A confidential place to talk through the feelings pregnancy can bring, including the ones you did not expect. Registered Psychologists and Registered Provisional Psychologists regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Also available: Registered Social Workers regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), Canadian Certified Counsellors certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. In person in Edmonton and St. Albert, or virtually from anywhere in Alberta. Daytime, evening, and weekend appointments are available as well.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Pregnancy Emotional Well-Being Counselling Is Right for You

You may be wondering whether what you are feeling is just part of being pregnant, or whether it is something worth talking to someone about. Maybe you expected to feel excited, and some days you do. Other days you feel worried, flat, or overwhelmed, and you are not sure that counts as a reason to reach out. It can be hard to say any of this out loud when people keep telling you how happy you must be.

Perhaps you lie awake running through everything that could go wrong before your next appointment. You might snap at your partner over something small and then feel guilty for the rest of the evening. Or you smile through conversations about the baby while feeling strangely far away from all of it. Reactions like these are common during a time of big physical, practical, and emotional change. Pregnancy can stir up hope and fear at the same time, along with old memories, family expectations, and questions about who you are becoming. Feeling this way does not mean you are failing at pregnancy.

It does not mean something is permanently wrong with you either. If you are trying to decide whether speaking with someone could help, this page may be a useful place to start. You can read on to see what this kind of counselling looks like, who it may suit, and what happens if you decide to reach out. If you are reading this for a partner, daughter, or friend, the sections below may help you understand what support is available.

Who This Counselling May Help

This service is for people in Alberta who are pregnant and want room to talk about how they are coping emotionally. It may be a good fit if you:

• feel worried, unsettled, or overwhelmed about the pregnancy, the birth, or becoming a parent
• have mixed feelings about the pregnancy or about how family life is changing
• are pregnant after fertility challenges, a pregnancy loss, or a difficult earlier birth
• feel low, irritable, or disconnected and want to understand what is going on
• want help telling a partner, co-parent, or family what you need
• are weighing cultural, spiritual, or family expectations about pregnancy and parenting
• want to prepare emotionally for parenthood
• are gathering information for someone you care about

This service may not be the right fit if:

• you are in immediate danger or thinking about ending your life. Please use the crisis resources below.
• you need medical, obstetric, midwifery, or medication advice. These questions belong with your prenatal care provider or physician.
• you need a legal, forensic, or court-related service. Those needs are outside this counselling service. Psychological assessments are a separate service and are not part of this counselling.

If You Need Help Right Now

Counselling is scheduled, ongoing support. It is not set up to respond to emergencies. If you or someone else is in danger, or you are having thoughts of suicide, please contact one of these services:

• 911 for immediate danger, or go to the nearest emergency department
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• 9-8-8: call or text anywhere in Canada for suicide crisis support
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free), if you are worried about your safety at home

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Pregnancy Emotional Well-Being Counselling Is

Pregnancy emotional well-being counselling offers a confidential space to reflect, identify supports, and consider next steps. Each session is a conversation with a trained clinician, shaped around what matters to you. Our approach is collaborative and client-centred. You set the pace, not your therapist, and you decide what to focus on.

Pregnancy can bring emotional changes alongside physical and practical changes. International health classification systems recognize that mental health concerns can be connected to pregnancy and the time after birth (World Health Organization [WHO], 2026). You do not need a diagnosis to start counselling, and this page cannot tell you whether you have a particular condition.

Counselling is not:

• a replacement for prenatal, medical, psychiatric, midwifery, or obstetric care
• a crisis or emergency service
• a legal service or an investigative process
• a psychological assessment, which is a separate service
• a source of medication advice, which belongs with a physician or other prescriber

If you have physical symptoms or questions about your pregnancy, contact your prenatal care provider. With your consent, your therapist can talk with you about how counselling fits alongside care from your physician, midwife, or nurse practitioner. What you share is confidential, with a few legal limits explained in the confidentiality and privacy section below. Clinicians work within their training and professional scope, and they will tell you if another professional is better placed to help with something.

Signs the Emotional Side of Pregnancy May Be Affecting You

There is no single right way to feel during pregnancy. Some people recognize several of the experiences below, and others recognize none but still want support. This is not a checklist for a condition. These are patterns that may be worth talking through with someone.

• Worry that keeps coming back, often about the baby's health, the birth, or medical appointments
• Running through "what if" scenarios or overthinking small decisions
• Feeling scared, irritable, numb, or on edge more days than not
• Avoiding people, places, or tasks because they bring up worry
• Checking, researching, or asking for reassurance again and again to feel settled
• Feeling low, flat, or disconnected from the pregnancy, or finding it hard to enjoy
• More tension or distance with your partner or family
• Trouble sleeping, a racing heart, or tight muscles when your mind will not settle
• Grief, guilt, or mixed feelings tied to a past loss, fertility treatment, or an earlier birth

Canadian public education material describes many of these as common ways worry can show up during pregnancy and after birth (Canadian Psychological Association [CPA], 2025). The Public Health Agency of Canada notes that a mix of emotions is normal in pregnancy. It also says that negative feelings that persist or get more severe are a reason to look for help and support (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], 2025).

