Specialties | Racik Perinatal Counseling, Pllc

Specialties

Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders
Infertility
Queer Family Building
Perinatal Loss

Specialties

Perinatal Anxiety and Depression

Are you overwhelmed with worry and so exhausted that it's hard to motivate? We all have our own journey with isolation, especially in Covid times, as these years have not been easy on parents. One of the best ways to be with fear, worry and anxious thoughts is to be with someone we feel a safe connection with. Someone to listen with compassion and without judgement so you can explore your inner world with curiosity. Feeling overwhelmed in this time is a common experience. Doubt and shame creep in when our feeling state doesn't align with the honey sweetness our culture over-emphasizes in the perinatal time. Therapy has been shown to help support you in finding your way back to yourself. Come join me and we will do this together.

Fertility Challenges

Fertility can take us on a wild goose chase to find out the root cause. This search can sometimes lead to more questions than answers. There is so much trying and when we try to do all the things for optimal health, the subsequent feelings of failure and self-blame seem to follow. Treatment options can be overwhelming, time consuming, and emotionally draining. And just needing fertility treatment in the first place can make you feel that your body is defective, or is altogether broken. With support and guidance, you can reclaim your innate wholeness, and bring more ease while figuring out what choices are best for you along the way. Let's work together so you don't have to be alone in this personal process.

LGBTQIA+

Family Building

Family building in the queer community is a creative process with a unique set of choices and considerations. Whether deciding to use donor egg or sperm, fostering, adopting, or using a surrogate, the process to get to a babe in arms is one to behold! There is a lot to consider about the longterm impacts of your choices, and it doesn't help that our systems are rough to navigate. Often the process is very personal and private, for good reason, but going unseen can be isolating. It's hard to know how much to share with other people, or how to handle unwanted remarks. We can do this together, one step at a time, as you move forward in your personal process with informed and caring support.

Miscarriage & Perinatal Loss

Grieving a perinatal loss can permanently change you. While you may never "get over" the loss, you can move forward by taking active steps to cope and find acceptance. Much easier said than done, right? We are in this together. We will take the time to face the heartbreak in baby steps to process the loss to find meaning, honor the life that is forever a part of you, and find a way forward that allows your grief to co-exist with your current reality. There are different types of perinatal loss, the most common being miscarriage, but there is also the inability to concieve, chemical pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, stillborn and fetal demise of the newborn. Your pain and experience of grief is what defines the loss, and it is worth giving yourself the space to unwind with loving care and attention.

Approach

As a Perinatal Mental Health Counselor (PMH-C) trained by Postpartum Support International (PSI), I utilize best practices with the perinatal population. The therapeutic relationship is the foundation of our work, so building trust, rapport as a solid container are first and foremost. As a wholistic systems thinker, I include various approaches that work with the body, mind and spirit. We will explore your thoughts and feelings, examine your actions, incorporate body awareness, develop mindfulness and practice polyvagal/nervous system exercises.