Best Therapy Options for Perinatal Mental Health

June 26, 2025

Authored by: Hayley Snelling, B.S. Psychology

Edited by: Emma Loker, B.S

Pregnancy and being a new mother are often painted as the happiest times in a woman’s life. But what if that joy is clouded by sadness, fear, or overwhelm? For many women, the perinatal period brings mental health struggles they weren’t warned about. And, sadly, too few people know how to find help.

In the same way your body requires extra care during this time, so does your mind. Fortunately, therapy for new mothers and pregnant women can offer real relief from your symptoms. So, whether you’re living with anxiety, low mood, or not feeling like your usual self, therapy can be the route toward healing and recovery.

On this page, we’ll explore:

What perinatal mental health is
Why therapy is essential for healing
Evidence-based approaches that work
How to choose the right therapy for you
Finding professional support

Regardless of whether you are considering therapy for perinatal depression, are already having counseling, or just want to learn more, you’ll find compassionate and honest information here.

With the right support, recovery from perinatal mental health conditions is well within your reach.

What Is Perinatal Mental Health?

Mental health conditions can affect anyone – including pregnant women and new moms. One in five women experience mental health conditions during pregnancy or after giving birth.¹

Prenatal, Postpartum, and Perinatal Mental Health Conditions

Mental health can feel confusing enough on its own, and then there are extra words thrown in if you are pregnant or have recently had a baby. Let’s touch on these terms and what they mean:

Prenatal Mental Health Conditions: Mental health conditions that begin between becoming pregnant and giving birth.
Postpartum Mental Health Conditions: Conditions that start once you have given birth and up to one year after.
Perinatal Mental Health Conditions: A mental health condition that starts anytime while you are pregnant (prenatal) or up to a year after giving birth (postpartum).

Common Perinatal Mental Health Conditions

It’s common to experience challenges at this point in your life. Your body is changing, your hormones are fluctuating, and extra stress creeps in: It’s a time of massive vulnerability.

Some of the most common mental health struggles among pregnant people and new parents are:²

These conditions can hugely affect your health – physically, emotionally, and mentally. And they can also affect how you care for your baby. That’s why it’s so important to know that these are common issues many people face and are very treatable.

Therapy for emotional struggles during pregnancy is a highly effective treatment for a whole range of mental health issues. Yet, you may still be asking one key question: How do I know if I need help?

Signs You May Need Therapy

If you’re not sure whether you would benefit from therapy, try asking yourself these questions:

Am I feeling deeply sad, really irritable, or panicky more often than not?
Do I find it difficult to bond with my baby?
Has my appetite changed for no reason?
Is sleep becoming a problem?
Are my thoughts racing or upsetting me?
Do I wonder if I should never have become a parent?
Am I worried I may hurt myself or my baby?

If you’ve answered “yes” to a few of these, you might be struggling with a perinatal mood disorder, like one of those mentioned earlier. In this case, you may want to consider talking to a therapist. Therapists can provide counseling for perinatal mood disorders, such as therapy for perinatal depression or anxiety. Therapy can reduce the symptoms you are dealing with.

But we know that not everyone will know a therapist, and the process of finding one may be unfamiliar and add further stress. Fortunately, you can also turn to your OB-GYN for support – they can guide you through the process and refer you to a mental health professional.

Why Therapy Support for New Mothers and Pregnant People is Essential

Pregnancy can be rough to deal with for a lot of women: The aches, mood swings, and morning sickness don’t make things easy. Add a mental health condition into the mix, and everything can suddenly seem unmanageable.

If you don’t receive help for a condition such as depression or OCD during pregnancy or as a new mom, your symptoms sadly won’t just disappear. They have a nasty habit of sticking around and causing problems. Let’s face it – you don’t need extra stress at such a pivotal time.

Also, many moms don’t realize this, but your mental health can affect your baby. Studies show that if maternal mental health problems are left untreated, they can increase the risks of pregnancy complications, miscarriage, low birth weight, brain development issues, and preterm birth.^3,4 They can also negatively affect how well you bond with your child.⁵ That is why receiving help, such as therapy for perinatal depression, is so important.

Research shows that most people who receive therapy find their symptoms reduced and they can function better.⁶ Therapy isn’t just for symptom relief though. It can also improve your overall well-being, enhance your self-awareness, help you manage your emotions, and increase your resilience to stress – all of which prove vital in parenthood!

Before we move on to the treatment methods for perinatal mental health difficulties, we want to get one thing straight: Having a perinatal mental health disorder isn’t a taboo subject. There’s no shame in having a problem with your mental health, like there’s no shame in physical health issues. It’s something that can (and should) be talked about more. Too many women struggle alone with a condition like depression or anxiety through pregnancy and beyond, when there are very safe and effective treatments available, like therapy.

If you’re not sure which pregnancy or postpartum therapy options you should be investigating, look no further. We’ve done the research for you, and the next section is dedicated to the best evidence-based therapies for perinatal mental health conditions.

