You went from partners to coparents. You miss each other.
"We used to be close. Now we're just coparenting strangers."
No commitment. We'll confirm your coverage before your first session.
You're sleeping in the same bed, raising the same child, and somehow you feel further from each other than ever. The conversations are about logistics. The intimacy has evaporated. You're fighting about the same things over and over and neither of you knows how to stop. This is the most common pattern in new parenthood — and it's fixable.
What you're describing is relationship strain in the perinatal period — one of the most studied and treatable forms of couple distress, with evidence-based therapies that work specifically for this phase. Learn more about Relationships & Couples therapy →
You might benefit from therapy if…
- ✓You feel like roommates or coparents, not partners
- ✓You're fighting about chores, sleep, time, and attention in cycles you can't break
- ✓One or both of you is depressed or anxious, and it's spilling into the relationship
- ✓Intimacy has stopped, and you don't know how to talk about it
- ✓You still love each other, but something important is missing
Dr. Emily Guarnotta
Psychologist & Founder
From our founder
Almost every couple I see in the postpartum phase tells me some version of the same story: we used to be close, and now we feel like roommates. That's not a verdict on your relationship. It's a description of what this phase does. The couples who do the work usually come out closer than they were before, and that's why I love this part of the practice.
What therapy looks like
Our Relationships & Couples specialists
Most Phoenix Health therapists hold PMH-C certification — the gold standard in perinatal mental health.
Amanda Flowers
LPC, PMH-C
Works with perinatal OCD and neurodivergence, using body-based tools to calm the nervous system.
Licensed in TX, MT
Lyndsay Ward
LCSW, PMH-C
An attachment theory expert who helps you unpack how your childhood shows up in your parenting.
Licensed in NY
Analisa Velasco-Lopez
EspañolLCSW
A toddler mom herself, she helps parents heal from difficult births.
Licensed in CA
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Natalia Cruz Navarro
EspañolLCSW
12+ years with families through high-risk pregnancies, fetal diagnoses, and NICU stays.
Licensed in CA
Real clients. Real relief.
What our clients say about their experience.
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“"After our daughter arrived, neither of us knew how to talk about what had changed between us without it becoming a fight. Our therapist helped us understand that connection after a baby looks completely different, and that waiting for things to go back to how they were wasn't going to work. We had to build something new."”
— new mom
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“"Nobody told me the baby would bring up every unresolved thing in our relationship at once. Old fights I thought we were past. Patterns from our own families. Who I thought my partner would be as a parent versus who he actually was. Our couples therapist helped us figure out what we were actually arguing about instead of just circling the same argument."”
— mom of 2
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“"We went from a team to two separate people managing a crisis in the same house. I was keeping score without realizing it. She was exhausted in ways I couldn't see. Working with a therapist together helped us stop talking past each other and start talking to each other again. We're not the same couple we were before. We're better."”
— dad of 1
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“We were having the same fight every Sunday night for six months. Once we started couples work I realized we were both saying the same thing in different words. We needed someone to translate. It changed everything.”
— Anna, mom of one
Expert care.
Covered by insurance.
We're in-network with major plans in 10 states so you can receive care without financial stress.
Most clients pay less than $20 per session.
We verify your benefits before your first session — no surprises on cost.
Accepted Insurance Networks
Ready to start Relationships & Couples therapy? Here’s how it works.
The whole process takes about 5 minutes. We handle insurance — you just show up.
- 1
Book your free call
A quick 15-minute chat to hear what you're going through, answer your questions, and make sure we're a great fit for your needs. No cost, no commitment.
- 2
Get matched
We'll pair you with the right specialist for your specific situation. We'll also check your insurance, so you know your exact cost per session before moving forward.
- 3
Start your first session
Meet your therapist from the comfort of home. No commute, no waiting rooms, no judgment. Most clients notice a real difference within just 2 to 3 sessions.
No commitment · Most insurance accepted · Available this week
Common questions
- It is extremely common, and that doesn't mean it's healthy to leave it alone. Most couples see a real dip in relationship satisfaction in the first year postpartum. Couples who get support tend to recover faster and more thoroughly than couples who try to wait it out.
- Individual therapy can still make a meaningful difference. Often when one partner starts doing their own work, the dynamic shifts enough that the other becomes more open. And many things that feel like couple problems are actually individual stress that's spilling over.
- Often both. For most couples in this phase, individual therapy for the partner who's struggling most (or both partners) alongside couples work is the most effective combination. Your therapist can help you decide what makes sense.
- Intimacy after a baby is its own area of work, and it usually doesn't fix itself. Many couples find that the emotional repair has to happen first, and then physical intimacy follows. Talking about it explicitly with a therapist makes it much more likely to come back.
- PMH-C (Perinatal Mental Health Certification) is awarded by Postpartum Support International (PSI) to clinicians who have completed advanced training in perinatal mental health — covering postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, birth trauma, and related conditions. It represents the gold standard of specialization in this field.
- If you're struggling — with your mood, your thoughts, your relationship, or just how you're coping — that's enough of a reason to talk to someone. You don't need a diagnosis. A free consultation is a low-commitment first step.
From the Phoenix Health resource center
Articles and guides about relationships & couples
Trusted by leading voices in parenting and mental health
OBs, doulas, and pediatricians refer their patients to us because we specialize in maternal mental health.
The sooner you start,
the sooner you'll
feel like yourself again.
You've been surviving. It's time to start healing.
No commitment · Covered by insurance · Available this week
Learning resources
💑Read our Relationships & Couples guides →Often goes alongside