Touchstone News

Perinatal trauma and dissociation present unique challenges in clinical practice. This complex interplay of trauma, attachment, and hormonal changes requires specialized understanding and approaches. Explore insights from Dr. Nirit Gordon on perinatal trauma and dissociation, and discover how to provide effective, trauma-informed care for clients navigating these sensitive issues.

Childhood sexual abuse trauma often reactivates during pregnancy and postpartum, posing unique challenges for survivors. This article guides perinatal therapists in recognizing trauma symptoms and delivering compassionate, trauma-informed care to support healing during this critical time.

Learn how to adapt EMDR therapy to meet the unique needs of diverse clients. With a focus on inclusivity and cultural sensitivity, this client-centered approach ensures that EMDR is accessible to all, regardless of background or experience.

EMDR in couples therapy isn’t about jumping straight to reprocessing. It’s about timing, safety, and understanding relational dynamics across all eight phases. This article explores how clinicians can integrate EMDR with couples thoughtfully - supporting regulation, connection, and trauma-informed decision-making.

ADHD in the perinatal period is often missed, even as research shows a fivefold increase in postpartum depression and anxiety for birthing people with ADHD. This article reviews key findings, explores emotional themes from lived experience, and offers clinically useful ways to support neurodivergent birthing people.

Practical, clinician-focused guidance for working with clients navigating assisted reproductive technology - screening for trauma, cultural considerations, documentation risks, and when to consult. Includes steps to preserve the therapeutic frame and next-step training.

NICU parents often ask, “Did I miss my chance to bond with my baby?” In truth, bonding is not lost in a missed “golden hour.” As Mara Tesler Stein reminds us, “We’re not geese. We have a lot of time to bond.” For clinicians, understanding the distinctions between bonding, attachment, identity, and grief can ease shame, validate parents’ experiences, and open the door to real healing.

Discover how sandtray therapy for reproductive trauma and loss supports healing when words aren’t enough. Explore case examples, grief dynamics, and creative therapeutic approaches.

EMDR therapy can be transformative - but with perinatal clients navigating complex trauma, standard protocol may not be enough. This article explores how the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model reframes readiness, why Phases Two and Four require more than just technique, and how slowing down can lead to safer, more effective trauma healing.

Understanding the connection between perinatal mental health and breastfeeding trauma is essential for providing effective, trauma-informed support during human milk feeding.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is gaining traction as a trauma-informed tool for clients with treatment-resistant postpartum depression and anxiety. When paired with EMDR, it opens new possibilities for healing. Learn how these modalities work together to support deeper processing for perinatal clients when traditional tools fall short.

Maternal rage isn’t a diagnosis, it’s a signal. In this post, therapist Nicole McNelis, M.Ed., NCC, LPC, PMH-C, helps us reframe maternal rage as a valid, embodied response to powerlessness and overwhelm. We explore how it shows up in therapy, what research reveals, and what clinicians can do to support clients with practical, evidence-based interventions.

Read our Pride Month reflection on why we don’t change our logo - and how we practice LGBTQIA2S+ inclusion, equity, and anti-oppression all year long at Touchstone Institute.

Psychologist Mara Tesler Stein reflects on NICU parenting, trauma, and identity in her Seeing Ability podcast interview. This post highlights key insights for perinatal clinicians and introduces resources for supporting NICU families with compassion and clinical clarity.

Perinatal therapists hold stories of grief, transformation, and healing every day. This post explores the emotional labor of that work and offers support for clinicians navigating the quiet, steady role of listening—whether in moments of visibility or behind the scenes.

Support clients through perinatal medication decisions with compassion, clarity, and confidence—without stepping out of scope.

How can intake be more than administrative? Explore how trauma-sensitive practices turn the first session into a foundation for healing.

How does a therapist’s lived experience impact their work? Explore self-disclosure, countertransference, and burnout in perinatal therapy.

Supporting clients through TFMR requires compassion, knowledge, and legal awareness. Here’s what perinatal therapists need to know.

Discover how understanding relationship dynamics is essential for perinatal therapists, even when working with individual clients.