Therapy for Perinatal Mental Health

Katharine L. Rowny, PsyD is a psychologist in the San Francisco Bay Area specializing in perinatal (pregnancy and postpartum) mental health and grief counseling for stillbirth and pregnancy loss.

 

You don’t have to experience the challenges of pregnancy and post-partum alone.

Together, we can make space for concerns related to:

  • Feelings of sadness, anxiety, and anger

  • Understanding upsetting or recurring thoughts

  • Grief from miscarriage, pregnancy loss, or stillbirth

  • Unexpected difficulties with labor and delivery

  • Relationship changes and social support

  • Returning to work or staying at home with baby

How I Can Help

Perinatal Mental Health

Pregnancy and the postpartum period can present parents with unique and sometimes unexpected challenges. Therapy is a space where you can get help with managing sadness, worry, anger, and upsetting thoughts, explore the bond with your baby, learn about communicating your needs to others, and receive support as you navigate your new identity as a parent.

Stillbirth & Pregnancy Loss (Individual & Couples Therapy)

No words fully capture the magnitude of losing a much longed-for baby due to stillbirth, miscarriage, TFMR or other pregnancy loss. The experience of grief that follows is a deeply personal process. Counseling offers a space to receive support, ease feelings of isolation, talk openly about your loss, explore rituals, and contain the complex emotions that can accompany the process of bereavement.

Additional Services

Psycho-Oncology

Being diagnosed with breast or gynecological cancer can be an overwhelming experience. Therapy is an opportunity to explore thoughts about a new diagnosis, learn about managing existential distress and grief and consider options regarding fertility & family planning, Therapy can also be a space where to receive support as you navigate treatment & the challenges that can accompany life after active medical care.

Consultations for Family Building

You might be considering important questions about using fertility treatment, a donor gamete, or a gestational carrier as part of your path to parenthood. Consultations are designed to provide intended parents and gamete (Egg/sperm) donors and gestational carriers support, education, and a space to explore psychological and emotional aspects of this family-building process.

 How To Begin

1

Get in touch

Please contact me at (415) 634-5580 or katharinerowny@drrowny.com so we can set up an initial consultation.

2

Meet for an Initial Consultation

Finding a therapist with whom you feel comfortable with is an important part of starting treatment. The first few sessions will allow us to discuss your concerns in more depth and see if it is a good fit. If need be, I can help you find a therapist best suited to help you.

3

Establish a Regular Meeting Time

We will identify a regular time to meet for a weekly appointment.

FAQs

  • Yes. I'm currently providing therapy in-person from my office in downtown Berkeley, CA or through a telehealth video platform.

  • For therapy, we will typically meet once a week for 45 minutes. Occasionally, a patient might find it helpful to meet more than once a week depending on their specific circumstances. Appointments for third-party family building consultations depends on the specific parties involved, although they typically occur over 1-2 weeks.

  • My fees for therapy are commensurate with other licensed psychologists in the Bay Area. Please call me at (415) 634-5580  for more information. Payment is due at the time service is rendered unless other arrangements have been made.

  • Currently, I do not accept insurance and I'm therefore known as an "Out-of-Network Provider" on most insurance plans. Some insurance plans include benefits that partially cover therapy for out-of-network providers,  and I am happy to provide you with a monthly statement to submit to your insurance carrier to seek reimbursement. Please click here for questions to ask your insurance company regarding possible out-of-network benefits for mental health.

    Good Faith Estimate: Starting January 1st, 2022, You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your healthcare care will cost. Under the law, health care practitioners need to give patients who do not have insurance or who are not using their existing insurance to pay for and/or seek reimbursement for services an estimate of the expected charges for healthcare, including mental services, such as psychotherapy or a consultation/evaluation for third-party family building. You can request from your health care practitioner for a Good Faith Estimate prior to scheduling a service. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.

About Katharine

I am a licensed clinical psychologist and psychotherapist with extensive training and experience in the area of perinatal mental health and reproductive health psychology. I help provide a safe space for individuals to understand and manage changes in mood during and after pregnancy, express grief after a pregnancy loss, talk about unexpected difficulties with labor/delivery, or explore your emerging identity as a parent.

 

Katharine L. Rowny, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist specializing in perinatal (pregnancy and postpartum) mental health and grief counseling for stillbirth and pregnancy loss.