Meet Preston
Postpartum and Trauma Therapist for Dads and Couples in Fort Collins, CO
My mission is to grow a safe place and felt sense of community through individual therapy and groups for the spectrum of postpartum dads and couples: grief after traumatic loss, changed relationship dynamics and identities postpartum, PTSD symptoms after overwhelming birth stories, even the new parent struggling to feel like themselves again.
Together we will be able to help you understand your anxiety, irritability, or sadness and learn how to no longer feel ashamed of it. In therapy you will be able to process a difficult birth or loss without feeling like you must continue to hold it all together. You will reclaim what an authentic lived experience means in this new chapter and learn to restore connection with yourself, your partner, and your baby in a way that feels deeply fulfilling again.
I’m a dad. I know what it’s like…
You thought about the day you would become a father for what feels like your whole life. You read the books, pieced together the nursery, and did the work determined to step into this new role as the most present version of yourself you’ve ever known. Built from the wholesome desire to give your baby the dad you know they deserve. Then the day came that changed your life forever. You’re holding your child in your arms and while this is one of the happiest feelings you’ve ever experienced no one warned you for the flood of different emotions you would also be met with and the crushing pressure you don’t know how to explain.
What happens next is different than what you expected. The books you read didn’t prepare you for the exhaustion that slowly chips away at your sense of identity and closeness with your partner. Maybe you feel yourself distancing from friends and family, engaging in hobbies less frequently, or even becoming increasingly irritable. Slowly, you begin to stop recognizing the person looking back at you in the mirror.
If any of this sounds like you, understand that your postpartum experience is very common among new dads and couples. If you are feeling shame for your current experiences as a new parent we can offer that part of you compassion because it comes from your desire to be a good parent. If you would like help decreasing shame, sadness, or irritability and to shift into a stronger sense of normalcy and authenticity then reach out for a free consultation!
What should I expect in postpartum and trauma therapy?
Postpartum dads and couples face unique challenges. Many new parents feel unexpected sadness, anxiety, irritability, or engage in increased escapism behaviors. Often in partnership, one individual feels the bulk of the mental load while the other feels like an outsider to the whole experience. Together, we will be able to give voice to your unique experience, process areas that keep you feeling stuck, and help your nervous system shift into new ways of experiencing change that feel safe and manageable.
I view the therapeutic space we share and the experiences you bring forward as sacred. Therapy is meant to feel safe, while simultaneously challenging for growth. In your work with me you can expect to feel secure and seen and have your story treated carefully. I prioritize trauma informed care which means nothing has to feel like too much too fast.
You can expect to be offered tangible skills paired with the opportunity to connect with your body and the protected silence for deep reflection in order to feel more empowered to face your unique challenges. Through the use of techniques like EMDR, IFS, mindfulness, and somatic work you will be able to gently reconnect with yourself and be able to nurture the parts of yourself that you feel are temporarily wounded. As a dad or couple, this postpartum phase can be navigated in a way that feels successful to you!