Play Video

Goal-Oriented, Holistic Therapy for Perinatal Mental Health and Trauma Recovery

Jennifer Speed Byrnes, LPC, PMH-C
EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist

Book my Session

View Services

Are you…

1 Feeling stuck in unhelpful relationship patterns or using unhealthy coping mechanisms for stress?
2 Trying to conceive, pregnant, or postpartum and struggling with symptoms like depression, anxiety, obsessive thoughts, or feelings of hopelessness?
3 Recovering from recent or chronic traumatic events that are interfering with your ability to live the life you want?

How I can Help

Holistic Therapy for Perinatal Mental Health

Services

Intensive EMDR and Therapy Services

Why Choose Jennifer

Face to Face and Virtual Sessions

Free 15-minute Consult

Variety of Tools and Interventions

Therapy Options to Fit Your Needs

Why Choose Jennifer

Face to Face and Virtual Sessions

Free 15-minute Consult

Variety of Tools and Interventions

Therapy Options to Fit Your Needs

Jennifer Speed Byrnes, LPC, PMH-C EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist

About

Specializing in Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Maternal and Women's Mental Health

My journey into the field of Perinatal Mental Health was unexpected and challenging. Although my background in Forensic Psychology initially led me in a different direction, the birth of my first child and all the complications that came with it inspired me to do whatever I can to alleviate the traumas and difficulties mothers and parents face when pregnant and postpartum.

My own experience with Postpartum Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD give me unique insight and empathy to help others recover. I didn’t heal on my own, and you don’t have to either. Therapy, medication, and EMDR helped me work through my traumatic birth and alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety so I could begin enjoying parenthood. I can help you develop your own plan for healing and recovery so you can navigate your pregnancy and postpartum experience with less distress and more joy.

Learn more

Frequently Asked Questions

What is therapy like?

When clients come into therapy with me, one of the first things they can expect is a collaborative approach. After all, this is a client’s therapy, not mine. We talk about expectations they have for therapy and for me as their therapist and develop a plan together that includes the various treatment options available to them along with the necessary education for them to make an informed decision about each one. There are many options to customize a client’s holistic therapy experience down to the length and frequency of sessions as well as an estimate of how long they might need in order to reach their treatment goals. The client and I decide together the best way forward given their symptoms, personal strengths, and timeline.

Is EMDR Therapy helpful if I don’t have a big traumatic experience in my history?

Do you accept insurance?

I am an out of network provider with most insurance companies. This allows me to provide a higher and deeper level of care regardless of what clients come in with because I am not necessarily bound by the restrictions placed on therapists by insurance companies. There’s a lot more flexibility in what we can do in session to help you make the progress you want. However, I always provide clients with the necessary paperwork to submit for possible insurance reimbursement, and I’m happy to try and navigate your insurance benefits with you to determine your financial investment.

Do I have to take medication if I’m struggling?

Not everyone who struggles or comes in to therapy requires medication in order to make progress. However, medication is a tool that can be very helpful in the short or long-term to make progress more quickly and get symptom relief faster. I never push clients to take medication (that’s a decision to be made between client and a doctor or psychiatrist); however, I will be very honest when I think it’s something that might benefit someone. No one deserves to suffer needlessly when tools are available.

What is therapy like?

Is EMDR Therapy helpful if I don’t have a big traumatic experience in my history?

Do you accept insurance?

Do I have to take medication if I’m struggling?

What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and it was initially developed as an intervention to reduce the distress and physical symptoms people experience as a result of a traumatic experience. It incorporates both physical (or somatic) trauma healing, as well as cognitive rewiring of our brains to interact with the memory differently. It’s not magic, and it can be really intense, but it is a powerful tool to help people heal from many types of single incident and chronic trauma.

Is EMDR Therapy safe during pregnancy?

How do I get back to feeling like myself after having a baby?

This is one of the things I feel like most moms are surprised by. How much motherhood changes us down to the molecular level. We often feel lost in the sea of diaper changes, sleeplessness, and loss of freedom. It sometimes takes time to find our way back to the things we enjoyed before or even recognize ourselves in the mirror. We are moms but we are also people, and the things we were before, we still are today. Try to find one small thing that you enjoyed before or liked about yourself prior to baby and use that to put one foot in front of the other. (Hint: Sometimes we can’t even remember what life was like before baby, so take a look at those before pregnancy pictures for some inspiration).

Can you have a traumatic birth when both mom and baby are physically “okay”?

Yes. Just because mom and baby ultimately make it through the delivery and have no ongoing physical complications does not mean it was a trauma-free birth. Trauma can occur when fear, horror, helplessness, and lack of control or consent are present, and this can happen in many ways and for many reasons. If you’re struggling with trauma around your birth experience and are experiencing symptoms like intrusive thoughts, nightmares, frequent tearfulness, difficulty eating or sleeping, and hypervigilence around your baby, meeting with a therapist can be very helpful. Birth trauma is effectively treated with EMDR and relief from symptoms can occur in just a few sessions.