth. Whether you are navigating the first few days with a newborn baby, recovering physically from birth, or adapting to the emotional demands of parenthood, you don’t have to do it alone.
Our postnatal counselling services are designed to support women and parents experiencing mental health challenges related to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum life. We recognize that every person’s experience is different, from breastfeeding or formula feeding, to caring for a newborn baby, to managing family planning concerns or returning to daily life.
We provide compassionate counselling support that honours your lived experience and helps you find support within yourself, your relationships, and your community.
Signs You May Benefit From Postnatal Counselling
Many emotional shifts after childbirth are normal, especially in the first few weeks. However, if symptoms persist or worsen, postnatal counselling can help. You may benefit from counselling if you are:
Feeling persistently sad, overwhelmed, or emotionally numb
Experiencing anxiety, panic attacks, or intrusive thoughts
Struggling with postpartum depression or baby blues that don’t improve
Having difficulty bonding with your baby
Feeling intense guilt, shame, or fear as a parent
Experiencing severe symptoms such as thoughts of suicide or self-harm
Coping with stress related to a family member, relationship, or lack of support
Noticing emotional changes connected to hormonal changes or a family history of mental health conditions
If something doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts. You deserve care and support.
Common Postpartum Challenges We Help With
Postnatal counselling can help address a wide range of postpartum mental health challenges, including:
Postpartum depression and anxiety disorders
Perinatal mood changes following pregnancy and childbirth
Emotional distress related to giving birth or medical experiences
Stress related to breastfeeding, formula feeding, or feeding challenges
Sleep deprivation and difficulty getting enough rest
Physical and emotional recovery in the first few days and first few weeks
Relationship stress or changes within families
Adjusting to caring for a new baby or multiple children
Feeling isolated from community or support groups
Our counsellors help you develop coping tools, explore treatment options, and create space for healing and growth.
What to Expect in a Postnatal Counselling Session
Your first appointment is an opportunity to feel heard, understood, and supported. Postnatal counselling sessions take place in a safe, non-judgmental space where you can talk openly about your emotions, experiences, and concerns at your own pace.
Together, we’ll explore how your mental health has been affected by pregnancy, birth, and postpartum life. Sessions may focus on emotional regulation, stress reduction, self-care, relationship support, and developing strategies to manage anxiety, depression, or intrusive thoughts.
Our counsellors may also help you identify when additional health care, medication, or referrals to a health centre or support groups may be helpful. Whether you’re experiencing mild symptoms
or severe symptoms, our goal is to help you feel more grounded, supported, and capable of navigating life with your baby.
How to Start With a Postnatal Counsellor
Here's how it works:
Step 1: Book your free consultation
Schedule a free consultation to briefly share how you’ve been feeling since birth and what kind of postnatal counselling support you’re looking for.
Step 2: Match with your counsellor
We’ll match you with a Sana counsellor experienced in postnatal mental health and supporting parents during the postpartum period.
Step 3: Your first session
Congratulations on making it this far. Your first session is a safe space to talk, feel supported, and begin developing tools to support your well-being as a new parent.
Our goal is to provide a compassionate space where you feel supported, guided, and understood as you navigate your mental health concerns.
FAQS
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Postnatal counselling is a form of mental health support designed to help individuals and families adjust to life after childbirth. It provides a safe space to talk about the emotional, physical, and psychological changes that can happen after giving birth.
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Postnatal counselling can benefit new mothers, parents, partners, and families at any stage of the postpartum period. You do not need a mental health diagnosis to seek support.
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Many emotional ups and downs are normal in the first few days or weeks after childbirth, often referred to as the baby blues. These feelings usually pass on their own. However, if symptoms such as anxiety, low mood, panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, or emotional distress persist, intensify, or interfere with daily life, postnatal counselling may be helpful.
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You can start postnatal counselling at any point after giving birth, in the first few weeks, months, or even years later. There is no “right” time to begin. Some parents seek counselling early to build coping tools and emotional support, while others reach out when challenges become more noticeable.
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The length of postnatal counselling depends on your individual needs, goals, and symptoms. Some people benefit from short-term counselling support focused on specific postpartum challenges, while others choose ongoing sessions to address deeper mental health concerns such as postpartum depression or anxiety disorders.