Rochester, New York
Perinatal & Postpartum Therapy in Rochester, NY
Specialized support for women and parents navigating pregnancy, loss, birth, postpartum life, and the profound emotional and relational changes of becoming a parent.
Pregnancy and early parenthood can hold love, grief, fear, anger, tenderness, and exhaustion at the same time. When the experience does not match the version you expected, it can feel especially difficult to speak honestly about what is happening.
Perinatal and postpartum therapy offers a confidential place to set aside the pressure to perform gratitude or certainty. You can make room for complicated emotions while addressing the anxiety, depletion, identity changes, and relationship strain that may accompany this season.
Dr. Christina Ruzicka has specialized training in perinatal mental health. She supports women and parents in person in Rochester and virtually throughout New York, with care shaped around each client's history, family, and circumstances.
Common concerns
What brings you to therapy
Anxiety during pregnancy or after birth
Intrusive or frightening thoughts
Grief related to fertility, pregnancy, birth, or loss
Postpartum anger, guilt, resentment, or isolation
Feeling disconnected from yourself, your partner, or parenthood
Body image, feeding, identity, and the pressure to be a perfect parent
Christina's approach is relational, nonjudgmental, and attentive to the cultural messages that can make this season feel isolating. Therapy can hold both the practical demands of the present and the deeper experiences that parenthood may bring forward.
Sessions may include emotional processing, anxiety and emotion-regulation tools, exploration of identity and body image, and support communicating needs within a partnership or family system.
Care is individualized. Christina does not assume that pregnancy, birth, feeding, or parenthood should look or feel one particular way.
What sessions can involve
A thoughtful process shaped around you
The first sessions make space for what has been happening, what support you already have, and what feels most urgent. You do not need to minimize difficult feelings or arrive with a polished version of your story.
Together, you may work on reducing isolation, understanding intrusive thoughts, grieving an experience that did not go as hoped, navigating partnership strain, and rebuilding a sense of self alongside the demands of caregiving.
Therapy is not emergency care. If you or someone else may be in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Common questions
Questions about this service
When can perinatal therapy begin?
Support can begin while trying to conceive, during pregnancy, after a loss, following birth, or at any point in the transition to parenthood.
Do I need to identify as a mother?
No. Christina supports women and parents across a range of identities and family structures. The consultation can help determine whether her experience fits what you need.
Can I talk about intrusive thoughts without being judged?
Yes. Intrusive thoughts can be frightening and isolating. Therapy offers a place to discuss them honestly, understand their context, and determine what support is appropriate.
Can therapy include relationship changes after a baby?
Yes. Partnership strain, resentment, changing roles, intimacy, and communication are common areas of focus during the perinatal and postpartum period.
Curious whether this could be a fit?
Request a consultation to ask questions and talk through what you are looking for.Fees and insurance →General therapy FAQs →