Motherhood feels like too much and not enough all at once
Perinatal, Postpartum, and Parenting Therapy in North Carolina
A therapist for Autistic moms, Neurodivergent women, or anyone who has felt othered and is facing perinatal, postpartum and parenting anxiety.
Hi! Welcome to Otherwise Counseling
I’m Sara,
I provide a space for clients to find calm, clarity, and a different way forward. Without masking, shaming, or forcing themselves to parent the “right” way…whatever that is.
Despite being thoughtful, dedicated, and deeply feeling, my clients are exhausted.
When they first come in, they’re overwhelmed because the sensory overload never stops. Their body feels like it’s on high alert from the moment they wake up to bedtime (and usually throughout the night too).
It might be that pregnancy feels relentless. Smells are stronger, tastes are unbearable. Their own body feels foreign. The constant changes can be disorienting and leave them overstimulated.
Sometimes naming feelings is impossible. By the time they notice they’re upset, they’re already shutting or melting down.
Their anxiety, sensory overload, and burnout get in the way of the kind of parent they want to be. They feel like they’re failing. Or at least failing the version of motherhood everyone seems to expect.
Before my clients came to therapy, they were worried they wouldn’t be understood. They often struggle to communicate what they are experiencing in a way that makes sense to another human. Would this be another dismissive provider passing off their symptoms as “normal”?
They were pretty sure they just needed to deal with it and felt deep shame that they couldn’t do this like other moms. They felt they couldn’t handle it. They weren’t enough.
Like my clients, you deserve to feel confidence and a peaceful steadiness in the role of motherhood. You deserve to feel free from the shame of what you “should” be and feel proud of the amazing mom you are. You deserve to be seen, accepted, and held.
You’re not broken. Your nervous system is overworked.
I’m here to help.
Therapy that fits your brain and body
Therapy for my clients isn’t about fixing. It’s about helping their brain and body work with them, not feel like it’s fighting against them.
Here’s how we’ll work together:
Find calm without masking. Learn ways to settle your body without having to hide what you feel or pretend you’re fine.
Make sense of the chaos. Untangle what’s anxiety, what’s sensory overload, and what’s just life, so you know what to respond to and what to release.
Build trust in your own way of parenting. Instead of fighting to meet some invisible “good mom” standard, we’ll create routines that actually work for your brain and family.
Grow real self-compassion. The kind that lets you be gentler with yourself when you drop the ball, melt down, or need a break.
Create small, doable changes. No giant life overhauls. Just practical steps that help you feel a little steadier each week.
Otherwise Counseling is about knowing there is always another way to live, parent, and be with yourself. Together, we’ll find the one that works for you.
Feeling ready to take the first step?
Schedule a free 15-minute video consultation to see if we feel like a good fit. I’ll check in about what your needs are and what lead you to seek therapy now. I’ll give you a quick run-down of the logistics of working together and then tell you a bit about what to expect from doing therapy with me. You’ll also have the chance to ask any questions that will help you make a decision that feels right.
