Shianling Weeks (she/her)

If you're pregnant, or recently gave birth, struggle can show up in lots of ways: depression, anxiety, obsessive thoughts and actions, PTSD, and in rare cases psychosis. You do not have to suffer alone and there is nothing "wrong" with being unable to bask in the glow of pregnancy and parenthood the way you're "supposed to." These issues are treatable with compassion, acceptance, and research-backed therapy. Let's normalize your scary thoughts and figure out your plan for recovery together.

Depression doesn't always look like Charlie Brown. You can appear to have it together, continue functioning well at work, but inside you are numb, depressed, or holding your life together by a string. Or you can be doing really well at work but not well with friendships or intimate relationships. We will work on getting re-engaged with your life, taking small steps defined by you to get out of the hole, allow through sadness, grief and loss, and step back from the harsh things your brain says.

I treat anxiety using ACT and CBT techniques. Anxious feelings and worry thoughts are normal, and when they are plaguing you and taking up too much mental space for you to feel present in your life, it's time for help. Too often we take our anxious thoughts super seriously, allowing them to derail us into avoiding things we actually want to do. We will work on stepping back and taking control of this present moment, choosing meaningful life goals. Anxiety is very treatable!

CBT is great at targeting specific areas, such as depression, anxiety, panic, perinatal concerns, insomnia, and chronic pain. I fold these evidence based treatments into our work as needed. We will identify thoughts that block you and many people struggling with similar issues. We will find ways to block and choose different actions to the behaviors you want to change.

DBT is amazing for learning how to use mindfulness and values to approach making it through really painful, distressing times; learning how to name your emotions and what they help and hinder; upping your people skills at asking directly for what you want and need. DBT also helps us view ourselves and others with compassion and acceptance, helping us navigate life's pain effectively and with less suffering. It packages lots of helpful skills in a way that's easy to follow and practice.

I've got lots of experience with people's suffering, and across the board what helps is acceptance of painful thoughts and feelings. Fighting thoughts and feelings, trying to make them into something positive, ignoring them, shoving them down - it doesn't work and actually ends up making them stronger. We can empower ourselves to actively choose to live according to our values, even in the face of emotional pain.