These experiences are widely shared. In Statistics Canada's 2024 Parental Experiences Survey, almost half (49%) of mothers and birthing parents who had recently given birth reported challenges with their emotional or mental health during pregnancy or after childbirth. About one in four of those said the challenges began during pregnancy (Statistics Canada, 2026). In the same survey, 21% said no health care provider had asked about their emotional well-being (Statistics Canada, 2026).

Having these experiences does not mean something is permanently wrong. They are understandable responses to a period of real change. Structured support can give you a steady place to sort through them.

How Counselling Works at Wholesome Psychology

• Find your therapist. Use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse Our Therapists to read individual profiles. If you would rather talk it through with a person, call our admin team at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. Your first session includes a conversation about consent, confidentiality, and what you would like support with. You can ask how your therapist works before you share anything personal.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist create a plan based on your goals, values, and circumstances. Nothing is decided for you.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly or every two weeks. The schedule can shift around medical appointments, energy levels, and your due date.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist reviews how things are going with you regularly. The plan can change as your needs change, including after your baby arrives.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Counselling is collaborative, and your voice matters at every stage, including decisions about when to pause or stop. The Getting Started with Therapy page walks through these steps in more detail.

Evidence and Approaches

Your therapist may draw on one or more of the approaches below, depending on your goals and their training. Not every clinician uses every approach, so you are welcome to ask before booking. The summaries use cautious language because the sources behind them are limited in scope. You can read more about cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness therapy on their own pages.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

What it helps with: Worry, "what if" thinking, avoidance, and repeated reassurance-seeking that can build up during pregnancy.

Evidence summary: The CPA's fact sheet on perinatal anxiety states that research shows CBT is helpful for anxiety during pregnancy and after birth (CPA, 2025). It describes CBT as learning new ways to think and act, and notes that it may help with worry, panic, and stress (CPA, 2025).

Limitations: This summary comes from a Canadian public education resource, not a systematic review held in our evidence pack. It focuses on anxiety, and individual responses to CBT vary.

Mindfulness-Based Strategies

What it helps with: Getting pulled into anxious thoughts about what might happen next.

Evidence summary: The CPA lists mindfulness, described as paying attention to what is happening in the present moment, among the strategies psychologists trained in CBT may use for perinatal anxiety (CPA, 2025). In that source, mindfulness is presented as one skill within a broader CBT approach rather than a separate treatment (CPA, 2025).

Limitations: The sources for this page do not report pregnancy-specific results for mindfulness on its own. How useful it feels varies from person to person.

Psychoeducation and Coping Skills

What it helps with: Understanding what you are experiencing and building practical ways to manage stress in your body and mind.

Evidence summary: The CPA describes psychoeducation, which means learning about common anxiety responses and treatment options, as one helpful strategy during the perinatal period (CPA, 2025). It also lists calm breathing, muscle relaxation, self-care, and gradually facing situations you have been avoiding (CPA, 2025).

Limitations: These strategies are described in a public education resource that does not report how much benefit to expect. Self-care steps such as rest or movement should fit any guidance from your prenatal care provider.

Communication Skills and Social Support

What it helps with: Asking for help, setting limits, and strengthening support from a partner, family, friends, or community.

Evidence summary: The CPA lists social support and communication skills, such as practising how to ask for help and how to say no, among the things that can help with perinatal anxiety (CPA, 2025). PHAC notes that a Canadian clinical practice guideline on perinatal mood and anxiety may recommend therapy, peer support, sleep, exercise, or certain medications, depending on a person's situation (PHAC, 2025).

Limitations: Neither source reports how much benefit to expect from these supports. Medication is outside the scope of counselling and should be discussed with a physician or other prescriber.

Pregnancy-Informed, Culturally Responsive Care

What it helps with: Making sure support fits pregnancy, your culture and values, and past experiences such as loss or a difficult birth.

Evidence summary: A quality standard on antenatal and postnatal mental health states that psychological interventions for women in pregnancy and after birth should be tailored to individual needs and be culturally competent (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2016). It also describes routine check-ins about emotional well-being as a chance to raise fears about childbirth, past loss, or a traumatic birth (NICE, 2016).

Limitations: This UK service standard describes how care should be organized rather than measuring results of a specific therapy. It may not map directly onto Alberta's health system.

