You can access my calendar and book your appointment by clicking HERE. All new clients are required to book a FREE 20-minute Initial Consultation prior to booking your first appointment. Although it is not required when purchasing a coaching package, I highly recommend that any potential clients still book an initial consultation prior to purchase, to ensure you are making the best purchase for your needs. You may also contact me at dantrel@anotherperspective4u.com if you have any questions, concerns, or issues booking your appointment.
What happens during our free 20-minute consultation?
During our initial Zoom call, you will get an opportunity to tell me a little bit about you, the phase of your journey, your overall goals, and what you are hoping to gain through perinatal coaching services. This is also your time to ask about any questions you have about my coaching sessions, my approach, and any other questions/concerns you may have. I will listen empathically and discuss what it could look like to work collaboratively with you, providing you with my coaching service options that could assist you in reaching your goals. I will also ask a few questions related to your current mental well-being and previous mental health history, to ensure I am appropriate fit for your needs. If I sense that you may better benefit from services provided by a mental health care therapist, doctor, or another perinatal professional, we will discuss recommended next steps of action. If you are wondering what circumstances may constitute for a referral, check out my Services page, scroll towards the bottom to read "when a referral may be recommended".
If you decide that you would like to move forward a book an appointment during our call, we will look into date/time availability, and I will send you initial paperwork to fill out electronically prior to our first session.
What is the difference between mental health coaching and therapy services?
While both coaches and therapist both desire to help improve their client's overall well-being and quality of life, their approaches in helping a client get there can look different. A therapist will often work with you to diagnose, treat, and heal from from various mental health disorders, physical or mental trauma and grief. They will help you to process through past experiences and understand more about how those experiences inform the decisions you make today. In many situations, they are helping get back to "baseline", resuming "normal" and healthy daily functioning. A perinatal therapist will have specialized training in identifying AND clinically treating PMADs (perinatal mood and anxiety disorders), helping those who are feeling debilitated from conditions such as postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and/or trauma from birth or perinatal loss. Therapy services are also covered under HIPAA, which means all information discussed in session is confidential and by law, cannot be shared with others without your consent, unless under specific circumstances (threat to safety of self or others, subpoena by court, or abuse).
A perinatal coach (like myself), has also specialized training in the causes, symptoms, and impact of PMADs, along with understanding the unique challenges that are experienced during pregnancy and postpartum years. We focus on understanding patterns/cycles that may be contributing to your issues, and work alongside you in uncovering ways to move forward to experience the change/lifestyle you have envisioned. Most importantly, we work on building your support network, so that you do not feel alone during your perinatal journey. Our focus is more towards your future and often more action-oriented. Working with a coach means you are ready and willing to take necessary, sometimes uncomfortable and challenging, steps towards your new way of life!
Professionally, I have my certification through Postpartum Support International in Perinatal Mental Health, and fortunately due to a switch in career paths, I have a master's degree and clinical practice in Marriage and Family Therapy. Although I do not currently provide therapy (meaning I do not diagnose and/or treat mental disorders), I use my previous education and experience to inform my understanding of how people interact with their systems (family, friends, etc), and also understanding the diversity of issues that can arise within family units. Not all coaches have a therapy or counseling background, so it is important to note that my experience is unique to me, and not the standard across the coaching field.
Even though coaching services are not covered by HIPAA, I take very similar measures to keep your information private by using HIPAA-compliant strategies when I store session notes and personal identifiable information. It is still important to note though, that in a case of anything that involves the immediate safety of yourself and others, I reserve the right to share your information to the proper authorities to protect the health and safety of anyone involved in the matter.
If you have any further questions about understanding coaching vs therapy, please feel free to email me at any time!
How long are our coaching sessions? How often do we meet?
A typical, individual coaching session will be 60 minutes. The number of sessions per month primarily depends on your needs and level of commitment. To stay focused on your goals/progress and to create consistency, I recommend sessions weekly for the first 4-6 sessions. However, you are always allowed to choose how often we meet based on your needs, availability, and overall commitment. The coaching packages that can be found HERE, allow you to get the best overall rate and investment in our time together, working towards your mental health wellness goals. Over time, a bi-weekly or monthly check in may be suffice.
There is no "magic number" of total sessions that I (or anyone) can guarantee it will take to meet your goals. It is truly depending on your unique needs, your level of commitment to the process, and your overall objective. From experience, 4 to 6 sessions is a great starting amount to really dive into your needs, practice new tools/skills and track progress. You still may not meet your ultimate goal at this point, as many goals are fluid and ongoing, but you will have at least have created a consistent, positive trend in the right direction.
Who are your services NOT ideal for?
Although my services can help a variety of perinatal clients, there are always limitations within any profession. As someone who is providing mental health coaching, my ideal client is client is one who is maintaining at least "basic" daily functioning, but is needing the "extra boost" to reach the best version of themselves. This client is ready to make changes that will help improve their lives as the navigate through pregnancy and/or postpartum. Overall, the ideal client may struggle in some areas such as communication, thought patterns, or emotional support, but overall they do not feel that their quality of life is being severely diminished by these issues.
A referral/recommendation to other qualified mental health professionals or emergency care may be suggested to individuals who:
- Have had thoughts of suicide/self-harm within the last 3 months - Have an untreated mental health disorder - Feel significantly depressed and has severely diminished daily functioning - Are in an active manic or psychosis episode - Needs further evaluation for insurance/disability purposes for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) - Are dealing with severe body image issues or disordered eating that require specialized treatment - Need specialized services for their postpartum care such as a lactation specialists, or a postpartum doula - Are not receiving the overall perinatal care they need from coaching services
If any of these things describes your current situation, you are NOT alone! This does NOT mean you are unfit to be a parent or that you should be ashamed about your circumstance.
Instead, it is important to know that ANYONE pregnant or postpartum needs to have a network of support, which often includes various perinatal care specialists. Getting you the help and care you need so that your mental health can be optimal is the ultimate goal, and I want to help you obtain this.
Please feel free to email me to set up a free 15 minute consultation to discuss in more detail if you will be an ideal fit for my coaching services.
Do you offer any discounts?
Our Prenatal, Postpartum, and "Perinatal Partner" packages found HERE, gives you the best overall rates on coaching sessions. You can save up to 15% just by investing into your perinatal mental health wellness with our 6-session coaching packages! Its truly a win-win scenario.
How do I know if I should buy each session individually, or invest in a coaching package?
This decision is truly based on your needs and financial commitment to your goals and overall mental health wellness.
Purchasing sessions individually may be best for you if: - You have a very specific issue/concern that you need to discuss and receive feedback solely about one particular topic - You are not ready to invest in a coaching package, whether due to finances or other personal reasons, and would rather purchase sessions as needed. - You would like quick insight/another perspective on a particular perinatal wellness plan you have already created yourself or with another professional.
Visit the SERVICES page for more information on individual sessions Investing in a coaching package may be best for you if: - You have various topics/areas of concerns you need to address, have time to create a plan of action, and would like to receive encourage and feedback along the way - You are not fully sure what you need yet, but would appreciate working with a coach for a few sessions to discuss ways to be better prepared, supported, and empowered during your perinatal mental health wellness journey - You love a deal that saves you money in the long run! - You would like to gift a loved one something that will truly benefit their mental health wellness - You desire consistent and encouraging support, collaborative care, and teamwork to reach your goals!
Click HERE to view the right perinatal package for you!
How much are your coaching sessions?
For details on fees, please visit our SERVICES page by clicking HERE Credit/Debit Card and PayPal are accepted forms of payment and all payments are due to officially book the session(s). We will discuss specifics of payment, cancellation policies, etc during your consultation call.
Do you accept insurance?
Since most insurance companies do not identify coaching services as a covered health benefit on policies, I do not accept insurance at this time.
What does PMH-C mean?
PMH-C stands for Perinatal Mental Health certification, which is obtained through PSI (Postpartum Support International). To receive this certification, a professional must have at least 2 years of experience in their profession, a Masters degree (or equivalent for your profession), a completion of a minimum 14 hour Perinatal Mood and Anxiety certificate course, 6 hours of advance training in your specialty, and successfully pass the certification exam. To maintain this certification, I complete at least 12 hours of continuing education courses every 2 years.