Counselling that makes room for the hopes, doubts and practical questions that can come with becoming a mother. Registered Psychologists regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). In-person sessions in Edmonton and St. Albert. Virtual sessions across Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Preparing for Motherhood Counselling Is Right for You

You may be asking yourself whether counselling makes sense when nothing is technically wrong. Maybe you are excited, or hoping to be, and still carrying questions you have not said out loud. It can be hard to tell whether those questions are worth real attention or whether you should just push through.

Some people feel thrilled one day and uncertain the next. Others lie awake running through everything that still needs to happen, or quietly wonder who they will be once a child arrives. For some, memories of how they were raised start showing up at unexpected moments.

These reactions make sense. Becoming a mother can raise personal, relational, practical and identity questions all at once, and mixed feelings about a change this large are a very human response. They do not mean you are unprepared, ungrateful or doing something wrong.

If you are curious about what this kind of counselling involves, the sections below describe who it may suit, how sessions work, what it costs and where its limits are. You can read at your own pace and decide what feels relevant to you.

Who This Counselling May Help

This service may be a good fit if you are:

• thinking about whether, or when, you want to become a mother
• expecting a child, whether through pregnancy, adoption or another path
• preparing for a change in your parenting role, such as a second child or a blended family
• sorting through expectations from family, culture, faith or community about what kind of mother to be
• wanting to plan for support, boundaries and shared responsibilities ahead of time
• a partner, family member or friend gathering information for someone you care about

This service may not be the right fit if:

• You are in crisis or in immediate danger. Please use the crisis resources below. Counselling appointments are not set up to respond to emergencies.
• You have medical questions. Questions about pregnancy, labour, medication, feeding or newborn care belong with your doctor, midwife or another healthcare provider.
• You need a legal or forensic service. Letters or opinions for court, custody or parenting-time matters are outside this counselling service. Psychological assessments are a separate service with their own process.
• You are looking for a program to address harm you have caused a partner or family member. This counselling is not designed as that kind of program. You can contact the admin team to ask about other options.

If you are pregnant or parenting in a relationship where you feel afraid or controlled, your safety comes first. The Family Violence Info Line listed below is available at any hour, and our family violence counselling page describes related support.

If You Need Help Right Now

Counselling sessions are scheduled appointments, so they cannot respond to an emergency. If you need help today, these services are available:

• Call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
• Call or text 9-8-8 for suicide crisis support anywhere in Canada, 24 hours a day (Government of Canada, n.d.).
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7).
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free).

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Preparing for Motherhood Counselling Is

Preparing for motherhood counselling is a structured, collaborative space to explore expectations, support, communication and the changes ahead. Sessions may include talking about support systems, boundaries, family or cultural expectations, relationship changes and practical planning. What you focus on is decided together, and it will look different from one person to the next.

It also helps to be clear about what this service is not:

• It is not medical, prenatal, midwifery or emergency care, and it does not include advice about pregnancy, labour, medication, feeding or newborn care.
• It is not a legal service, an investigation or crisis intervention.
• It is not a psychological assessment, and it does not include a diagnosis. Assessments are a separate service.
• It does not assume that preparing for motherhood looks the same for everyone, or that you have a mental health concern.

You set the pace. Your clinician will not push you to talk about anything before you are ready. What you share is confidential within limits set by Alberta law and professional standards, explained in the confidentiality and privacy section below. Clinicians work within the scope of their own training and registration, and they may suggest another professional when a question falls outside it.

Signs the Transition to Motherhood May Be Affecting You

You do not need a diagnosis or a crisis to want support. You might recognize some of these experiences:

• feeling excited and uneasy at the same time, sometimes within the same hour
• running through plans or worst-case scenarios when you are trying to rest
• wondering who you will be at work, with friends or on your own once a child arrives
• finding it hard to talk with your partner about how roles, chores or money will change
• feeling pressure from family, culture or community about what kind of mother to be
• memories of how you were parented coming up more often than usual
• pulling back from friends because it feels like no one quite understands where you are
• noticing tension in your shoulders, jaw or stomach when the topic comes up
• not knowing who you could ask for help, or feeling uneasy about asking at all

Seeing yourself in this list does not mean something is wrong with you, and it is not a test or a way to diagnose yourself. These are common reactions to a large life change, not permanent features of who you are. Talking them through in a structured, supportive setting can be one way to make sense of them.

If what you are feeling has become heavy enough that day-to-day life is hard to manage, it may also help to speak with your doctor or midwife. Our pages on mental health during pregnancy and birth and postpartum support describe related services at the clinic.

