Thrive Therapy and Couples Counseling

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Long Beach, CA
Thrive Therapy and Couples Counseling

I am Anna McDonald, a licensed clinical social worker, helping people work through life's conflicts.

08/26/2026

Our son is here. 🤍

He arrived July 17th at 10 pounds on the dot, via VBAC and this birth ended up being one of the most healing experiences of my life.

I've had three births and three completely different stories.

My first happened during COVID, when I didn't really know what I needed or how to advocate for myself. My second was a planned C-section followed by eight days in the NICU with our daughter. Going into this birth, I realized I was still carrying pieces of both experiences with me.

This time I did something differently: I leaned all the way into support.

I advocated for what I wanted. I let my medical team be honest with me about the risks. I stayed flexible about what might need to change. I let my doula support us. I let our family help. I even somehow slept through part of an induction between 5 and 10 centimeters, which still feels slightly ridiculous to type.

And somewhere in all of that, I got to experience birth without feeling powerless.

I've spent thousands of hours training in perinatal mental health, and becoming a parent again has reminded me that knowing something clinically and living it personally are very different things.

Support matters.

Being heard matters.

Having space to process what you've been through matters.

And asking for help before you're completely overwhelmed matters.

I'm taking the next few months to settle into life as a family of five, recover, and let this chapter be what it needs to be.

But I'm also already looking forward to returning to client work in October 2026 with an even deeper appreciation for the transitions I have the privilege of helping people navigate.

If you're looking for support with pregnancy, postpartum mental health, anxiety, relationships, parenthood, or another major life transition, my fall waitlist is now open.

Go to the link in bio to join 🤍

08/12/2026

I think summer gets sold to us as the season that's supposed to fix everything.

More sunshine.
More flexibility.
More fun.

And sometimes that's true.

But sometimes summer simply creates enough space for us to notice what we've been avoiding.

The relationship issue you've been pushing aside.
The anxiety you've been managing.
The decision you've been postponing.
The exhaustion you've been telling yourself you'll deal with later.

If you're taking a break from therapy this summer, that doesn't mean you have to put your growth on hold. Maybe this season is less about fixing everything and more about paying attention to what keeps asking for your attention.

And if you're already thinking, "I probably want support in the fall," trust that.

My waitlist for therapy, couples work, and intensives is now open for when I return.

Because sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is make a plan before you need it. 🤍

08/05/2026

One of my favorite things about Gottman's research is how hopeful it is.

Because healthy relationships aren't built by being perfect. They're built by paying attention.

Most couples aren't growing apart because they stopped loving each other. They're growing apart because life got busy, stress got loud, and connection became something they assumed would happen automatically.

It doesn't.

Relationships are built in tiny moments.
The quick check-in.
The shared joke.
The text message.
The "tell me more."
The decision to turn toward each other instead of away.

If you've ever wondered why some relationships seem to deepen over time while others slowly drift apart, this is a big piece of the puzzle.

And if you want to learn more about the patterns that quietly impact connection, I've put together a free video:

🎥 The 4 Patterns That Quietly Destroy Relationships (And How to Change Them)

Comment SUPPORT for the link.

07/22/2026

Nobody warned me that every jump comes with its own version of "What have we done?" 😂

Currently accepting thoughts, prayers, and practical tips.

In all seriousness, one of the biggest lessons parenthood keeps teaching me is that every season requires a different version of you.

And sometimes the hardest part isn't the logistics. It's letting go of the idea that you're supposed to already know what you're doing.

Comment JOIN to sign up to my newsletter for more honest reflections on relationships, parenthood, mental health, and navigating life's transitions. 🤍

07/08/2026

One of the biggest lies we tell new parents is that the hard part is the lack of sleep.

The sleep deprivation is brutal. But that's not what surprised me most.

The surprise was realizing how much becoming parents changes the relationship itself. The things you used to have endless room for suddenly feel bigger. The things you used to do naturally suddenly require planning. And the relationship that once felt effortless sometimes needs much more intentional care.

It's a lot.

Comment WAITLIST if you'd like first access to appointments when I return this fall. In the meantime, you can join my newsletter to stay connected and I'll be sending out a monthly check in with some ways to make the mess a little less chaotic - comment NEWSLETTER for the link!

06/24/2026

One of my more controversial relationship opinions?

We spend far more time preparing for the wedding than we do preparing for the marriage.

We research venues.
Taste cake.
Compare DJs.
Debate seating charts.

Meanwhile, the things that will actually determine the health of the relationship often get very little attention:

Communication.
Conflict.
Repair.
Friendship.
Trust.

The good news? You don't have to wait until your relationship is struggling to invest in it.

If you're curious about the patterns that quietly impact relationships, start with my free video: The 4 Patterns That Quietly Destroy Relationships (And How to Change Them)

Comment NOW and I will send you the link.

And if you're looking for deeper support, my Couples Intensives will reopen this fall. Comment INTENSIVE for more info.

06/17/2026

One of the biggest myths I hear is that having a baby "caused" the relationship problems.

Usually, it didn't.

What it did do was remove a lot of the buffers couples used to rely on.

Less sleep.
Less time.
More responsibilities.
More stress.

And suddenly the communication patterns, resentments, assumptions, and disconnection that were easier to overlook become impossible to ignore.

The good news?

Awareness is the first step toward change.

If you're feeling disconnected from your partner, start small.

Comment DATENIGHT and I will send you my free guide.

06/12/2026

Some weeks end like this. 🤍

Sitting with the weight of what it means to do this work long-term — to really know someone, to walk with them through the hardest chapters, and then get to witness the moment things actually shift.

Today I ended my week seeing healing. Hope. Legacy being rewritten.

If you’re in the thick of it right now — the hard, slow, unglamorous work of healing — I want you to know it’s happening, even when you can’t see it yet. Keep going.

And to my long-term clients (you know who you are) — it is the honor of my career to do this with you. 🥹

06/11/2026

The wedding industry has convinced us to spend months preparing for a single day.

I wish more couples spent that same energy preparing for the decades that come after it. Because eventually you're not going to be debating centerpieces.

You're going to be navigating stress, disappointment, family dynamics, changing identities, financial decisions, and all the other very human things that show up in long-term relationships.

The goal isn't to become a couple who never faces challenges. The goal is to become a couple who knows how to face them together.

If you're getting married, engaged, or simply want to strengthen your relationship before small issues become bigger ones, my Couples and Premarital Intensives will be reopening this fall.

Comment INTENSIVE for more information 🤍

06/10/2026

Not me cackling at this as a therapist who has sat across from actual humans for years 😂 “Your brain is totally not broken” lives in my head rent free now. Tell me your most unhinged, surprising, or weirdly healing therapy moment 👇 I need to know I’m not alone.

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Long Beach, CA

Website

https://www.thrivetherapyandcouplescounseling.com/

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