A Mother’s Counseling Journey

Although my pregnancy started off as planned, it quickly went off course due to all the chaos within my personal life. For years I battled with anxiety disorder and depression, but I was really struggling with all of the changes and overwhelming emotions in my life plus I was feeling very isolated. Around 11 weeks gestation, I knew I needed to speak with my doctor and be prepared to get help.

My doctor administered the depression screening questionnaire, and I cried the entire remainder of the visit. The results of the depression screening confirmed that I was in fact experiencing depression. I was referred to Hopeful Beginnings by my OBGYN at my 12 week check up and although I was grateful to begin to understand what I was facing, I was only cautiously optimistic.

Initially, I was hesitant to open up to my therapist, but the more open and reflective I became, the stronger I felt. With the therapy that I received, along with my new anxiety medication I started to believe that things were beginning to improve, and they were!

Now I have an increased sense of self awareness and self worth, and I attribute that to the hard emotional work that I’ve done through Hopeful Beginnings. I’ve learned healthy coping mechanisms and become familiar with visual diagrams and images to help me process my emotions in a healthy way. I have new boundaries within my relationships, and I’m loving life with my baby girl. I have been able to heal myself from past traumas and I am confident that I have the tools to continue to break ancestral curses and guide my beautiful baby girl to emotional and mental well-being. I am forever thankful to Hopeful Beginnings, it’s administrators, donors, and most especially both Olivia and Rachel.