Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts & Emotional Overwhelm in Motherhood
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely studied and effective treatments for anxiety, depression, and intrusive thoughts—especially during the perinatal period. At The Mother Hood, we offer trauma-informed CBT tailored to the unique emotional landscape of new and expecting parents in Los Angeles and virtually across California.
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What Is CBT?
CBT helps you understand the link between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. When something feels overwhelming or out of control—like anxiety about your baby’s safety or guilt about how you’re feeling—CBT helps you examine and reframe the thoughts that are feeding that distress.
CBT is present-focused and skills-based. It teaches you how to:
• Identify unhelpful or distorted thought patterns
• Challenge those thoughts with evidence
• Shift your behavior in ways that reduce anxiety and build self-trust
• Build coping tools for stressful or triggering situations
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CBT for Perinatal Mental Health
CBT is one of the most recommended treatments for:
• Postpartum anxiety and depression
• Perinatal OCD (e.g., intrusive thoughts, compulsive checking)
• Birth trauma
• Fear of childbirth or repeat pregnancy
• Sleep-related anxiety in new parents
• Identity loss and self-critical thinking in motherhood
Whether you’re stuck in rumination, battling intrusive “what if” thoughts, or feeling numb and unmotivated, CBT gives you concrete tools to understand what’s happening and how to move forward.
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What CBT Looks Like at The Mother Hood
You’ll work with a therapist trained in both CBT and perinatal mental health, so your treatment is aligned with the emotional, hormonal, and identity changes that come with this stage of life.
Our CBT approach includes:
✅ Psychoeducation about how your thoughts influence feelings and behaviors
✅ Thought tracking and restructuring (noticing thought traps like catastrophizing, all-or-nothing thinking, or self-blame)
✅ Behavioral activation to reconnect you with things that bring meaning or joy
✅ Skills for anxiety regulation, sleep, and communication