As a psychologist specializing in maternal mental health, Dr. Emily Guarnotta has seen firsthand the challenges many women face in accessing quality care for issues like infertility, pregnancy loss, and postpartum depression. Motivated by both personal and professional experiences, Dr. Guarnotta is launching an innovative new telehealth practice called Phoenix Health to help address these gaps in care. I recently had the opportunity to speak with her about her work and her vision for improving maternal mental health support.
A Personal Journey Leads to Professional Passion
Dr. Guarnotta’s interest in women’s health was sparked by her own experiences with family planning. “I started realizing that it’s not as easy as I anticipated it would be to have a family,” she shared. As she and her friends navigated challenges like infertility, pregnancy loss, and postpartum mental health issues, she recognized a significant need for better support and specialized care in this area.
Addressing Unmet Needs in Maternal Mental Health
In her practice, Dr. Guarnotta frequently encounters women struggling with pregnancy loss and grief. She emphasized how this type of loss is often not fully recognized or validated by society, making it difficult for women to process their grief. “A lot of women will say that they don’t even feel like they have the space to grieve or they have a right to grieve,” she noted.
Dr. Guarnotta stresses the importance of allowing time and space for this grieving process, rather than rushing to “get over it.” She uses the analogy of grief as a ball in a jar – while the grief (the ball) remains constant, our life and capacity (the jar) grows around it over time.
Introducing Phoenix Health: Specialized Online Care
Recognizing the difficulty many women face in finding specialized maternal mental health support, Dr. Guarnotta developed Phoenix Health, an online telehealth practice set to launch in June 2024. The practice will offer care for women dealing with:
- Infertility-related stress, anxiety, and depression
- Prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety
- OCD and birth trauma
- Pregnancy loss and grief
By offering online services, Phoenix Health aims to reduce barriers to care like transportation issues and long wait times. Dr. Guarnotta noted that while she was initially skeptical of telehealth, she’s found it can be highly effective and convenient for many clients.
When to Seek Help
Dr. Guarnotta emphasizes that it’s never too early to reach out for support if you’re struggling. Even if you don’t meet all the criteria for a specific diagnosis, talking to a professional can be beneficial. For those experiencing postpartum symptoms, she advises that while some “baby blues” are normal in the first couple weeks, persistent symptoms beyond that point may indicate a need for professional help.
Customized, Integrative Treatment Approaches
At Phoenix Health, Dr. Guarnotta and her team will use an integrative approach, tailoring treatment to each client’s specific needs. This may include cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness interventions, or relational-based therapies depending on the individual’s situation.
Hope for the Future
By increasing access to specialized maternal mental health care, Dr. Guarnotta hopes to help more women navigate the complex emotions surrounding fertility, pregnancy, and early parenthood. Her message to women struggling with these issues is clear: seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness, and it’s never too early to reach out for support.
To learn more about Phoenix Health and join their waiting list, visit www.joinphoenixhealth.com.
You can also find out more on social media at:: www.instagram.com/_phoenix_health/
Phoenix Health Facebook: www.facebook.com/JoinPhoenixHealth
Emily’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr_emily_guarnotta/
Jennifer Senn is a certified life coach who is also a bereaved mom of twin girls born at 32 weeks. She helps stillbirth moms let go of guilt, process their grief, and figure out what’s next for their future. You can learn more about her and schedule a free support session at jennifersenn.com.
