Perinatal Mental Health and Postpartum Depression Therapy in Brookline and Boston, MA
Helping expectant and new parents feel like themselves again, from pregnancy through the baby's first year.
Perinatal and Postpartum Mental Health Therapy
You expected this season to feel joyful. Hard, but joyful. If it feels heavy or frightening instead, you deserve support now.
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are the most common complication of pregnancy and childbirth. They can begin any time through the first year after birth and affect about 1 in 5 birthing people and 1 in 10 non-gestating parents. Yet many never get the care they need.
Struggling during this period isn't “just hormones” or a sign you're failing as a parent. It's highly treatable, and I'm here to help you through it.
Postpartum Depression Therapy in Brookline and Boston, MA
Whatever this season is bringing up for you, specialized perinatal care can help you find your footing again.
As a perinatal mental health therapist, I treat:
Anxiety During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Care for constant worry, racing thoughts, or a sense of dread that makes it hard to feel present and get through your day.
Depression During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Support for low mood, irritability, or feeling disconnected from your baby and the things that used to bring you joy.
Pregnancy and Postpartum OCD
Treatment with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for intrusive, unwanted thoughts that feel frightening and completely out of character.
Postpartum PTSD
Trauma-informed care for flashbacks, panic, or hypervigilance that can follow a frightening birth, medical complications, or a NICU stay.
Adjustment to Parenthood or Matrescence
Becoming a parent is a major developmental shift, known as matrescence for mothers, that can profoundly reshape your identity, and therapy gives you space to explore those changes and the pull between your new role and your career.
Many parents experience more than one of these at the same time, and we'll personalize your care around what you're going through.
How Perinatal Mental Health and Postpartum Depression Therapy Can Help
Our first goal is relief. We'll start by understanding what your days are like and use tools from CBT, ACT, and ERP to ease the symptoms, such as spiraling worry, intrusive or scary thoughts, and changing moods. We will work to help you live a life that feels more aligned with your values.
From there, we'll make room for the bigger picture. Becoming a parent can stir up expectations from your own childhood, pressure to do everything perfectly, and a complicated mix of love for your baby and grief for the life you had before. We'll explore those layers with curiosity while you build self-compassion and a kinder inner voice.
Therapy can also work alongside medication if you decide it’s right for you.
Therapy for Postpartum Anxiety, Depression, and OCD
Session Details
Consultation:
We start with a 20-minute phone call to see whether we're a good fit.
First appointment:
Your initial session is $300 for 60 minutes.
Ongoing sessions:
Regular sessions are $275 for 50 to 55 minutes.
In person:
I see clients in a calm, window-filled office at 1577 Beacon Street, Suite D, in Brookline.
Telehealth:
Virtual sessions are available anywhere in Massachusetts and Virginia.
Payment:
I accept cash, check, and all major credit cards, including HSA cards.
Insurance:
I'm an out-of-network provider and will give you the paperwork to submit for reimbursement. If you’re unsure how this works, I’m here to help!
If you'd like to know what your plan may cover, I partner with Mentaya to check your out-of-network benefits before your first session.
When you're ready, reach out to schedule a consultation, and we'll talk through what support could look like for you.
Perinatal Mental Health Certified Therapist in Brookline and Boston, MA
Meet Elizabeth Apkin, Psy.D.
Pregnancy and the first year with a baby are some of the most vulnerable months of a person's life.
I'm a licensed psychologist and Perinatal Mental Health Certified (PMH-C) through Postpartum Support International. That designation requires years of experience with postpartum patients, specialized training, a competency exam, and compulsory ongoing education to stay current on best practices.
I work with birthing parents, partners, and non-gestating folks of all genders. I'm especially attuned to the ambivalence and grief that driven, accomplished people can feel when a new baby changes their career and identity.
Supporting families through this season is a privilege, and I'll be right there with you through it.
Here’s what my colleagues say:
“She is someone I recommend wholeheartedly to anyone seeking support during pregnancy, postpartum, or beyond.”
“Liz Apkin is one of the most skilled and compassionate perinatal mental health therapists I have had the privilege of working with. The perinatal period can bring up anxiety, depression, past trauma, and the quiet pressure of trying to do everything perfectly.
As a nurse and doula supporting expectant and new families, I know how much it matters to have a mental health professional you can refer to with complete confidence. Liz is that person. She is a trusted colleague, a true expert in her field, and someone I recommend wholeheartedly to anyone seeking support during pregnancy, postpartum, or beyond.”
— Anna Trueb, RN, Co-founder of Birth Savvy
When to Reach Out for Postpartum Mental Health Therapy
Have you cried at how impossible it is to fathom that your baby’s toes could be SO small? How about sobbing at the idea that your one-week-old baby is going to leave for college one day?
Some tearfulness and mild mood swings in the first two weeks after birth, often called the baby blues, are expected due to significant hormone fluctuations.
However, if you just don’t feel like yourself and like you’ve lost your general sense of contentment during pregnancy or postpartum, it’s time to reach out.