Best Therapy Treatments for Perinatal Mental Health

You know that therapy can be life-changing, but with so many options, which one should you choose? Which one will help you recover and heal so that you can enjoy your journey into motherhood?

We’re about to dive into the top effective therapy treatments for pregnancy mental health. Taking them one at a time, you’ll discover which ones have been proven to be most effective for each condition, and we’ll tell you why.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a structured type of talking therapy that focuses on how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. You will be given time and support during sessions to process your emotions and discover new ways to cope with stress and anxiety. You’ll also be given homework to practice your new skills between sessions.

One of the best therapies for postpartum anxiety is CBT. It can be extremely effective at reducing your symptoms both short- and long-term.^7,8 Cognitive behavioral therapy for pregnancy depression can help you reframe your thoughts and respond to a situation better, instead of spiraling. This type of therapy for perinatal depression can be very effective. CBT is also a first-line treatment for OCD, especially exposure and response prevention (ERP). It can also be used alongside medication to help people with bipolar disorder to manage their moods.²

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

IPT is a structured type of therapy that can help you work out any negative patterns or problems in your relationships. Then, you can learn strategies to cope with them. It can be an effective treatment for anxiety, and research has found that IPT works just as well for treating depression as using antidepressants.^9,10

Mindfulness-Based Therapies

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) helps you to focus on the present moment. It teaches you to recognize unhelpful thoughts and view them without judgment. It can be a particularly useful therapy for perinatal depression if you have problems with rumination (dwelling on negative feelings or distressing thoughts).¹¹

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) combines mindfulness and acceptance into one therapy. It teaches you to tolerate unpleasant feelings rather than avoid them, which can be effective for managing depression. Studies show it can help reduce your depressive symptoms.^12,13 ACT can also treat postpartum psychosis by allowing you to process what you’ve been through and support your recovery.¹⁴

Trauma-Focused Therapies

Trauma-focused therapies allow you to process your experience and heal from your trauma in a safe, supportive space. You can learn coping strategies for managing triggers, and find symptom relief from conditions such as childbirth-related PTSD.¹⁵ A particular technique called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) helps you to reprocess distressing memories.

Trauma-focused therapy can also be an effective treatment alongside medication for postpartum psychosis, helping you to process your experiences and support your wellbeing.¹⁴

How to Choose the Right Therapy Option for You

Consider this: You feel clued up on the different perinatal mental health therapy options, but are torn between which you should choose. How do you decide? It’s not as simple as flipping a coin, right?

There are some things you may wish to take into account when deciding. Take your time, and ask yourself the following questions:

“What Are My Symptoms?”

If you don’t yet have a diagnosis, think about your symptoms and which therapy sounds like it would help the most.

“Would I Prefer to See a Therapist Online or In Person?”

If video calls are more convenient for you, or you are looking for a particular therapeutic approach, then online therapy options are likely to be greater than in person. For example, there may be lots of counselors offering therapy for perinatal depression in your local area, but not as many choices for a trauma-based approach.

If you prefer being in the same room as your therapist and having that human contact, you may need to consider what therapists are available in your local area and the type of therapy they offer.

“When Could I Attend Appointments?”

Different therapists work different hours, so it’s a good idea to work out when you would be available for sessions. Don’t forget to take into account travel time when looking at therapy options for expecting mothers if you are having in-person therapy. Likewise, if you plan to have online sessions, think of when you will have privacy at home.

“Did One Therapy Style Catch My Attention?”

If you feel drawn to a certain therapeutic approach, investigate it further. It may be the right one for you. You can also lean on your OB-GYN, friends, partner, and loved ones for support in choosing if need be. Alternatively, if you want guidance from a qualified, impartial professional, give our team at Mission Connection a call.

With so many options available, it’s ok to take your time choosing. And remember that if you start therapy and it doesn’t feel right for you, you can try a different therapeutic approach or a different therapist altogether. Sometimes we don’t gel with certain people, and you can’t always judge that until you are face-to-face with them.

Putting it simply, think of therapy like trying a new cereal for breakfast. If you didn’t like it, you wouldn’t vow to never eat breakfast again. You’d find a different type to try instead. With therapy, if you don’t get along with one approach or a particular therapist, you could try a different one instead. It doesn’t mean that therapy isn’t for you: it just means that you may prefer a different ‘brand’.

Take the First Step Toward Healing

Mental health is every bit as important as physical health, especially during pregnancy and the postpartum period. If you’re feeling blue, anxious, or disconnected, please remember that many new and expecting mothers feel like this. You don’t have to face these emotional challenges alone: Compassionate and effective support is available.

Therapy gives you a safe and confidential space to work your way through the difficult emotions you are experiencing. Reaching out for help is a powerful first step toward recovery.

At Mission Connection, our team of experts specializes in mental health counseling for perinatal mood disorders and emotional struggles. We’re here to help you feel heard and supported, and to heal.

References

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Postpartum Support International. (2025, March 18). About perinatal mental health. https://postpartum.net/perinatal-mental-health/
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