Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common and treatable mental health condition. Symptoms like prolonged sadness, irritability, thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or difficulty bonding with your baby are unlikely to go away on their own. Treatments like therapy, alongside medications, can help you feel better and become the parent you want to be.

“One of the goals of a good perinatal therapist is to help you find your own voice as a mother and to help guide you through your mood disorder,” Amy Eisenberg, a certified perinatal mental health provider, told MyDepressionTeam. “Perinatal” refers to the time of becoming pregnant through the first year after birth.

Postpartum depression is often associated with new mothers, but any parent can experience PPD and related mood disorders, regardless of sex or gender.

If you’re experiencing PPD, below are four types of therapy you might consider.

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the gold-standard types of talk therapy for postpartum depression. CBT is known to reduce depressive symptoms immediately following treatment more than other psychological interventions or medications.

CBT is based on the theory that how people think affects how they feel, which will affect their behavior. The goal is to identify unhealthy thoughts and change them into healthy thoughts, which can change unhealthy behaviors.

Cognitions are thoughts or beliefs that influence how a parent sees their environment and interprets situations. Your cognitions are often rooted in previous experiences or beliefs that are ingrained in society.

“One common societal myth is that when you meet your baby, you’re going to fall in love with your baby,” Eisenberg said. If the bonding isn’t immediate, some new mothers will judge themselves for not having the idealized experience.

CBT works to recognize and identify any automatic negative thoughts that are associated with pregnancy, parenting, and self-esteem and reframes these thoughts into healthy and more realistic perspectives.

The “behavioral” part of CBT works to develop healthy coping skills and change an “unpleasurable” activity into a “purposeful” one that can bring you more positive emotions, such as joy. One example is shifting a potentially unpleasant activity like household chores into an activity that provides rewards, such as “I am cleaning my home for my baby.”

CBT takes a lot of practice, reflection, and homework to help reframe thoughts and behaviors. A therapist will assign exercises to help change unhealthy thoughts and transform them into positive behaviors.

2. Interpersonal Therapy

Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is another type of therapy for treating PPD. This type of therapy focuses on the interpersonal changes, role transitions, relationship dynamics, and other challenges you may face after having a baby. Interpersonal therapy for PPD often focuses on problem areas that researchers believe contribute to symptoms of PPD. These problem areas include the following.

Grief

When you become a parent, it is normal to mourn your independence or your time away from paid employment during leave or as a full-time parent.

Role Transitions

Because of your new role as a mother or parent, you may feel like your partner, family, friends, and even yourself are placed on the back burner. “As a new mother, you can feel very lost and almost feel like you don’t have this sense of self,” Eisenberg commented.

Interpersonal Conflicts

Having a new baby can put stress on relationships between partners. New mothers and parents may feel like they are not receiving enough support from partners or family members, like emotional and sexual intimacy needs are not met, or like they are alone as they navigate their new role.

In IPT, the therapist works with you to:

• Find ways to better connect with loved ones in order to feel more supported
• Help you verbalize what you need and expect from others
• Accept and transition into your new role as a mother or parent
• Work on conflict-resolution skills that can improve communication with loved ones

3. Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic psychotherapy is another type of effective treatment for postpartum depression. Psychodynamic therapy focuses on underlying past issues that have been pushed into the unconscious mind. Past events such as underlying trauma in childhood or unhealthy relationships with parents are examples of past triggers that new mothers and parents sometimes push into their unconscious.

After giving birth, symptoms of PPD may appear due to unresolved emotional turmoil that happened years ago. Therapists work to uncover and identify these past experiences that are causing present distress. The goal is for new moms and parents to recognize and accept these past unresolved traumas and conflicts so that they can begin healing. You will be encouraged to talk to your therapist about your parents, childhood, and past significant others to uncover the unconscious trauma contributing to current PPD symptoms.

4. Group Therapy

Group therapy can also be an option for treating postpartum depression. Eisenberg leads pregnancy, postpartum, and loss groups with the organization Beyond the Baby Blues in Evanston, Illinois. “Groups are good for therapy because you start to see that a lot of these moms are just like me,” Eisenberg explained.

Group therapy and a support group are not the same thing. Group therapy is led by a mental health provider and is intended to be a form of mental health treatment. Support groups can be led by a mental health professional or a different type of facilitator. Support groups are designed to provide social support, but not mental health treatment.

Important Considerations for Choosing a Therapist

Finding a therapist can be challenging. Eisenberg shared a few considerations to make when choosing a mental health professional.

Find a Therapist Who Specializes in Perinatal Mental Health

Eisenberg strongly recommends finding a therapist with training in perinatal mental health, if possible.

“Postpartum depression sometimes comes with intrusive thoughts such as ‘What if I hurt my baby,’” Eisenberg explained. “If you see a therapist who’s not trained in perinatal mental health, they might misunderstand your intrusive thoughts and the treatment might really be a counter to what you need, which is validation and possibly medication.”

Another goal is to have somebody who can accurately diagnose your postpartum mood disorder, Eisenberg said. You may have another mood disorder, such as postpartum anxiety or postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder.

A therapist who specializes in perinatal mental health will also likely be connected with other professionals in the field, such as perinatal psychiatrists and lactation consultants. “If you’re having bad anxiety or if your PPD symptoms are getting in the way of your daily life, it’s really important to see a perinatal psychiatrist who can prescribe medication and talk through the risks versus the benefits of taking an antidepressant medication,” Eisenberg noted.

She added, “If I see a mom struggling with breastfeeding and this is causing her anxiety, I want to refer them to a very safe, nonjudgmental lactation consultant.”

Find a Therapist You Trust

Eisenberg recommends focusing on finding a therapist you feel comfortable with, rather than looking for a therapist who specializes in a specific type of therapy. Keep in mind that therapists may practice a combination of therapy techniques or may specialize in several.

Studies show that the relationship between the therapist and the new mother is consistently linked to positive treatment outcomes, regardless of the type of therapy. “The relationship is a huge part of the therapy,” Eisenberg said.

Eisenberg explained how she aims to be nonjudgmental and to support and validate the parents she cares for. “My goal is to let the mom know that she is enough for her baby,” Eisenberg emphasized. “No matter what the interventions are, whatever she needs, she is a wonderful mom.”

Tips for Finding a Therapist

Trained perinatal therapists will hold a special perinatal mental health certification (PMHC) and should also have another qualification that makes them one of the following:

• Licensed professional counselor (LPC)
• Licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC)
• Licensed clinical social worker (LCSW)
• Licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT)

Psychologists with doctorate degrees can also be perinatal therapy specialists.

A few ways to find a perinatal therapist include:

• Asking other parents
• Asking your primary care provider, OB-GYN, or midwife for a referral
• Calling your insurance company or using their online directory to find therapists in your network
• Using online resources such as Psychology Today or the Perinatal Mental Health Provider Directory
• Calling or texting the National Maternal Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA to speak with a trained counselor who can refer you to local support services

Find Your Team

MyDepressionTeam is the social network for people living with all types of depression, including postpartum depression, and their loved ones. Members come together to ask questions, offer support and advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with PPD.

Did you know about the risk factors for postpartum depression before your baby was born? Do you have any advice for others managing these risks? Share your experience, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.