Perinatal mental health therapy can help if:
You rarely laugh or find humor in things that used to amuse you.
Small frustrations feel overwhelming, and you run out of patience fast.
You feel distant from your baby or unsure how to connect.
Worry or obsessions make it hard to leave the house or let trusted people help with your baby.
You can't fall asleep or have trouble sleeping.
You experience intrusive thoughts about your baby’s safety or harming your baby.
You feel torn between your new role and the person you were before.
You are fixated on how you are feeding your baby, and having a difficult time seeing any other way.
You are having thoughts like “my baby would be better off without me.”
You feel unhappy and not like yourself.
You don't need to be in crisis to reach out for support, and you don’t have to do this alone.
Perinatal Therapist in Boston and Brookline, MA
Specialized support for new parents
In the thick of postpartum, you need a clinician who is trained in perinatal care and can treat the challenges you’re facing.
As a therapist, I:
- Bring doctoral-level expertise in clinical psychology to complex mental health challenges.
- Hold a Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) that requires ongoing training in best practices, including monitoring for postpartum psychosis.
- Respond calmly and without judgment to the thoughts you're afraid to say out loud, including thoughts of harming yourself or your baby.
- Understand how a past loss, trauma, or fertility journey can shape pregnancy and parenthood.
- Welcome fathers, partners, and non-gestating parents of all genders who are struggling in this season.
- Focus on lasting change that prepares you for a return to work or a future pregnancy.
- Support you in showing up as the parent you’ve longed to be.
Together, we'll help you feel more like yourself and confident in who you are, both as a parent and beyond it.
Perinatal Mental Health and Postpartum Depression Therapy in Brookline and Boston, MA
FAQs
What is perinatal therapy?
Perinatal therapy is mental health care spanning pregnancy through the first year after birth. It treats perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), such as depression, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD, along with the broader adjustment to becoming a parent. Though it’s rare, this also includes postpartum psychosis. Therapy is available to both birthing people and non-gestating parents.
You can learn more about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in this article I wrote for Birth Savvy.
Do you prescribe medication?
As a psychologist, I don’t prescribe medication. I have a list of trusted prescribers with whom I work closely to facilitate comprehensive care for my clients who would benefit from this intervention. While I don’t prescribe and cannot provide medical advice, I am regularly monitoring whether a referral for psychopharmacological intervention is appropriate.
What if I'm having thoughts of harming my baby or myself?
Unwanted, frightening thoughts about harm coming to your baby are common in the perinatal period, especially with anxiety or OCD, and having them doesn't make you a bad parent. They're often so upsetting precisely because they go against everything you want. You can talk about these thoughts with me openly, and we'll work through them together.
If you're thinking about acting on thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, call or text 988 or call 911 right away. If you are having a mental health emergency, the Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL) is available 24/7, 365 days per year, and is available for all residents of Massachusetts. Call or text 833-773-2445.
What is postpartum psychosis?
Postpartum psychosis is a rare but serious condition that affects about 1 to 2 in every 1,000 births, usually within the first few weeks after delivery. Signs can include seeing or hearing things others don't, confusion, paranoia, delusions, rapid mood swings, and going days with little or no sleep. I have experience diagnosing and treating postpartum psychosis, and I'm comfortable screening for it.
It's a medical emergency, so if you notice these signs in yourself or someone you love, it’s important to get help immediately. The Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL) is available 24/7, 365 days per year, and is available for all residents of Massachusetts. Call or text 833-773-2445. Therapy is part of recovery once you are medically stable.
Where is your office?
My office is at 1577 Beacon Street, Suite D, in Brookline, just outside Boston. I also offer telehealth sessions anywhere in Massachusetts and Virginia.
Can I bring my baby to therapy sessions?
Yes. Babies are always welcome, whether we meet in person or by telehealth, and my office has a Boppy pillow for feeding or holding your baby during our time together. Lack of childcare should not be a barrier to getting the care you need.
How much does perinatal mental health and postpartum depression therapy cost?
Your first appointment is $300 for 60 minutes, and ongoing sessions are $275 for 50 to 55 minutes. I accept cash, check, and all major credit cards, including HSA cards.
Do you take insurance?
I'm an out-of-network provider for most major carriers, with one exception. I'm in-network with UnitedHealthcare Student Resources for Boston College and Tufts University students.
Many plans reimburse part of out-of-network care, and I'll give you the paperwork to submit. Paying privately also keeps your diagnosis and treatment details off your insurance record.
You can learn more on my Fees and Insurance page.
More Areas of Clinical Focus
Infertility and Loss →
Grief-focused support through fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, termination, and stillbirth, at a pace that feels right for you.
Trauma and PTSD →
Trauma-informed therapy that helps you rebuild a sense of safety and control after overwhelming experiences.
OCD →
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to loosen the hold of intrusive thoughts and compulsions, including those that can develop during pregnancy and parenthood.
Anxiety and Depression →
Support for persistent worry, low mood, and perfectionism that make it hard to enjoy what you've worked for.
Life Transitions →
Help finding steadier footing through career changes, burnout, relationship shifts, and new roles.
