My Integrative Approach to Maternal Mental Health
Beyond Traditional Talk Therapy
My practice is grounded in a biopsychosocial understanding of women's mental health. I recognize that your well-being emerges from the dynamic interplay between your nervous system, thoughts and emotions, and your social world, including relationships, work environment, and cultural context. This comprehensive approach to mental health care addresses not just symptoms but the whole person navigating the perinatal period.
I integrate three powerful therapeutic modalities to address perinatal mental health conditions:
Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps you understand and harmonize the different parts of yourself that may be in conflict during this transition. Perhaps there's a part grieving your pre-parent life while another judges you for these feelings. Through IFS, we work toward internal harmony, developing self-compassion and greater mental health resources to navigate maternal mental health challenges.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) builds psychological flexibility, essential for managing perinatal anxiety and mood disorders. Rather than trying to eliminate difficult emotions, you learn to acknowledge them while making values-based decisions. This evidence-based approach is particularly powerful for those ready to redefine success and meaning in parenthood.
Relational Life Therapy (RLT) strengthens your partnership during this vulnerable time. We address practical challenges while exploring deeper patterns affecting your relationship and family health. This work ensures your relationship becomes a source of support rather than additional stress during the postpartum period.
Specialize Perinatal Mental Health Services
When You Don't Recognize Yourself Anymore
One of the most profound yet unspoken challenges of the perinatal period is the feeling of losing yourself, looking in the mirror and not recognizing the person staring back. You might find yourself grieving the person you used to be, feeling disconnected from your former identity, or struggling with the unsettling sense that you've become someone you don't know. This identity loss during pregnancy and postpartum isn't just disorienting, it can feel like you're disappearing entirely.
I understand that beneath the surface of traditional perinatal mental health conditions lies this deeper struggle: the fear that in becoming a parent, you've lost the essence of who you are. My integrative approach directly addresses this identity transformation, helping you navigate the space between who you were and who you're becoming, without losing yourself in the process.
Comprehensive Treatment for Mental Health Conditions
I provide specialized care for a range of perinatal mental health disorders affecting pregnant and postpartum women:
Perinatal Depression and Postpartum Depression - Moving beyond surface-level symptom management, we explore how perfectionism and personal expectations intersect with depression. I help you understand how your drive and aspirations might intensify these mental health conditions while developing practical strategies for daily functioning.
Anxiety Disorders and Perinatal Anxiety - For many, the skills that serve you professionally, anticipating problems, strategic planning, can become overwhelming when applied to parenthood. Through evidence-based techniques, you'll develop a healthier relationship with uncertainty while managing perinatal mood and anxiety symptoms.
Birth Trauma and PTSD - When birth doesn't go as planned, the psychological impact can be profound. We process not just the event but its meaning in your life story, helping you integrate this experience while moving forward.
Intensive Support Options
For those seeking accelerated progress, I offer Perinatal Mental Health Intensives, concentrated sessions that allow for deeper exploration and faster transformation. These intensives are ideal for individuals and couples who want to address their mental health concerns efficiently and create meaningful change quickly.
Specialize Perinatal Mental Health Services
Your Personalized Journey with sitwithshabs
Clear Onboarding Process
Your journey begins with a complimentary 15-minute consultation where we explore whether my approach aligns with your needs. This conversation allows you to experience my direct, warm style while determining if we're the right fit for addressing your maternal mental health concerns.
Once you decide to move forward, my Client Care Coordinator, Mei, guides you through a seamless onboarding process, because I understand that clarity and organization matter when seeking mental health care.
First Session: Setting the Foundation
Our initial session goes beyond typical intake procedures. We engage in:
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Strategic goal setting that honors both immediate needs and long-term vision
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Parts mapping to understand your internal landscape and patterns
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Introduction to experiential meditation and mindfulness practices tailored to your lifestyle
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Development of practical tools that fit between meetings or during brief moments of downtime
Continuous Support Between Sessions
Mental health treatment extends beyond our scheduled sessions. You'll have access to:
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A dedicated WhatsApp number for scheduling and scheduling-related questions
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Session reminders to maintain consistency
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Personalized mindfulness practices supporting ongoing growth
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Practical strategies for sleep, movement, nutrition, and stress management
This structured support ensures you're never navigating perinatal mental health challenges alone while building sustainable mental health resources for long-term wellness.
