Postpartum Therapy in Newmarket & York Region, You Don't Have to Feel This Way Alone
You are not a bad mother. You are not broken. You are someone whose nervous system, identity, and body are going through one of the most significant transitions of a lifetime, and you are trying to do it without enough support.
As a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) in Newmarket, I offer postpartum therapy for mothers, fathers, and partners experiencing postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, birth trauma, prenatal mood disorders, and postpartum rage. No waitlist. Sessions available virtually across Ontario.
I also want you to know something that does not appear on most therapy pages: I have personal lived experience with pre- and postnatal depression. I know what it feels like to move through the postpartum period carrying something heavy and invisible, the particular silence of it, the fear of being judged, the exhaustion of pretending you are fine. That experience does not make me your peer support. It makes me a clinician who will not flinch at what you tell me, and who understands the specific texture of this in a way that no training alone can produce.
No Waitlist
Start this week.
Free 15-min call
No commitment
Day & Evening
Flexible hours
Virtual
All of Ontario
What No One Tells You About the Postpartum Period
There is a version of the postpartum experience that gets talked about, the joy, the bonding, the newborn smell. And then there is the version that does not get talked about nearly enough.
If any of those sound familiar, I want you to hear this clearly: these experiences are not signs that something is permanently wrong with you. They are signs that you need real support not reassurance, not a pamphlet, not being told it will pass.
“I love my baby, but I feel nothing.”
“I am so angry, and I don’t know why.”
“I cannot sleep even when she’s sleeping.”
“I keep having thoughts I am terrified to tell anyone.”
Types of Postpartum I Work With
I work with the full spectrum of postpartum and perinatal mood experiences, including the ones that are hardest to talk about.
Postpartum Depression (PPD)
Persistent low mood, loss of interest, feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or hopelessness that extend beyond the first two weeks after birth. Postpartum depression does not always look like sadness. It frequently shows up as emotional numbness, disconnection from your baby, an inability to feel anything at all, or a mechanical going-through-the-motions that those around you might not even notice. PPD can emerge immediately after birth or develop gradually over the first twelve months.
Postpartum Anxiety (PPA)
At least as common as PPD and significantly less discussed. Postpartum anxiety is the relentless worry about your baby’s safety, the intrusive “what if” thoughts you cannot stop, the inability to sleep even when the baby is sleeping, and the physical tension that never releases. Many mothers with PPA appear highly functional from the outside, which is part of why it goes unrecognised for so long. If you look like you are holding it together while feeling like you are falling apart on the inside, this might be what is happening.
If you have been experiencing postpartum anxiety alongside the pressure of feeling like you need to do everything perfectly, this piece on postpartum anxiety and the “Good Girl” pattern in Newmarket moms might resonate with you.
Birth Trauma
Not every birth goes the way it was planned, hoped for, or expected. Traumatic birth experiences medical emergencies, loss of control, a lack of informed consent, extended labour, and an unexpected NICU stay can leave lasting effects, including flashbacks, hypervigilance, avoidance of medical settings, and symptoms consistent with PTSD. Birth trauma is a legitimate clinical experience, and one I treat with specific trauma-informed approaches, including EMDR.
Prenatal and Antenatal Depression and Anxiety
Mood disorders during pregnancy are at least as common as postpartum conditions and receive a fraction of the clinical attention. If you are currently pregnant and experiencing persistent anxiety, low mood, intrusive thoughts, or a sense of detachment from your pregnancy, support does not have to wait until after the birth. Prenatal therapy can significantly reduce the risk of postpartum mood disorders, and means you already have a therapeutic relationship in place if difficulties arise after the birth.
Postpartum Rage
One of the least talked about and most isolating postpartum experiences. Anger that feels disproportionate or explosive, directed at a partner or older children, followed immediately by shame and guilt, is a recognised symptom of postpartum mood dysregulation, not a character flaw. It means you are an exhausted, dysregulated person whose nervous system needs support. That is exactly what therapy is for.
Partner and Paternal Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression affects partners, too. Research suggests that approximately one in ten new fathers experiences it, typically presenting as irritability, withdrawal, and a growing sense of disconnection from the family. Partners are routinely unscreened and unsupported because the clinical focus stays on the birthing parent. If this is you, or someone you love, you deserve support too.
How I Work With Postpartum Clients
I integrate six evidence-based approaches, applied according to what your specific experience requires. No two postpartum presentations are the same, and the way we work together will be shaped entirely around yours.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a first-line recommended treatment for postpartum depression and anxiety according to CAMH and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. In our sessions, we work together to identify and interrupt the thought patterns driving your mood disturbance, the self-criticism, the catastrophic thinking, the all-or-nothing beliefs about what kind of mother you are and replace them with responses that are more accurate and far more compassionate.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is particularly effective for the shame and self-judgment that accompany so many postpartum experiences. Rather than fighting against difficult thoughts and feelings, which often amplify them, ACT teaches you to hold them differently, to reduce the authority they have over your behaviour, and to move toward the mother and person you want to be even while the difficult feelings are still present.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-based approaches help interrupt the cycles of rumination and self-criticism that characterise both postpartum depression and anxiety. This work builds the capacity to observe difficult internal experiences without being consumed by them a skill that has direct, practical application in the moment-to-moment reality of caring for a newborn.
