Prenatal & Postpartum Therapy in Peterborough, Ontario
Support for the parts of new parenthood no one prepares you for
For Mothers and Fathers, Not Just One or the Other
Most conversations about perinatal mental health focus on mothers, and rightfully so, but fathers go through their own version of this transition too: identity shifts, sleep deprivation, financial pressure, and often less support or permission to talk about any of it.
This practice in Peterborough works with both parents, individually or as a couple, because the transition into parenthood affects the whole household, not just the person who gave birth.
Support through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. Penny Hope offers prenatal and postpartum therapy in Peterborough, Ontario, for mothers and fathers, in person or online.
Postpartum Depression & Anxiety
Postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety are two of the most common experiences new parents face, and also two of the most under-recognized. Postpartum depression can look like persistent sadness, numbness, or a loss of interest in things that used to feel meaningful. Postpartum anxiety often shows up as racing thoughts, intrusive worries about your baby's safety, or a constant sense of being on edge.
Both are medical realities, not a reflection of how much you love your child or how capable you are as a parent. With the right support, they're also very treatable.
Why Creative Process Helps in This Season
New parenthood often brings feelings that contradict each other at the same time, love and resentment, gratitude and grief, all tangled together in a way that's hard to say out loud, especially to people who expect you to just be happy. As a professional Art Therapist, Penny uses creative practice to give those contradictions somewhere to go besides staying stuck inside you.
No art background needed. This isn't about the finished piece, it's about what surfaces along the way.
What Sessions
Look Like
Early sessions focus on where you are right now, pregnant, newly postpartum, or further along, and what's actually been hard, not what you think you're supposed to say. From there, sessions move at your pace, blending conversation with creative work when it helps put words to something that's been hard to name.
Peterborough clients can come in person, and Ontario clients anywhere else can do this work entirely online.
Penny's Background
I hold a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology and work as a Registered Psychotherapist and professional Art Therapist in Peterborough, supervised by Dr. Pati Beaudoin, Registered Psychologist. My approach is trauma-informed, with training in Neurographica, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and EMDR, which is especially relevant when a birth experience was traumatic or didn't go as expected.
FAQs
01
Do you work with fathers, or just mothers?
Both. This transition affects the whole family, and fathers are welcome here individually or alongside their partner.
02
I feel guilty for not feeling happy after having my baby. Is that normal?
Yes, and it's more common than most people realize. This is exactly the kind of thing therapy can help you work through without shame.
03
Do you see clients outside of Peterborough?
Yes, online sessions are available for clients throughout Ontario.
04
Is this confidential?
Yes, in line with professional and ethical standards.