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Why Choose This Approach
Speaking Your Language
Having personally navigated corporate environments, motherhood, marriage, and witnessed the demands of startup life, I bring unique understanding to your experience. Whether you're in your 20s navigating early career and family pressures, or in your 30s and 40s balancing established lives with family growth, I understand your challenges. I don't offer platitudes about "just relaxing", instead, I provide sophisticated strategies that honor your complexity while addressing perinatal mental health conditions effectively.
Holistic Integration
My approach considers how you sleep, move, eat, connect, set boundaries, and manage stress, recognizing these as integral to maternal mental health rather than separate concerns. We might discover your anxiety disorders spike when undernourished, or that specific boundary-setting strategies from your work or personal life can protect your energy as a new parent.
Evidence-Based Yet Personalized
While grounded in evidence-based practices, every aspect of treatment is tailored to your unique situation. There's no one-size-fits-all approach here, your mental health care plan reflects your specific challenges, strengths, and goals during the perinatal period.
Transformative Outcomes
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Through our work together addressing perinatal mental health, you'll develop the capacity to:
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Navigate uncertainty while maintaining your sense of self
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Integrate your evolving identity with parenthood authentically
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Build resilience for ongoing challenges
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Strengthen your primary relationship while preserving autonomy
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Create sustainable boundaries protecting your well-being
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Transform perfectionism into self-compassion
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Develop practical strategies for managing postpartum depression, perinatal anxiety, or other mental health conditions
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Serving Singapore, Dubai, and San Francisco
I offer both online and in-person sessions, providing flexibility for busy individuals and couples across Singapore, Dubai, and San Francisco. Whether you prefer the convenience of virtual sessions or the grounding presence of in-person meetings, I accommodate your needs while maintaining the same high standard of mental health care.
Begin Your Transformation
If you're ready for perinatal mental health support that matches your depth and desire for genuine change, if you want more than survival strategies and seek authentic transformation, I invite you to reach out. Together, we'll navigate this profound transition in a way that feels authentic, sustainable, and aligned with who you're becoming.
Your journey through pregnancy and parenthood doesn't have to compromise your authenticity or well-being. With the right mental health treatment and support, you can write your own story, one that honors both your life experiences and your evolving identity as a parent.
Contact me today for your complimentary consultation and discover how integrative therapy can transform your perinatal mental health journey.
Perinatal Mental Health Services: Integrative Therapy for Pregnancy & Postpartum
Transform Your Journey Through Pregnancy and Early Parenthood
As someone who has navigated the intersection of corporate life, motherhood, and the complexities of modern relationships, I understand the unique challenges you face during the perinatal period. My integrative approach to perinatal mental health goes beyond traditional therapy, it's about rewiring, re-patterning, and reimagining how you move through this transformative time while maintaining your authenticity and personal well-being.
Who I Serve: Individuals and Couples Seeking Transformative Change
My practice specializes in supporting individuals and couples in their 20s, 30s, and 40s who are ready for deep, meaningful transformation during pregnancy and early parenthood. You're someone who refuses to settle for simply "getting through" this life transition. Instead, you're seeking genuine change and growth during this pivotal time. You value evidence-based mental health care that respects your intelligence, complexity, and unique life experiences.
Whether you're experiencing perinatal depression, postpartum anxiety, or struggling with the identity shift that comes with parenthood, I provide sophisticated mental health treatment that speaks your language. My clients, ranging from young professionals in their 20s to established individuals in their 40s, choose my services because I understand intense work environments, the complexities of modern life, and the challenge of integrating parenthood with your evolving identity.