Therapy for Pregnancy Planning

Planning for Pregnancy Is More Than Just Medical Appointments

Preparing to become a parent — whether it’s your first time or you’re expanding your family — can bring excitement, uncertainty, and a flood of emotions.

You may be thinking about:

  • How pregnancy will impact your body, relationships, and career.

  • Your ability to balance parenting with other life goals.

  • Whether you’ll have the support you need.

  • Fears of miscarriage, complications, or passing down family trauma.

For Black women, these concerns are often compounded by systemic racism in healthcare, cultural expectations around motherhood, and a history of our needs being overlooked. Therapy can help you prepare emotionally, mentally, and spiritually — not just physically.

How Pre-Pregnancy Stress May Show Up

Pre-pregnancy stress can affect the body, emotions, and relationships. For Black women, these worries may be intensified by cultural expectations and systemic barriers.

EMOTIONALLY Worrying about whether you’ll be a “good” parent. Anxiety about fertility or health conditions. Doubts about readiness or partner support.
PHYSICALLY Trouble sleeping or relaxing. Feeling “on edge” even when things are going well. Stress-related headaches, muscle tension, or appetite changes.
IN RELATIONSHIPS Conflict over family planning timelines. Feeling misunderstood by friends or family. Struggling to communicate needs and fears.

How Therapy Can Support You In PREGNANCY PLANNING

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

How it helps:  Identifies and reframes anxious or unhelpful thoughts about readiness, parenting, and pregnancy risks. Builds confidence in decision-making.

What it looks like:  Working together to challenge “what if” fears, set realistic expectations, and create a mental health plan for your parenting journey.

How it helps: Ensures your decision to pursue pregnancy and parenthood aligns with your personal, cultural, and spiritual values.

What it looks like: Clarifying priorities, discussing boundaries, and building support systems before you begin the parenting journey.

How it helps: Processes past traumas — such as difficult medical experiences, family conflict, or pregnancy loss — so they don’t overshadow your future plans.

What it looks like: Using bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping) to reduce the emotional charge of past events, freeing you to approach pregnancy with more calm and clarity.

Mindfulness & Grounding Practices

How it helps:  Keeps you grounded during decision-making, reduces anxiety, and improves emotional regulation.

What it looks like: Breathwork, guided imagery, and grounding exercises you can use during fertility treatments, medical visits, or stressful conversations.

Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)

Values & Life Alignment Work

The Role of Faith in Therapy

For many Black women, faith is more than belief — it’s guidance for life’s biggest decisions. Your spirituality, church family, and cultural traditions may influence how and when you decide to become a parent.

Faith integration in therapy can look like:

  • Praying for wisdom or clarity about your family planning journey.

  • Exploring scripture that speaks to patience, preparation, and motherhood.

  • Discussing how cultural or community expectations shape your decisions.

  • Navigating how to respond to pressure or unsolicited advice with grace and boundaries.

We also hold space for those who may be navigating church hurt, spiritual doubt, or conflicting messages from faith communities. Therapy can help you reconnect to the spiritual practices that empower you while releasing those that bring shame or fear.

Online & In-Person Therapy for Pregnancy Planning — Accessible and Confidential

Whether you’re in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Concord, Atlanta, or anywhere in California or Georgia, you can choose what works best for you. Our secure telehealth platform connects you with a Black woman therapist from the comfort of your own home, and our in-person sessions offer a safe, welcoming space if you prefer to meet face-to-face

Meet Our Black Women Therapists

Therapy for Pre-Pregnancy & Parenthood Planning FAQs

  • Yes — we accept multiple insurance plans in California and Georgia. These include: United Healthcare (Optum), Oxford (Optum), United Healthcare Medicare Advantage, Anthem Blue Cross California, Anthem EAP (Bank of America), Blue Shield of California, Carelon Behavioral Health, Magellan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Quest Behavioral Health, Aetna, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, Independence Blue Cross Pennsylvania, and Cigna. We also offer therapy vouchers for eligible Black women currently pregnant or within one year postpartum.

  • Absolutely. Therapy is a judgment-free space to explore your desires, hesitations, and possible life paths — without pressure.

  • We can process that grief and fear together, helping you approach the possibility of pregnancy with emotional readiness and realistic support planning.

  • We’ll focus on the emotional, mental, and relational aspects of preparing for pregnancy and parenting, and collaborate with your healthcare providers as needed.

Additional Resources

  • Therapy for Infertility & Fertility Challenges (coming soon)

  • Blog: Preparing Emotionally for Parenthood as a Black Woman