Perinatal Support:
Navigating the Transition to Parenthood

The journey through pregnancy and the first years of parenthood is one of the most significant neurobiological and emotional shifts a person can experience. While this is often a time of joy, the reality can be more complex. At Practice San Francisco, we provide a warm, supportive, and open space for parents to navigate new parenthood with resilience and self-compassion.

Schedule a Perinatal Consultation Call

Support for Every Step of the Journey

Whether you are navigating the challenges of fertility, managing the anxieties of pregnancy, or adjusting to the "new normal" of life with a baby, our perinatal services are grounded in empathy and deep clinical expertise.

Our perinatal support focuses on:

  • Emotional Awareness & Regulation: Learning to navigate the intense highs and lows that can accompany pregnancy and the postpartum period, so that you can move beyond the baby blues into sustainable wellness.

  • Identity & Role Transitions: Processing the changing dynamics within your identity, your partnership, and social circles.

  • Managing Perinatal Anxiety & Depression (including Perinatal OCD): Evidence-based strategies to address everything from mood shifts to unwelcome thoughts, feelings, urges, worries or doubts, anxiety-inducing obsessions, so you can overcome perinatal anxiety or OCD and reclaim the joy of parenthood.

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HOW WE HELP

Individual Therapy 

Tailored, one-on-one support for trying to conceive (TTC), pregnancy, postpartum, and the early parenting years. Our insight-driven sessions help you identify your specific mental health needs, build and strengthen a compassionate parenting mindset, and create a roadmap for sustainable mental health. 

Clinical Support Groups*

A unique space to build community and connect with other parents, realizing you are truly not alone in these challenges. (*based on interest)

Ready to get started?

Schedule a Perinatal Consultation Call

OUR PERINATAL TEAM

Michaela Friedrich, LMFT
CA License #134589

I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #134589) based in San Francisco, offering in-person sessions in the Bay Area and virtual therapy throughout California. I specialize in anxiety disorders, including OCD, with a special focus on perinatal and postpartum mental health.

Supporting individuals through the transitions of pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood is deeply meaningful to me. I’ve completed multiple specialized training in this area, including advanced work through Postpartum Support International, and I’m passionate about helping clients feel more grounded, supported, and connected as they navigate these profound life changes.

My style is warm, collaborative, and grounded in evidence-based care. I integrate CBT, ACT, attachment-based interventions, and behavioral parent coaching to meet each person where they are. Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, intrusive thoughts, identity shifts, or relationship changes, my goal is to create a safe and compassionate space where you can explore your experiences and build a path toward healing and confidence.

Michaela is currently accepting new clients for Perinatal Support.

Alana Wolens, LCSW
CA License #117908

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW #117908) with a background in supporting children, adolescents, and families experiencing anxiety, depression, and trauma. I am trained in various evidence-based interventions including ACT, CBT, and DBT. I recently expanded my practice to include pre-expecting and perinatal clients. I have completed specialized training through Postpartum Support International’s Maternal Mental Health program, equipping me with the tools to support birthing people through the unique emotional landscape of pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood.

Currently, I am only offering virtual sessions for those within California, allowing clients to access care from the comfort and privacy of their own space. In early 2026, in addition to virtual sessions, I will also begin offering in-person appointments in Los Angeles.

I understand firsthand the complexities and joys of parenthood. My goal is to provide a compassionate, nonjudgmental space where clients can feel supported, understood, and empowered throughout their mental health journey.

(Alana returns from maternity leave on March 19. Alana is accepting new clients for virtual sessions via telehealth and we are currently scheduling appointments from March 20)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • The "baby blues" (tearfulness, irritability, and fatigue) typically peak a few days after birth and subside within two weeks. If your feelings of anxiety, sadness, or uncertainty are intense, persistent, or interfering with your ability to care for yourself or your baby, it may be perinatal anxiety, depression or OCD. Practice San Francisco is here to help you move past the guessing game and provide a clear roadmap for your emotional health.

  • You are welcome to bring your baby! But there is no requirement to. We understand the logistical hurdles of early parenthood. Many parents find it easiest to have their infant with them, while others feel more comfortable and engaged in a solo session. Our office is a supportive environment and we can accommodate the realities of life with a newborn.

  • Perinatal mood shifts often show up as intense anxiety, scary, intrusive thoughts, or a feeling of being constantly on edge rather than just feeling sad. However,  if you are having repetitive, unwanted, or irrational, excessive urges, you may be experiencing Perinatal OCD. Postpartum depression and Perinatal OCD are both treatable, and Practice SF’s experienced perinatal therapists can help. We focus on emotional awareness and self-regulation to help you manage the ‘what-ifs’ and quiet the internal critic that many new parents face.

  • Perinatal therapy specifically addresses the unique neurobiological and social shifts of the transition to parenthood. We focus on the specific identity shifts, partnership changes, and hormonal impacts that occur from conception through the first years of parenting.

  • There is no "right" time, but many families find that starting to build a resilience toolkit during pregnancy, before the baby arrives, can make the postpartum transition much smoother, and help you feel more grounded, supported, and connected.  

  • Book a consultation call with our coordinator. Our coordinator will hear a brief overview of your concerns, get all your info and help secure a first appointment with one of our perinatal therapists.