Can men get postpartum depression?

Yes. Roughly 1 in 10 fathers and non-birthing partners experience perinatal depression or anxiety. It often presents as irritability, withdrawal, or anger rather than the classic sadness, which is part of why it gets missed.

My partner is the one who gave birth. Shouldn't she be the priority?

Both of you matter, and the research is clear that when one partner is struggling, the other's well-being directly affects family outcomes. Getting your own support is not taking away from her. It's adding to the resources the family has.

I feel disconnected from the baby. Is that normal?

It's common, especially in the early months when the birthing parent often has more of the physiological bond. Disconnection often improves with intentional time together, less competition with your partner over caregiving, and sometimes therapy to address what's underneath the disconnection.

Will my partner know I'm in therapy?

Therapy is confidential. You decide what to share and when. Many partners eventually choose to share what they're working on, which can deepen the relationship, but that's your call.

Can I get therapy online if I live in Louisiana?

Yes. Phoenix Health provides telehealth therapy to residents of Louisiana. Sessions are conducted via secure video from your home, office, or anywhere private — no commute required. All Phoenix Health therapists are licensed and authorized to practice in Louisiana.

What is a PMH-C certification?

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.

How do I know if I need therapy?

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.

👨‍👶Paternal Mental Health

Dads and partners struggle too. That's worth talking about.

Therapists in New Orleans, Louisiana

"Nobody asks how the dad is doing. But I'm struggling too."

✓See a specialist this week✓PMH-C Certified Therapists✓Telehealth · see anyone from home✓In-network in Louisiana

In network with

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No commitment. We'll confirm your coverage before your first session.

Virtual therapy for New Orleans families

New Orleans runs on community, celebration, and a deep cultural insistence on resilience. Those qualities can make it genuinely hard to admit you're not okay. Postpartum depression and perinatal anxiety in New Orleans frequently hide behind the same toughness that carries the city through everything else. New parents across the Garden District, Uptown, Metairie, the Marigny, and Mid-City are dealing with the practical realities: the heat, complicated housing situations, family who didn't follow you here, and a regional shortage of specialist perinatal therapists. Postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety are medical conditions, not failures of grit. Phoenix Health therapists hold PMH-C certification, the specialty credential in perinatal mental health, and see New Orleans clients entirely by secure video. We specialize in postpartum depression, perinatal anxiety, birth trauma, and pregnancy loss. Sessions happen from your living room. A free consultation is all it takes to find out whether therapy is the right next step for what you're going through.

New Orleans neighborhoods: the Garden District · Uptown · Metairie · the Marigny · Mid-City

You might benefit from therapy if…

✓You're irritable, snapping at your partner, or losing patience in ways that aren't you
✓You feel useless, in the way, or like you can't do anything right at home
✓You're working more, drinking more, or pulling away because home feels heavy
✓You're worried about your partner and trying to hold everything else together
✓You feel left out of the baby relationship and ashamed of feeling that way
✓Nobody has asked how you're doing in months

Dr. Emily Guarnotta

Psychologist & Founder

From our founder
Partners and dads get left out of perinatal mental health conversations constantly, and it costs families. I built Phoenix Health to include the whole household, because if you're the partner who is white-knuckling through this, you matter too, and the help available to you is real.

What therapy looks like

Therapy for partners in the perinatal period typically uses CBT, behavioral activation, and relationship-focused work. Many Phoenix Health therapists hold PMH-C certification and explicitly work with both birthing and non-birthing partners. Sessions usually look at the shape of your specific stress: work, relationship strain, identity, and the very real grief many partners feel about a relationship and life that has changed shape. Early work often focuses on naming what's happening, because many men and partners haven't had a chance to actually describe it. From there the work might address communication with your partner, the role you want to have with your baby, your own family-of-origin patterns showing up, and practical tools for the irritability and withdrawal that tend to come with paternal depression. Most people see meaningful change in 12 to 16 weeks. For partners whose stress is fundamentally about the relationship, couples work alongside individual therapy can speed up that timeline. SSRIs are an option for moderate to severe depression and your therapist can coordinate with a prescriber.

Your therapist

Most Phoenix Health therapists hold PMH-C certification — the gold standard in perinatal mental health.

Sailys Concepcion
LMHC, LPC, LPCC, PMH-C
Sailys is a bilingual therapist who helps parents navigate the emotional journey of pregnancy, postpartum, infertility, and loss across California, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Washington, and Louisiana.
Licensed in CA, LA, WA, AZ, GA, FL

Real clients. Real relief.

What our clients say about their experience.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“"I threw myself into being useful because that was the one thing I could control. I fixed things. I handled logistics. I was the one who held it together. And six months in, my wife noticed I hadn't laughed in weeks. My therapist helped me understand that caregiving without receiving care is its own kind of crisis. I didn't know I was allowed to need something."”

— dad of 2

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Everyone was focused on my wife (which made sense, she'd just given birth). But I was drowning too and there was nowhere to put it. I couldn't tell anyone I wasn't okay because I was supposed to be the stable one. My therapist helped me see that my mental health wasn't separate from my family's wellbeing. It was directly connected.”

— new dad

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I thought dads didn't get this. I was wrong. I was short-tempered, disconnected, going through the motions. I wasn't sleeping, but not because of the baby. I just couldn't. My wife saw it before I did. My therapist helped me understand it was depression, not weakness, and that getting help was the most present thing I could do for my family.”

— dad of 1

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I had been working late on purpose for six months. I told myself I was supporting the family. My therapist helped me see I was avoiding home because I felt useless there. Once I addressed that, my relationship with both my wife and my son changed.”

— James, dad of one

Expert care.
Covered in Louisiana.

✓Aetna (incl. CVS Health, First Health, & Meritain)
✓Cigna / Evernorth
✓United Healthcare (UHC) / Optum (incl. UBH, UMR, Surest, Oscar, & Oxford)

Most clients pay less than $20 per session.

Accepted Insurance Networks

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Ready to start Paternal Mental Health 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

Yes. Roughly 1 in 10 fathers and non-birthing partners experience perinatal depression or anxiety. It often presents as irritability, withdrawal, or anger rather than the classic sadness, which is part of why it gets missed.
Both of you matter, and the research is clear that when one partner is struggling, the other's well-being directly affects family outcomes. Getting your own support is not taking away from her. It's adding to the resources the family has.
It's common, especially in the early months when the birthing parent often has more of the physiological bond. Disconnection often improves with intentional time together, less competition with your partner over caregiving, and sometimes therapy to address what's underneath the disconnection.
Therapy is confidential. You decide what to share and when. Many partners eventually choose to share what they're working on, which can deepen the relationship, but that's your call.
Yes. Phoenix Health provides telehealth therapy to residents of Louisiana. Sessions are conducted via secure video from your home, office, or anywhere private — no commute required. All Phoenix Health therapists are licensed and authorized to practice in Louisiana.
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 paternal mental health

The Partner's Mental Health During IVF: What Gets Overlooked

The partner in IVF is often expected to be the support system. But partners experience anxiety, grief, and helplessness too. Learn what the partner's experience actually looks like.

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The Birth of a Father: Navigating the Identity Shift of Patrescence

Your world has been turned upside down. You are navigating sleepless nights, a new and immense sense of responsibility, and a relationship with your partner that has fundamentally changed. You may look at your life and your reflection in the mirror and think, "I don't feel like myself anymore." Whil…

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Paternal Postpartum Depression Statistics: How Common Is It in Dads? (2026)

1 in 10 dads develops postpartum depression. The numbers reveal a condition that's common, largely unscreened, and deeply undertreated — but very treatable.

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