NICU Parent Therapy

Having a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is an experience few parents can truly prepare for. Whether your baby spent a few days in the NICU or endured an extended stay lasting weeks or months, the experience can leave lasting emotional wounds.

Many NICU parents experience overwhelming anxiety, grief, guilt, or feel as though they’ve missed out on the early bonding experience they had envisioned. As both a psychologist and a mother who has personally experienced extended NICU stays with two of my own children, I understand the unique challenges this journey can bring.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist and Perinatal Mental Health Certified (PMH-C) provider through Postpartum Support International. Therapy provides a safe, compassionate space to process the trauma of the NICU experience, cope with the uncertainty, strengthen your emotional resilience, and navigate the transition home.

I work with clients in Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Calabasas, and Hidden Hills, elsewhere in the Conejo Valley, and throughout California through secure telehealth.

During a NICU stay and after you are home

While your baby is in the hospital, you may be living between a bedside and a breast pump, trying to work, care for other children, and hold yourself together. After discharge, the alarms can fade while the hypervigilance remains. Some parents feel they cannot relax even when their baby is finally home and growing.

You don’t have to carry the weight of this experience alone. Together, we’ll work toward helping you find hope, healing, and confidence as you care for both your baby and yourself.

NICU trauma can overlap with birth trauma and with postpartum depression or anxiety. If you would like a broader view of pregnancy-through-postpartum care, see perinatal psychology.

NICU parent therapy in Thousand Oaks and the Conejo Valley

Parents in Thousand Oaks and across the Conejo Valley often look for a therapist who understands NICU life from both a clinical and a personal vantage point. I also work with families in Westlake Village, Calabasas, and Hidden Hills.

In-person sessions are available in Ventura County. Telehealth can be especially useful when you are still spending long days at the hospital or are not ready to leave your baby with anyone else.

Frequently asked questions

My baby is okay now. Should I still be this shaken?

A better medical outcome does not erase what you lived through. Many parents feel they should simply be grateful, even when their nervous system is still on high alert. Both things can be true: your baby is here, and the experience was hard.

Do I need to wait until we are discharged to start?

No. Some parents begin while their baby is still in the NICU, using telehealth between visits. Others wait until they are home and the adrenaline has worn off. Either time is a good time to get support.

Will my own NICU story become the focus of sessions?

No. I may understand parts of this world from the inside, but your experience is the one that matters in the room. My story is not the focus of our work together.