The Postpartum Stress Center

06/18/2026

🔥GOOD MOMS is currently 40% off (!) on Amazon selling for only $11.42 today! Thought someone might want to know. 😉

06/16/2026

7 Things I Love about Postpartum Women in Distress
(And wonder if, when they recover well, they will see what I see)

🌹She is vulnerable.

Her heart is broken, which causes excruciating pain. But when this happens to her heart, it also opens it a bit. What I can see, that she may not yet believe, is an acute sensitivity that will eventually enable her to heal and grow. Emotional vulnerability dares her to stand up against her symptoms and move forward despite the temptation to give up. This takes courage and staying power.

🌹Her fear is intense.

This is hard to love because it’s so agitating for her, but it is matched by her determination to feel better and reconnect with her family. She is compelled to restore her body, her mind, and her soul to good health. Even when she cannot see through the darkness, she believes, on some level, if she listens long enough, works hard enough, seeks the right support, and follows the right pathway, she will find her way back to herself .

🌹She laughs seldom, but easily.

I love this most of all. You have to look for this on. I find it inspirational to witness a weary but hopeful smile in response to some delicate (or indelicate) attempt of mine to assess her ability to take on my quip and connect with me, despite her resistance. When she smiles or laughs or joins my effort to engage her in this way, I can see her true self for an instant. It’s magical.

🌹She is hungry for joy.

Right at the surface of distress rests her desire for a return to her former self. She is exhausted and depleted. She is also primed and poised for relief. When she can sense a hint of respite, a sprinkle of hope, or a clue of better days to come, she can breathe more easily.

🌹She is painfully self-aware.

While she currently sees introspection as an anxious companion to her agonizing ruminations, it is also a reservoir of emotional access which, when she feels better, will illuminate her postpartum journey with insight and perspective. It is this burden-blessing dichotomy that will spin things in a positive trajectory as she recovers.

🌹She is an angry mama bear.

She may feel that distress threatens her baby by impairing her relationship or her ability to mother. This enrages her. It also motivates her. When we can harness that arousal, we can guide her toward support resources that she is unable to utilize when distress is high.

🌹She is ambivalent.

She does not want to feel this way for one minute longer. If we offer a glimpse into the option that she will not always feel this way, she is hopeful, she is grateful, she is desperately appreciative. She doesn’t want help but she can’t stand the way she is feeling. She wants validation, reassurance and mostly, she wants relief from her symptoms. She is a beautiful paradox of defenselessness and power. Of nakedness and supreme focus. She is scared and she is determined. These contradictions can bewilder her at first, but can ultimately provide momentum toward healing.

06/15/2026

🦋
For perinatal therapists in pursuit of clinical excellence
The Art of Holding Perinatal Women in Distress™

This is more than a training. It is an experience that will transform your clinical practice.

www.postpartumstress.com/registration


Rachel Brabec
Ashlee Adams
Kristina Ledlow

06/13/2026

6-hr core training 💜
The Art of Holding Perinatal Women in Distress™
The Karen Kleiman Training Center
with Rachel Brabec, Lead trainer

Another spectacular group of passionate clinicians diving deep into the art of holding...

Next virtual training Oct 2, 2026

06/13/2026

Pic by for The Postpartum Stress Center

06/12/2026

"At The Karen Kleiman Training Center, LLC, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠™ serves as the foundational framework for all training and educational programs. We are dedicated to advancing clinical expertise and therapeutic approaches for the treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, equipping clinicians with the knowledge, skills, and clinical competence necessary to effectively support healing and recovery for perinatal women experiencing emotional distress."

https://www.postpartumstress.com/faculty

06/09/2026

- Upcoming AOH trainings -

For perinatal therapists in pursuit of clinical excellence.

postpartumstress.com


Adams
Rachel Brabec
Ledlow

06/08/2026

06/08/2026

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ This week’s Advanced AOH training was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when curious minds and open hearts come together. Our space was overflowing with supportive energy, and I was deeply inspired by the thoughtful engagement, clinical expertise, and commitment each clinician brought to the experience. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

06/01/2026

“Most mothers interpret intrusive thoughts as evidence that something is profoundly wrong with them because the content feels incompatible with who they are,” says Karen Kleiman, MSW, LCSW, founding director of The Postpartum Stress Center."

Struggling with intrusive thoughts from PPD? Learn why they happen, what they mean, and how to find support.