The rage doesn't mean you're a bad parent. It means you're carrying too much.
Therapists in San Diego, California
"I love my baby more than anything. And some days I want to throw my phone through the wall because someone breathed wrong."
Postpartum rage is a recognized symptom of postpartum depression and anxiety, and one few people talk about.
+9 moreNo commitment. We'll confirm your coverage before your first session.
Virtual therapy for San Diego families
Your partner deployed when the baby was six weeks old, your family is back in Ohio, and the postpartum class you signed up for meets across town at 10am, which is the only nap window you have. San Diego looks like the relaxed beach city in the brochure, and the postpartum reality is rarely that. A huge share of San Diego families are military, transplants, or both. North Park, Hillcrest, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, and Chula Vista are full of parents who moved here for a duty station, a job, or grad school and haven't had time to build a close circle. Postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and birth trauma thrive in that kind of structural isolation. Phoenix Health therapists hold PMH-C certification and see San Diego clients entirely by secure video. We work with military spouses and birthing parents regularly, including around the specific pressures of deployment, PCS moves, and TRICARE coverage. No traffic on the 5. No babysitter. No waiting room. You don't need a crisis to call. You just need to want things to feel different than they do right now.
San Diego neighborhoods: North Park · Hillcrest · Pacific Beach · La Jolla · Chula Vista
You might benefit from therapy if…
- ✓You lose your temper in ways that don't feel like you — faster, bigger, harder to recover from
- ✓Small things set you off (a needy toddler, your partner chewing, a messy house) and you feel ashamed of the size of your reaction
- ✓You feel irritable or on edge as a constant baseline, not just in specific moments
- ✓You're scared of your own anger, or you're worried about what you might do when you're at the edge
- ✓You've been told you have postpartum depression but the description doesn't feel right — sadness isn't the main thing
- ✓Your anger is causing damage in your relationship and you don't know how to stop
Dr. Emily Guarnotta
Psychologist & Founder
From our founder
Postpartum rage is the experience I hear about most often that people are most ashamed to bring up. They describe the same thing: an anger that comes out of nowhere, at a size that scares them, at people they love. Then they tell me they're afraid they're a bad mother. They're not. They're sick, and what they have responds to treatment. I see this lift every week.
What therapy looks like
Our Postpartum Rage & Mom Rage specialists in San Diego, California
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
Analisa Velasco-Lopez
LCSW
Analisa is a bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California who offers a holistic and trauma-informed approach to supporting parents through every stage of their family-building journey.
Licensed in CA
Nadine Mejia
LCSW, PMH-C
Nadine is a licensed clinical social worker who helps parents navigate postpartum depression, grief, and major life transitions in California, South Carolina, and Florida.
Licensed in CA, SC, FL
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Natalia Cruz Navarro
LCSW
Natalia Cruz Navarro is a bilingual therapist who supports parents through pregnancy loss, birth trauma, and postpartum mental health challenges in California.
Licensed in CA
Real clients. Real relief.
What our clients say about their experience.
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“I was snapping at my toddler over nothing and then sobbing in the bathroom afterward. I knew something was wrong but I thought it was just stress. My therapist helped me connect the anger to the grief. I'd lost myself in motherhood and I was furious about it. Once I understood that, I could actually start addressing it.”
— mom of 2 under 3
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“I didn't have postpartum depression. I had postpartum rage. I was furious: at my partner, at the monotony, at how invisible I felt. I didn't know that was a real thing until my therapist named it. Understanding where it was coming from took most of the charge out of it. I'm not calm all the time, but I'm not scared of myself anymore.”
— mom of 2
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“My emergency C-section left me with nightmares and panic attacks. I couldn't talk about the birth without shaking. Therapy helped me process the trauma and reclaim my story. I'm pregnant again now, and I actually feel ready.”
— expecting mom of 1
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“I was so ashamed to say out loud that I was screaming at my husband and slamming cabinet doors. My therapist was the first person who didn't flinch. We identified what was driving it, built a plan, and three months later my husband told me I seemed like myself again. I was.”
— Megan, 8 months postpartum
Expert care.
Covered in California.
- ✓Aetna (incl. CVS Health, First Health, & Meritain)
- ✓BCBS (incl. Anthem, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, & state plans)
- ✓Cigna / Evernorth
- ✓United Healthcare (UHC) / Optum (incl. UBH, UMR, Surest, Oscar, & Oxford)
- ✓Magellan Healthcare
Most clients pay less than $20 per session.
Accepted Insurance Networks
Ready to start Postpartum Rage & Mom Rage 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
- Postpartum rage is most often a presentation of postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety in which anger and irritability are primary, rather than sadness. It's not a separate diagnosis, but it's a clinically distinct experience that requires treatment calibrated to anger, not the tearful-withdrawal picture most people associate with PPD. If you're not crying all day but you're exploding at things that shouldn't register that big, this is still worth treating.
- Without treatment, postpartum rage often tracks with the underlying mood disorder and can persist a year or longer. With treatment, most people see meaningful reduction in intensity and frequency within 8 to 16 weeks. The sooner you start, the less of your relationship and your sense of yourself you lose to it.
- If you're having urges to hurt yourself or your baby, please reach out immediately — call or text 988, call your OB, or come to us and we'll help you find emergency support. If the fear is more about saying things you regret or throwing objects, that's still worth urgent treatment. Rage that reaches that pitch is a sign your nervous system needs clinical support, not willpower.
- Rage directed at a partner is one of the most common patterns we see, and it's one of the most treatable. Individual therapy addresses the underlying mood disorder. Couples work, added when you're stable enough, can repair the relational damage. Most couples who get the right support do recover — but it requires actually getting treatment, not waiting for it to pass.
- That's one of the clearest signals that what you're experiencing is clinical, not character. Postpartum rage isn't who you are. It's what happens to your nervous system under the combined pressure of new parenthood, sleep loss, and a mood disorder. The person you were before is still there, and treatment can get you back to her.
- Yes. Phoenix Health provides telehealth therapy to residents of California. 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 California.
- 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.
From the Phoenix Health resource center
Articles and guides about postpartum rage & mom rage
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 rage isn't
who you are.
Let's get you back.
Postpartum rage is a recognized, treatable presentation of postpartum mood disorders.
No commitment · Covered by insurance · Available this week
Learning resources
🔥Read our Postpartum Rage & Mom Rage guides →Often goes alongside