What Results to Expect

Change in counselling is rarely a straight line. Some weeks may feel lighter. Others may bring up more than you expected, especially as appointments, your due date, or family events come closer.

Some people notice shifts within a few months. Others choose longer-term support that continues through the birth and into the early months of parenting. What you notice can depend on what you are carrying, your current circumstances, the support around you, and how well you and your therapist work together.

No therapy can guarantee a particular outcome, and outcomes vary. Fit matters. If a therapist or approach does not feel right, you can change clinicians or try a different approach at any point.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is confidential. Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow its Standards of Practice. They also follow the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Other clinicians follow the standards of their own regulatory or certifying bodies.

Alberta privacy laws control how your information is collected, used, and shared. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally applies to private clinics like ours. The Health Information Act (HIA) applies to health information held by custodians in the health system, such as physicians and Alberta Health Services. Information is shared with your other care providers only with your consent or where the law requires it.

There are a few legal limits to confidentiality. Your clinician may need to share information without your consent when:

• there is a risk of serious harm to you or to someone else
• there is suspected abuse or neglect of a child, which Alberta law requires to be reported
• a court orders the release of records

Your clinician will explain these limits clearly in your first session, as part of informed consent. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before you share anything personal. The admin team can also answer questions about how records are stored and protected.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to talk about everything in detail, including a past loss or a difficult birth?

No. You decide what to share and when. You can start with what is happening now, such as sleep, worry, or tension at home, without going back over past events. If earlier experiences like a pregnancy loss or a hard birth feel connected, you and your therapist can approach them gradually, or not at all.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, with a few legal limits. Your information is protected under Alberta privacy law, including PIPA and, where it applies, the HIA. The limits include a risk of serious harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, and court orders. Your clinician reviews these with you in the first session, and the confidentiality and privacy section above has more detail.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. Some people come for a few sessions to work through one specific worry. Others prefer steady support through pregnancy and into the early months after birth. You and your therapist review progress regularly and adjust the plan together.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is reasonable to say so. You can tell your therapist or our admin team, and they can help you find a different clinician whose approach suits you better. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I have sessions online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available to people anywhere in Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply. Virtual care does not suit every situation, so you can talk with the admin team about whether in-person or virtual sessions fit your needs better.

Do I need a diagnosis or a referral to start?

You do not need a diagnosis. You can come to counselling to talk about emotional well-being, life changes, relationships, or preparing for parenthood. You can book directly online or by phone. Some insurance plans have their own rules about referrals or provider types, so check your plan before your first session.

Can my partner or a support person come to a session?

This depends on your goals, your therapist's approach, and the type of appointment you book. Some people prefer individual sessions, while others want a partner involved in certain conversations. You can ask about individual, couples counselling, or family options when you contact the clinic.

What if I do not feel safe at home during pregnancy?

Counselling can be one part of your support, but immediate safety comes first. If you are in danger, call 911. The Family Violence Info Line (Alberta) at 310-1818 is available 24/7 and is toll-free. If you attend virtual sessions and privacy at home is a concern, let your therapist or the admin team know so you can plan a time and place that feels safer. You can also read about our family violence counselling.

Meet Your Clinicians

Our team includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), and Student Therapists are master's-level practicum students.

Training and areas of focus vary between clinicians. Before booking, you can review individual profiles on Our Therapists, use the Match with a Therapist tool, or call the admin team at 780-904-4880. It is reasonable to ask about a clinician's experience with pregnancy and perinatal concerns.

Children and Youth

Pregnancy can affect a whole family, including older children who are adjusting to changes at home. Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young people. Therapists who work with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches. They also work with caregivers to support a steady environment at home.

If a young person in your care is pregnant, or a child is struggling with changes in the family, our child and youth counselling page explains what support looks like. How consent and confidentiality work for younger clients is explained at the start of services.

Taking a Next Step

If you would like to learn more or are ready to begin, you can:

• Book a session online
• Use the Match with a Therapist tool to find a clinician
• Call our admin team at 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy to see what the first steps involve

You may also find these related pages useful: Mental Health During Pregnancy, Pregnancy Support, Perinatal Mental Health, and Birth and Postpartum Support.

Starting the conversation is enough.

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

References

• Canadian Psychological Association. (2025). Psychology works fact sheet: Perinatal anxiety. https://cpa.ca/psychologyfactsheets
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2016). Antenatal and postnatal mental health.
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (2025). Mental health during and after pregnancy. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/child-infant-health/mental-health-during-after-pregnancy.html
• Statistics Canada. (2026, February 5). Access to postpartum health care and perinatal mental health support, 2024 Parental Experiences Survey. The Daily. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/260205/dq260205a-eng.htm
• World Health Organization. (2026). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics.