Postpartum Therapy in Los Angeles

Reviewed by Dr. Sanam Shamtobi, PhD, PMH-C

In short: Postpartum therapy is specialized mental health care for the months after birth: the anxiety, the rage, the grief, and the stranger you sometimes feel like in your own life. In Los Angeles, The Mother Hood offers it three ways: in our Brentwood office, in your home, or online anywhere in California.

The casseroles stop around week six. The check-in texts thin out. And somewhere between month four and month seven, many mothers feel the full wave of what just happened, right around the time everyone assumes they are fine. If that is where you are, you are not late to therapy. You are right on time.

You can be deeply in love with your baby and feel like you are treading water. Both are true for many of the mothers we see. You are not broken and you are not failing; you are moving through an intense transition without the village you were promised.

Los Angeles adds its own weight: family two time zones away, a career that did not pause, the quiet math of what help costs here, and a feed full of mothers who seem to be doing this effortlessly. They are not. And getting across town with a newborn is its own project, which is exactly why we built postpartum care that can come to you.

A composite of who calls us: a mom on the Westside, five months postpartum, back at work, pumping in a borrowed office, crying in the parking structure, and telling everyone she is fine. That is who this page is for.

What postpartum therapy helps with

• Postpartum depression, when the heaviness will not lift

• Postpartum anxiety and the big, scary thoughts that arrive uninvited

• Postpartum OCD and intrusive thoughts

• Mom rage, the anger that surprises you most

• Birth trauma, when the delivery itself will not leave you alone

• Relationship changes after baby, because a new baby renegotiates everything

Three ways to do this

Our office is in Brentwood, on San Vicente, and many Westside moms come in person. If leaving the house with a newborn feels impossible, at-home postpartum therapy brings the session to your living room. And online postpartum therapy reaches mothers anywhere in California, scheduled around naps instead of against them.

Some mothers also join group therapy to sit with other women in the same stage of life. Hearing another mom say your quietest thought out loud changes something.

Specialized care, not general talk therapy

A good general therapist can help with many things. But postpartum is its own clinical territory: hormones, identity, sleep deprivation, and a nervous system rewired for a new job. Every therapist at The Mother Hood works exclusively in maternal mental health, and Dr. Shamtobi holds a PhD and the PMH-C, the specialized perinatal mental health certification. Our whole model is built to reduce the friction between you and getting help.

Looking for something more specific? We also have pages on postpartum anxiety therapy in Los Angeles and postpartum depression therapy in Brentwood.

Start here

It starts with a free 15-minute phone consultation. Tell us what the days actually feel like; we will match you with the right therapist and the right format.

Book your free consultation →

What the Research Shows

The National Institute of Mental Health reports that most episodes of perinatal depression begin within 4 to 8 weeks after the baby is born, and that women with postpartum depression generally will not feel better without treatment. Support is not a luxury here; it is the treatment.

From Dr. Shamtobi

Dr. Shamtobi describes the timeline she sees over and over:

"For a lot of women, it's between four to seven months. They start to really get the wave of what just happened. And around the time where people stop checking in on them, you're really doing it alone at that point." (as shared on the We Shine Well podcast)

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you come to me, or do I come to you?

Either. Our office is in Brentwood, we offer at-home sessions, and we see mothers all over California online. The format follows your life, not the other way around.

Do you take insurance?

We are out-of-network, and we are upfront about it. We provide superbills you can submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement, and we will walk you through exactly how that works.

How do I know if this is postpartum depression or just exhaustion?

If the heaviness has lasted more than two weeks, gets in the way of your days, or keeps you awake even when your baby sleeps, it deserves attention. Our guide to postpartum depression vs. the baby blues walks through the differences. You do not need a diagnosis to reach out.

Is it too late to start if my baby is almost one?

No. Matrescence, the becoming of a mother, does not run on a deadline, and neither does support. Many women start therapy in the second half of the first year, exactly when the wave tends to land.

Medical Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line), or contact the Postpartum Support International Helpline at 1-800-944-4773. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider about your specific situation.