Therapy For Moms in South Orange County and Online in California
Many women are trying to balance life with parenting, work, marriage, and adjustment to motherhood. This often leaves women feeling overwhelmed, lonely and stressed.You may be experiencing anxiety and/or depression, struggling with adjustment to motherhood, or parenting challenging kids. You know you could use support in your life to feel better. If this resonates with you, then the supportive, relational style of therapy I provide may be a good fit.
I focus on emotional wellness for moms who are struggling on the inside to find hope during the challenges of life. I promise to honor your values and build on your strengths while equipping you to continue on this wild journey called motherhood.
I Specialize in Helping:
Adjustment to Motherhood
Becoming a new mom is one of the greatest experiences in a woman’s life. After preparing for birth, taking care of yourself during pregnancy and getting the nursery ready, it is hard to imagine all the changes come with being a new mom. The transition to motherhood can have a lot of ups and downs. You may feel very in love with your new baby, and also feel overwhelmed. This is such an emotional time as you adjust to your new role and identity as a mom. I offer therapy to help moms adjust to the role of motherhood and all the changes that come with it.
Counseling for Postpartum Adjustment Helps With:
- Overwhelm
- Struggles with feeding baby
- Identity as a new mom
- Exhaustion
- Anger & Irritability
- Feeling stressed out
- Birth Trauma/difficult birth experience
- NICU stays
- Adjustment to Motherhood
- Isolation and Loneliness
- Relationship Struggles
- Fears about baby
- Bonding/Attachment with baby
You may experience one or many of these symptoms and there is hope! Struggling with postpartum adjustment will not last forever. You will find your new normal as a mom and new family. However, you may be past the baby blues and realize that you don’t feel like yourself. Postpartum Depression and Anxiety is more common than you may think, please don’t wait to reach out because you feel embarrassed or ashamed for what you are going through. You don’t have to tough it out. If you had a difficult birth or your baby was in the NICU, this will often affect your adjustment to motherhood. Read more about postpartum anxiety and depression on this page and find out about how therapy can help you with these difficult circumstances.
The transition from being a woman who is independent to having a baby that demands so much can be overwhelming. After giving birth to my first baby, I felt alone and often bored, yet I was busy with constant feedings and diaper changes. It was a bigger adjustment than I expected and I had to make an effort to connect with other new moms. Having a place to talk about these feelings and express possible feelings of regret or moments of wondering what you got your self in to, is important for your mental and emotional health. I will help you to find your new “normal” where you feel content and look forward to your motherhood journey. Contact me for a free phone consultation to see if I would be a good fit for you.
Adoptive Moms
Adoption can be such a miracle when you have tried other means to start a family. However, as you know, there are a lot of feelings and emotions that come with this process. Trying to decide if you should adopt through foster care, private agency or international adoption can be overwhelming.
It is scary to think of the unknowns of adopting a child and what that may mean for your future. Your spouse or partner may not be in the same place as you with moving forward in this process. I am here to help you sort through all of these issues.
I also meet with couples to discuss these decisions. My experience of supporting many adopting families through the years has brought me immense joy. I love to see how children’s lives are changed forever with the love of a forever family. My promise to you is to be honest with you and help you find the resources that will most benefit you, in addition to focusing on the emotional toll it can take on you as you prepare for this next step.
For moms who have already adopted a child, I offer individual therapy to continue processing your adjustment and challenges that come with adoption. You may have had expectations or hopes that are not being met and you need a place to be honest about what you are feeling inside. You may be concerned about how the attachment and bonding process is going and need support in this area or your child may be triggering some of your own attachment experiences. I have a passion for supporting adopting families and especially moms in this journey to help you be the best mom you can be to your child.
Moms of Young Children
Being a mom of toddlers, preschool and/or elementary kids brings a new phase of life as kids begin preschool or elementary school. Even if your child was in daycare for several years this adjustment can be difficult for them AND you as they continue to grow and change.
Moms of children this age are often wondering how to manage difficult behaviors or their child’s anxiety, school struggles and friend issues. This struggle is real and most moms find that they struggle with worry about their child at some point. “Mama Worry” is part of being a mom and normal to some extent, but sometimes talking with other moms is not enough. If you find that your worry or frustration with your child is impacting you in a negative way then schedule an appointment with me and lets talk about it. I will give you tools to manage these feelings and empower you to feel confident in your role as a mom.
Counseling for Moms Helps With:
- Mom Anxiety
- Sadness/Depression
- Daily Stress
- Balancing life – kids, work, household
- Relationship struggles
- Self Care
- Decisions around work/opportunities
- Adjustment to having another baby
- Helping toddlers and older kids adjust to a new baby
- Choosing the right preschool/school for your child
- Parenting challenging kids
I provide a warm and safe environment to talk about all that weighs on you. With my experience as a play therapist and understanding different developmental stages in kids, I can help you adjust and thrive in this phase of life.
Anxiety Therapy for Moms
Anxiety, Worry, Trouble Concentrating, Feeling Stressed and On Edge, does this describe you? I believe that most women and moms experience a level of anxiety at some point in their lives. These thoughts can often increase with concerns about getting pregnant, staying pregnant in to the first trimester, then having a healthy delivery and postpartum period. When we think about bringing a child into the world, it can create all kinds of anxious thoughts and feelings. Parenting your children also brings anxiety as you try to do your best and you feel overwhelmed by the daily demands. If you experience worry and anxiety and it affects how you cope day to day, then therapy is helpful to gain tools to manage these feelings.
Call me to talk about how I can help you with your anxious thoughts and feelings.
Some of the tools I use include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Acknowledging and confronting anxious thoughts
- Mindfulness – paying attention to the here and now
- Breathing and grounding exercises
- Talking through the “what ifs”
- EMDR – if the anxious thoughts are coming from a previous experience
- Art Therapy & Sand Tray
- Meditations/ meditation and relaxation apps
“Motherhood takes superhuman strength because it requires everything we’ve got: mind, body, soul”
Information about beginning therapy with Malaika:
1) The first step in scheduling an appointment is to contact me through my contact page and schedule your free 20 minute phone consultation. This gives us an opportunity to speak with each other and find out if we are the right fit for working together. If I determine that I would not be a good fit for your specific circumstances then I will refer you to other trusted therapists that I know who can best help with your situation. I value this step as I want you to have the best experience in therapy and work with someone that specializes in your specific issue or experience. If we both feel we are a good fit then the next step is to send you my paperwork.
2) The second step entails me emailing you a link to my confidential portal (HIPPA compliant) where you will fill out my initial paperwork and answer questions related to why you are seeking therapy. This needs to be completed before we can have an initial meeting.
3) We will schedule our first session most likely in my office. However, if you are interested in online or walk and talk therapy please let me know in your initial phone consultation. My office is located at the corner of Oso and Marguerite in Mission Viejo.
4) Therapy sessions are generally 50-55 minutes long and I usually meet with clients once per week. I am open to other arrangements such as every other week once we have met for a few sessions to determine what your needs are. My fee is $185 per session and I provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance for out of network coverage if desired. We will agree on some goals to work on together and discuss these as we decide how to move forward. Your goals are important and I encourage you to ask me any questions at any time.
I offer a warm and relaxed office and waiting room experience. I have tea, coffee, and water available. I want to make the process of coming to therapy as easy and enjoyable as possible. Babies are welcome with moms.
Contact Me Today to schedule your Free 20 minute phone consultation
I’d love to find out how I can help you and if I’m the right therapist for you