Somatic Awareness and Nervous System Regulation
The postpartum body has been through an enormous physical event and is now operating in a state of chronic sleep deprivation, hormonal upheaval, and hypervigilance. Somatic work helps you recognise and regulate the physical patterns of the stress response, the chronic tension, the shallow breathing, and the inability to feel settled that talk-based approaches alone cannot fully address. For clients experiencing birth trauma or postpartum rage, especially, this work is foundational.
Most clients begin to notice a real shift within 8 to 12 sessions. I check in on your progress regularly, and I adjust the approach as your needs change.
What to Expect When We Work Together
Your first session is 50 minutes. We use it to understand your experience when it started, how it feels, what it is affecting, and what you most want to change. You do not need to arrive with a diagnosis or a prepared explanation. Many clients arrive knowing only that something is wrong and that they cannot keep going the way they have been going. That is enough.
From session two onward, sessions are structured around your specific presentation and goals. The environment will always be the same: a space where nothing you say will be met with judgment, where you will not be told to look on the bright side, and where your experience will be taken seriously in its full complexity.
Postpartum Therapy with Maria | GP Appointment Only | Self-Help / Online Resources | |
Addresses root causes | ✓ | ✗ | Partial |
Treats depression, anxiety & trauma | ✓ | Partial | ✗ |
Lived experience of perinatal mood disorders | ✓ | Varies | ✗ |
No waitlist | ✓ | Varies | N/A |
Evening & weekend availability | ✓ | Rarely | N/A |
In-person & virtual across Ontario | ✓ | N/A | N/A |
Extended benefits coverage | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
Does It Actually Work?
60-80%
of people with Postpartum see significant, lasting improvement with CBT
Source: Anxiety Canada
Local Postpartum Support Resources in York Region
Therapy is one part of a wider support network. These York Region resources can complement the work we do together:
- York Region Transition to Parenting Program – free support for new and expecting parents. Register through York Region Health Connection: 1-800-361-5653
- York Support Services Network (YSSN) Crisis Line – 905-310-COPE (2673), available to all York Region residents in mental health crisis
- CAMH Postpartum Resources – camh.ca/postpartum-depression
Postpartum Support International – Ontario peer support network: postpartum.net
You've been managing this long enough.
Let's actually change it.
No waitlist. Most clients start within the same week as their consultation call.
- Sessions from $120
- Extended benefits accepted
- In-person & virtual
- Day & evening hours
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before booking your first session.
How do I know if this is postpartum depression or just the baby blues?
Baby blues, tearfulness, mood swings, and emotional sensitivity in the first one to two weeks are caused by the hormonal drop after delivery and typically resolve on their own. Postpartum depression is distinguished by its persistence beyond two weeks, its severity, and its impact on your ability to function. If you are still struggling significantly after the first two weeks, or if symptoms are severe enough to affect your ability to care for yourself or your baby at any point, that is worth taking seriously and getting support for.
How much does postpartum therapy cost in Newmarket?
My sessions are $120 per 50-minute appointment. Many extended health benefit plans in Ontario cover sessions with a Registered Psychotherapist. I provide a receipt after every session that you can submit directly to your insurer. Check your plan under “Registered Psychotherapist (RP)” or “Psychotherapy.”
Is there a waitlist?
No, and for postpartum clients especially, this matters. The gap between deciding to reach out and actually getting support can be one of the hardest stretches. You can book a free 15-minute consultation and typically begin your first full session within the same week.
Do you offer virtual sessions?
Yes. Virtual sessions are available to clients anywhere in Ontario and are particularly valuable for postpartum clients managing feeding schedules, limited mobility, or simply the logistical reality of leaving the house in the early weeks with a newborn.
Can my partner come to sessions?
This is something we discuss based on your goals and what you need. Some work is most effective individually. Other aspects of the postpartum experience, such as relationship strain, paternal postpartum depression, and communication breakdown between partners, can benefit from joint sessions at certain points in the process.
Is it safe to start therapy during pregnancy?
Yes, and for many clients, beginning before the birth is the most effective approach. Prenatal therapy reduces the risk of postpartum mood disorders, addresses anxiety about birth and the transition to parenthood, and means you already have a therapeutic relationship in place when the baby arrives. You do not have to wait until you are struggling to ask for support.