Birth Trauma and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (A.R.T)

As a certified trauma specialist, I am passionate about supporting mothers and families who unfortunately experienced birth trauma, and one way that I do so is through Accelerated Resolution Therapy (A.R.T). I’m going to share how I use A.R.T to help mothers or parents who have experienced birth trauma, but first let’s discuss birth trauma and why it’s important to address it.

birth trauma, motherhood, postpartum, individual therapyDr. Alice PickeringJanuary 14, 2023birth trauma, perinatal mental health, postpartum recovery, postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, postpartum trauma, perinatal trauma, individual therapy, A.R.T, accelerated resolution therapyComment

3 Key Differences Between the Baby Blues and Postpartum Depression from a Maternal Mental Health Psychologist

A common misconception among many people is that the baby blues, or the postpartum blues, is the same as postpartum depression (PPD). This is an inaccurate assumption, and the two are very different experiences.

postpartum, emotions, motherhoodDr. Alice PickeringSeptember 29, 2021postpartum depression, baby blues, postpartum blues, perinatal mental health, maternal mental health, postpartum stress, postpartum recovery, postpartum anxietyComment

Use the 5 S’s for a Smooth Postpartum

Oh the fourth trimester…the trimester that doesn’t receive nearly as much attention as it deserves. The early postpartum days can be filled with a dichotomy of emotions. You may be joyful and overwhelmed, excited and sad, ready to take on the world and ready to sleep for an eternity.

postpartum, motherhoodDr. Alice PickeringAugust 17, 2020postpartum, postpartum depression, fourth trimester, postpartum anxiety, perinatal mental health, postpartum journey, birth traumaComment

6 Ways to Cope with Intrusive Thoughts

Scary thoughts, psychologically termed intrusive thoughts, are thoughts, images, or ideas that enter the mind at unpredictable times, are unwanted, and often feel uncontrollable, vivid, and real…

Approximately 91% of new mothers and 88% of new fathers report obsessive or intrusive thoughts about their baby…

postpartum, motherhoodDr. Alice PickeringJune 22, 2020intrusive thoughts, postpartum anxiety, postpartum ocd, postpartum depression, perinatal mental health, scary thoughts, anxiety, birth traumaComment

My First Birth Story

I loved her from the moment I saw her. I laid her on my chest and I wept. She was perfect. More perfect than I ever could have imagined.

I wept tears of joy and relief.
I wept tears of gratitude and sorrow.
I was worn down. Beat up. Exhausted.
I was thankful. Overjoyed. Fulfilled.

postpartum, motherhood, birth traumaDr. Alice PickeringMay 8, 2020birth trauma, first time mom, postpartum stress, birth stories, perinatal mental health, postpartum depression, postpartum anxietyComment

6 Reasons Your Mother-Daughter Relationship can Change After Baby

Stepping into motherhood is a big deal. So much can change; friendships, relationships, careers, priorities, values, goals, dreams, ambitions…and one of the bigger changes that may take place is the relationship between mothers and daughters.

boundaries, communication, postpartum, relationships, motherhoodDr. Alice PickeringAugust 13, 2019boundaries, communication, relationships, perinatal mental health, mental healthComment

7 Ways to Find Peace After Birth Trauma

With a large emphasis on medical appointments, doctor visits, lab testing, blood work, ultrasounds, and various medical interventions around a woman’s pregnancy, the powerful emotional and spiritual experience of labor and birth may often times be unintentionally overlooked.

birth trauma, motherhood, postpartumDr. Alice PickeringAugust 7, 2019birth trauma, birth stories, trauma, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, ptsd, postpartumComment

3 Ways to Make Boundaries Easier

I’ve observed that a great deal of the fear stems from not wanting to let people down or worries about what others may think of you. Sometimes, it seems easier to completely avoid any sort of discomfort by just saying yes. However, when you say yes to something you may not have the energy, time, or motivation for (time and time again), it becomes insincere.

boundaries, motherhood, communicationDr. Alice PickeringAugust 1, 2019boundaries, communication, values, mental health, mental wellnessComment

Manage Anger Through Grounding

Anger in motherhood is a common phenomenon that many experience but don’t feel comfortable talking about. Outside the work of individual therapy that may explore some deep rooted feelings and core beliefs that hide beneath anger, there exist strategies…

emotions, motherhood, postpartumDr. Alice PickeringJuly 23, 2019anger, mom anger, motherhood, first time mom, postpartum stress, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, ptsdComment

5 Practical Ways to Challenge Negative Thoughts

Negative thoughts tend to stem from core beliefs that we hold about ourselves. Core beliefs are the way in which we ultimately see ourselves. They are the foundation or building blocks that make up the way we interact with our environment and those around us.

motherhood, emotions, postpartum, communicationDr. Alice PickeringJune 26, 2019cognitive behavioral therapy, perinatal mental health, mental wellness, negative thinking, negative thoughts, cbt, deep breathing Comment

Mom Anger

People get angry.

Moms get ragey.

And you may be wondering, when did I become such an angry person? You weren’t angry before you became a mom, and now suddenly anger seems to flare up on multiple occasions.

motherhood, postpartum, emotionsDr. Alice PickeringJune 17, 2019postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, postpartum stress, motherhood, mom anger, anger, rage, perinatal mental health Comment