Therapy services in Washington - Florida
North Carolina
Postpartum depression
Postpartum anxiety
Pregnancy Loss/Grief
Transition to Motherhood
Every journey to motherhood is unique.
If you have experienced a pregnancy loss, this is a safe place for you as well. You are a mom too. You deserve to be cared for too.
Every mom has a story behind this journey.
A story with no place to be shared.
A story that sometimes hurts more than what words can express.
A story of love.
A story that is easily judged by others and many times misunderstood.
A story that changed YOU.
A story that matters because YOU, Momma, matter too.
Hi, I’m Yarlene.
I am a mom and a psychologist.
I am on my own journey, just like you.
I want to hear YOUR story. I want to create a space in which you can share the ups and downs of your journey, the hard stuff that you can’t tell anyone.
In our work together, we will sit with those difficult feelings, and we will make room for them. No judgment.
You will learn to cope with them without getting stuck in self-criticism. I will walk alongside you through the unknowns of motherhood or through the darkness of grief.
Motherhood changes us.
You are not alone in the journey…
If you are reading this… one thing is for sure…
YOU are the BEST mother that your child could ever have.
NO one can ever take your place.
It’s hard to share your pain with a stranger.
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Especially, when it’s about motherhood. You might be already judging yourself enough. So you don’t need one more person to tell you what to do.
You don’t need one more person to dismiss your pain. You don’t need more expectations on your plate.
You might need the space to be seen, heard and understood…
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If you felt heard, seen and validated along these lines that’s what happens in our work together.
We create the space for you to sit with the discomfort and the rawness of motherhood.
So you can connect with the power of it.
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You will share the hard stuff that you can’t tell anybody else and you won’t be judged. And you might see that you are not alone in this.
We will work together so you can feel compassion for yourself when you are in the middle of the pain.
You will learn skills to cope with the distress. You will learn to be present, open up to the experience and do what matters for you and your family.
This all sounds good, BUT…
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Finding the time to engage in therapy seems like an impossible mission. I get it!
Managing the house, the baby, work/school, your relationships and life in general takes every little ounce of energy and time you have.
However, ‘pushing through’ and not taking care of yourself it’s only a short term solution. It’s a bandaid that will eventually come off.
In therapy, we create the space for you to prioritize yourself.
Motherhood is many times seen as a lifetime self-sacrifice. But doing that perpetuates the pain. Doing that takes away the possibility of breaking cycles.
Taking care of yourself allows you to become the kind of mother you want to be. It allows you to build the kind of life you want for yourself and your family.
Taking care of yourself allows you to genuinely enjoy motherhood.
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Many moms don’t come to therapy because they fear they will be judged by the therapist. Some other times it’s because they fear that no one will understand how they feel.
However, when I’m wearing my mom hat I am just as human as anybody else. I’m not perfect and I don’t want to be. I WON’T judge you because I have been there too.
For many moms I have worked with they have found it helpful when I share some of my personal experiences as a mother.
Therapy will never be about me. It’s YOUR space. Sharing my perspective is something I do very intentionally and purposefully as part of your process.
At the same time, knowing that you are NOT the only one who has felt this way can be validating and healing for you.
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I know you are scared and worried there’s something wrong with you. You are worried that you are going to feel like ‘this’ forever. Everyone says that it gets easier, but it doesn’t feel like that for you right now. You are NOT alone.
Many of the moms I have worked with have been there as well. If they could hear each other they would know they are not alone. They would feel seen, heard and supported by each other.
Motherhood is hard and uniquely special at the same time. You don’t have to do this by yourself. There’s help.
There’s a way to build that village we all need.
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You are right. I can’t fully understand or know how you feel. It would be disrespectful for me to say that I can imagine how hard this is for you.
I’m not pretending to know how painful this miscarriage has been for you. I don’t want to pretend that I know how it feels to have a stillborn. I don’t know and I DO want to know.
I want to open up the space for you to grieve. I have been there too. I have been the 1 in 4… and I want to give you that safe, non judgemental space for you to honor your loss.
I want to know your story. I want to help you find meaning beyond death and loss.
You don’t have to keep feeling this way.
Fast forward…
6 months from now and imagine you kept living this way.
What might be different?
You can keep surviving one day at a time or you can LIVE each day to the fullest.
I want you to look back at this time and be able to feel more than just the pain or the regret.
I want you to be able to see, experience, and be present with your child to create a life together.
Whatever time has passed so far, can’t be changed, but you can create a new story about your present and the future.
A new story about who you are and who you want to be for yourself, your family, and your child.
How it works
Ready to get started?
Taking the first step is the hardest one. It means you are opening up and being vulnerable. It means you care and you LOVE yourself and your family.
Taking this step takes courage.
A consultation gives you the opportunity to get a sense of who I am, my style, and my therapeutic approach. Doesn’t matter how much training or expertise I have, if you don’t feel comfortable with me is not going to work. And that’s OK.
If I am not the right person, I will do my very best to help you get connected with a therapist that can address your needs. This is not about me. It’s about you getting the help and support YOU need.
If you have further questions and need to get additional information or if you are ready to take the first step, schedule a consultation today.