Maternal Wellness
arts-based therapy & creative wellness for pregnancy, new mother/parenthood and beyond…
Your journey. your story. your Wellness.
Pregnancy and new mother/parenthood can be quite the journey. A journey which you may be surprised and even hesitant to admit, doesn’t feel quite ‘right’.
That topsy-turvy experience which is putting you off kilter is something that many people feel but don’t always openly talk about. Often we can feel disconnected from ourselves, child(ren), partner, and/or other significant relationships. We may also experience exhaustion, loneliness, resentment, worry, depression, ambivalence, or shame.
I believe that 'becoming a mother' is a rich and complex process full of diverse and subjective experiences. It can be a dramatic and disorienting transition in your life and create a whole multitude of unexpected changes. There is no shame in feeling that these immense changes may be in contrast to your expectation of what pregnancy and parenthood is supposed to feel and look like. This is a significant time in your life, be gentle to yourself.
So for those who wish to creatively explore and reframe their image of what it is like to 'mother', art therapy and creative wellness may be just your cup of tea. The creative process offers opportunities to express and understand your changed sense of self-identity, self-worth, emotional wellness, physical changes, and personal expectations as a result of pregnancy and parenthood.
Types of Offerings
Just like parenting, there is no one size fits all for mode of therapy. That’s why I offer a variety of types of sessions.
Individual
If you want dedicated one-on-one time to explore your journey, then a private 1hr session is for you. This hour will provide you with some meaningful and restorative time for you. These sessions will nurture your sense of self and personal well-being.
Group
Groups and workshops are an excellent way to connect and create with others. These groups typically run for 1.5 to 2 hours and are aimed at increasing self-confidence, supporting self-reflection and creating a sense of community.
Matrescence
the process of becoming a mother
Have you ever thought, ‘I thought I would be happier?’, or ‘I don’t know what I’m doing?’, ‘I feel lost’. Guess what? Many of us have had some point…and continue to do.
The term ‘matrescence’ was coined by Dana Rapheal in the 1970’s. It is a term used to described the dramatic and sometimes disorienting developmental transition of pre-conception, pregnancy and birth, surrogacy or adoption, to the postnatal period and beyond. It is deeply individual and can have bio-psycho-social-political-spiritual impacts. It is often likened to the ‘other’ development period, adolescence.
Experiencing distress, loneliness, exhaustion, ambivalence, resentment, depression, shame, and even anger can be part of this process. Likewise you may experience joy, humour, pride, and wonder.
Simply put… parenting is an epic journey and sometimes we become overwhelmed by the myth of motherhood. Being able to reframe your image of motherhood is a healing and empowering tool in your process of matrescence.
Nurture compassion and creativity as you explore your journey and story.
Want to learn more?
“We need to do a better job educating women about what sorts of psychological experiences they’re going to encounter during pregnancy and new motherhood that’s based on identity shift and hormones and relationship changes and body changes.”
— Dr. Alexandra Sacks, Redefining Motherhood: Matrescence and Debunking the Myth of the Perfect Mother — Episode #110 The Startup Pregnant Podcast
My Creative Journey
As a mother to a young child, I deeply value the creative process as a primary tool for my own personal wellness.
When I was pregnant, I felt strange and ambivalent to the whole thing. It was not sunny, rainbow and lollipops experience for me, rather it was full of (dis)connections to my sense of self as well as big questions, odd sensations, and general anxiety. My creative practice enabled me to voice the things I was uncertain, confused or scared about. It provided me with a sense of strength and was a supportive friend when I felt uncomfortable with what was happening.
Despite having supportive maternal care, the immense changes and physical complications of childbirth left me feeling there has to be more space to explore and process the hard stuff. The stuff which we are often taken surprised by, the stuff we are unprepared for, the stuff which can make us feel like a not-good enough mother.
As an artist and art therapist, my personal art practice has become deeply informed by my unfolding relationship to motherhood. It has provided me a space to be honest, open and vulnerable. I wish that my work as an art therapist and artist may attempt to deconstruct and augment the discourse on how and what it feels like to “mother”.
If you want to learn more about my art practice, please visit my online portfolio (click below).
— Oona