Therapy focused on Fertility, Pregnancy, and Maternal Mental Health
The perinatal period and the journey through fertility challenges can bring profound emotional shifts, changes in who you feel you are, and a lot of uncertainty. Many people experience grief, anxiety, self-blame, or feeling disconnected during this time, even when they look like they're managing on the outside. Society often expects you to have this "perfect" experience, which only makes what you’re going through harder to talk about. If you feel like you're performing "okay" while struggling on the inside, you are exactly who I work with.
I offer online therapy, telehealth counseling, and virtual perinatal therapy for adults navigating fertility challenges, infertility, pregnancy loss, postpartum anxiety, and perinatal mood disorders; my approach is trauma-informed, attachment-focused, emotionally attuned, reflective, and grounded in clinical psychology. This compassionate, nonjudgmental space supports people experiencing grief, anxiety, shame, identity shifts, and relationship strain during fertility treatment, miscarriage, IVF, pregnancy, and postpartum, and I provide confidential, licensed California teletherapy, free consultation calls, and individualized treatment plans for people seeking perinatal mental health support.
Emotional Experiences During Perinatal and Fertility Transitions
You might be dealing with things like:
Pregnancy anxiety or mood changes during pregnancy or postpartum
The stress of infertility or going through fertility treatments
Grief after pregnancy loss or when things don't go as you had hoped
Shifts in your identity, your relationships, or how you see yourself
Postpartum depression
Birth trauma
These experiences are deeply personal and often complicated by what your culture, relationships, or society expects of you.
Why am I feeling consumed by anxiety or sinking into a heavy sadness when I’m “supposed” to be happy? Why is becoming a parent suddenly bringing up so much from my own childhood? How do I navigate these shifting family dynamics and set boundaries without feeling overwhelmed by guilt?
As a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in perinatal therapy, trauma therapy, and attachment-based therapy, I offer online therapy in California, including telehealth for prenatal anxiety, postpartum depression, parenthood transition support, and perinatal mental health care; when you work with me, we drop unrealistic expectations and I provide compassionate, trauma-informed psychotherapy to help you manage anxiety, depression, intrusive memories, and relationship conflicts related to parenthood. Together we’ll gently process childhood wounds, develop healthy boundaries with family, reduce parental guilt, and build coping skills for emotional regulation, attachment repair, and self-compassion so you can step into pregnancy and parenting feeling grounded, present, and true to yourself—book a free consultation for teletherapy or online counseling in California.
My approach to perinatal therapy
Is this you?
This work might be a good fit if you:
Are going through perinatal or fertility-related emotional challenges
Feel alone or like no one really gets what you're experiencing
Want space to explore how you're changing and how complicated this all feels
Are looking for individual online therapy
Live in Thousand Oaks, San Diego, Santa Clarita, or another city in California.
Does Dr. Essid accept insurance for fertility, pregnancy, or postpartum therapy?
Yes, I'm in-network with Aetna, Medicare, and TRICARE. If you have a different PPO plan, I provide superbills so you can seek out-of-network reimbursement.
Ready for Therapy?
If you're thinking about therapy and want to see if this approach feels right for you, I offer a free 15-minute consultation.