COUPLES THERAPY IN PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA
Growing Closer, Not Apart, Through Pregnancy and Parenthood
Specialized perinatal couples therapy to help you navigate the stress of a expanding family, strengthen your communication, and protect your relationship.
Here are some of the things we can address together in couples therapy…
The "Mental Load" Burnout
One partner often ends up as the "default project manager" for the entire household, carrying the invisible weight of planning, remembering, and executing every detail of family life.
This imbalance isn't just about chores; it is an unsustainable burden that breeds deep resentment and exhaustion.
Defensive Cycles
Conflict often gets stuck in a repetitive loop where standard requests are perceived as personal attacks, and communication becomes a minefield of defensiveness.
You may find yourselves debating tasks rather than resolving the underlying strain, where every attempt to ask for support or express a need is met with a reflexive defense.
As you both navigate your shifting individual identities alongside your new roles as parents, communication often fractures.
Without a shared framework, expectations go unmet and frustrations go unvoiced, creating friction between your old life and your new reality.
Communication Breakdown
Loss of Connection
The transition to parenthood can quietly transform a partnership into a logistics-management team.
Overwhelmed by the constant demands of the infant and the household, the emotional friendship that once defined your relationship often fades into the background.
Frameworks I Use
in Couples Therapy
The Gottman
Framework Application
Postpartum conflict is usually about more than just the dishes; it's about how much your lives have changed. I use proven relationship strategies to help you understand why you're clashing and how to talk to each other better.
We'll work on moving past those defensive arguments and finding ways to support each other as you navigate this big transition together.
The Fair Play System
When the mental load of home life is invisible, it is easy for resentment to build up. You are both balancing a lot, and it is easy to lose sight of each other in the daily logistics.
Using the Fair Play method, we help you move past the "who does what" debates so you can stop managing the household alone and start feeling like a partnership again.
FREE GUIDE FOR OVERWHELMED MOMS
Practical tools for a calmer, more measured you.
When you're overstimulated, overthinking, snapping, or trying to hold everything together, it's not a lack of willpower…it's your nervous system. Regulated, Not Perfect gives you simple, evidence-informed tools you can actually use in the moments when motherhood feels like too much.
How to Get Started
Our onboarding process is designed to respect your schedule from day one. We focus on clear, structured steps to get you connected with specialized clinical care efficiently.
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Complete our brief, secure online form to share your current needs, availability, and location within California.
Connect for a short, 15-minute phone consultation to ensure clinical alignment and answer any specific questions.
Access your secure portal to start your individual telehealth sessions or join for in-person local support in Petaluma.
Fair Play Coaching
The invisible mental load of managing a household shouldn't fall on just one person. If you are tired of constant chore negotiations, feeling like a household manager, or experiencing burnout, Fair Play Coaching offers a clear, proven path forward.
Stop managing alone. Learn more about Fair Play Coaching today to create a more fair and happier home.