Therapy for Motherhood and Identity Therapy in London | Support through matrescence, work, relationships and life's changes
Nobody really prepares us for how much becoming a mother changes. Your body, your relationships, your work, your sense of who you are. Often it happens gradually, until one day you realise you can't remember the last time you did something just for you.
Many of the women I work with were the organised, capable ones before they had children, the person everyone else relied on. Motherhood tends to ask for more than that version of you can give, and it's hard to make sense of while you're still carrying everything for everyone else.
This is a space for mothers at any stage, whether your children are babies or at school, and for anyone going through another big change alongside motherhood, like going back to work, moving countries or the end of a relationship.
What we work on
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Matrescence, the identity shift of becoming a mother, and working out who you're becoming
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The invisible labour and mental load of running a household, and feeling like no one sees it
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Rage that feels frightening or out of character, and the guilt that follows
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Changes in your relationship with your partner, and how you share the load as co-parents
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Going back to work, staying at home or somewhere in between, and the guilt that can come with any choice
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Your relationship with your own parents, and how the way you were parented shows up now
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The pressure to be a "good mother", and the expectations placed on mothers more widely
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Building your village, and learning to ask for and accept help
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Other transitions that sit alongside motherhood, such as a move, a career change or a relationship ending
How therapy can help
Together we'll make space for everything this season has brought up, including the parts that don't fit the picture of motherhood you had before. We'll look at the patterns you learned growing up, the standards you're holding yourself to, and what you actually need now. Alongside that, we'll find practical ways to ease the day-to-day, like telling your partner what you need before resentment builds.
Over time, many clients notice the guilt start to soften, and motherhood begins to sit alongside the other parts of who they are.
My approach: Integrative, drawing on relational, psychodynamic and mindfulness-based therapy, and shaped around what you need.
Session format: Sessions are 50 minutes, weekly, in person in Notting Hill, West London or online across the UK.
Common questions
My children aren't babies anymore. Is it too late for this kind of therapy?
Not at all. Matrescence doesn't end at the first birthday. Many mothers come years in, often when going back to work, a second baby or a new stage brings things up.
I'm not depressed, I just don't feel like myself. Is therapy still for me?
Yes. Feeling stuck, flat or disconnected from yourself is reason enough. You don't need a diagnosis to come.
Can therapy help my relationship if my partner doesn't come?
Yes. I work one-to-one, and many clients use sessions to understand what's happening between them and their partner, and to find new ways of communicating.
Get in touch to ask a question or enquire about working together. You don't need to have it all figured out before you reach out.