“I thought I was the only one.”

It’s a phrase we hear over and over again from parents who come to us looking for answers. Why do I feel so stressed and alone? Why is parenting so hard for me when it looks like it comes naturally to others? Why am I having a hard time bonding with my baby? Why does pregnancy feel so scary to me?

One in seven women and one in ten men experience prenatal and/or postpartum depression and anxiety. Many parents are also survivors of childhood adversity or persistent toxic stress which can increase the risk for mental health struggles and make parenting even more challenging. In addition, the COVID-19 crisis, combined with the trauma associated with systemic racism, discrimination, and financial strain has brought enormous stress to many families.

At the Redleaf Center for Family Healing, we understand the impact stress and trauma can have on children and parents. We also know the importance of helping bring hope and joy into the lives of the families we serve.

We take a multi-generational approach to support the emotional health and parenting capacity of parents. This approach helps build a foundation for the nurturing, loving relationships that all children and parents need to thrive.

The core service of the Redleaf Center is the Mother-Baby Program, which provides a range of intensive outpatient mental health and parenting support services for individuals during pregnancy and parenting of young children. Additional Redleaf Center services include outpatient mental health and parenting support and reproductive psychiatric care for individuals who are expecting a baby, parenting young children, or planning a pregnancy; a teaching kitchen, and other mind-body-spirit supports.