How Counselling Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse therapist profiles to see who might suit you. If you would rather talk it through, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880. Availability changes, so the team can confirm who is currently accepting new clients.
• Book your first session. Your first appointment covers consent, confidentiality and what you hope to get from counselling. It is also a chance to see whether the fit feels right. No diagnosis or fixed plan is decided in that first meeting.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist decide what to focus on, such as expectations, relationships, support or practical planning. If it suits your goals and everyone agrees, a partner or support person may join part of the process.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes. They are typically weekly or every two weeks, and the schedule can change as your needs do.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist reviews how things are going with you along the way. The plan adapts as circumstances change, including after a birth or adoption.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Counselling is collaborative, and your view of what is helping matters at every stage. You can read more on the Getting Started with Therapy page.

Evidence and Approaches

Research on counselling designed specifically for the transition to motherhood is still limited. The sources reviewed for this page show that preparing for parenthood is a recognized topic in Canadian and international health guidance, but they did not provide measured treatment results. For that reason, the approaches below are described as ways of working, not as treatments with proven effects.

Exploring Expectations and Identity

What it helps with: Sorting through hopes, worries and questions about who you will be as a mother, before or during the transition.

Evidence summary: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies has examined what first-time parents say they need when preparing for early parenthood (S1). This suggests that preparation for parenthood is a recognized area of research. The review's specific findings were not available for this page, so they are not summarized here.

Limitations: Qualitative research describes experiences rather than measuring whether counselling changes outcomes. What helps one person prepare may not suit another.

Planning Support Systems and Relationships

What it helps with: Thinking through who you can lean on, how roles may shift with a partner or family, and where boundaries may be useful.

Evidence summary: Canada's national guidelines on care during pregnancy are framed around family-centred maternity and newborn care (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], n.d.). Specific recommendations were not extracted from the guideline for this page, so none are described here.

Limitations: These guidelines address maternity and newborn health care broadly, not counselling specifically. How relevant they are will vary from family to family.

Making Room for Emotional Well-Being Around Pregnancy and Birth

What it helps with: Giving worry, low mood or emotional strain a place to be talked about, without assuming that anything is wrong.

Evidence summary: A public resource on anxiety in the perinatal period has been published for Canadians (Canadian Psychological Association [CPA], 2025). Statistics Canada's 2024 Parental Experiences Survey looked at access to postpartum health care and perinatal mental health support (Statistics Canada, n.d.). Together, these show that emotional well-being around pregnancy is a current topic in Canadian psychology and public health.

Limitations: No figures or treatment findings from these sources are reported here. This page cannot tell you whether what you feel is a mental health concern.

Coordinating Counselling With Prenatal and Medical Care

What it helps with: Keeping counselling connected to, but separate from, the medical side of pregnancy and newborn care.

Evidence summary: Antenatal care is the subject of formal clinical guidance in the United Kingdom (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], n.d.), and national Canadian guidelines address care during pregnancy (PHAC, n.d.). Counselling does not replace this care, so medical questions are best taken to your doctor, midwife or other healthcare provider.

Limitations: NICE guidance is written for the UK health system and may not match practice in Alberta. Neither source was reviewed here for counselling-specific recommendations.

What Results to Expect

Change during a major life transition is rarely a straight line. You might feel clearer one week and unsettled the next, especially as your circumstances shift through pregnancy, birth or adoption and the months that follow.

Some people notice a shift in how they feel about the transition within a few months. Others find longer-term support useful as their situation keeps changing. Outcomes vary, and no form of counselling can guarantee a particular result.

Several things can influence how counselling goes:

• what you have been through before, including your own experience of being parented
• what is happening in your life now, such as health, work, money or relationships
• the support you have around you
• how comfortable you feel with your therapist

Fit matters. If a therapist or approach is not working for you, you can change either one at any point, and the admin team can help you do that.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is confidential, within limits set by law. Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists published by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). Other clinicians follow the professional standards that apply to their credentials.

Two Alberta privacy laws are relevant. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally governs how private clinics in Alberta collect, use, disclose and store personal information. The Health Information Act (HIA) applies to health information held by health custodians, such as Alberta Health Services and hospitals, and to clinicians who work with them. Your clinician can tell you which rules apply to your records.

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

• there is a risk of serious harm to you or someone else
• there is a suspicion that a child is being abused or neglected, which must be reported under Alberta law
• 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, records or how these limits apply to your situation before you share anything personal. Virtual sessions follow the same confidentiality standards. You can also ask the admin team for a copy of the clinic's privacy policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to talk about my past or explain everything I am feeling in detail?

No. You decide what to share and when. You can start with what is in front of you now, such as plans, worries or conversations you are dreading, and bring in the past only if it feels relevant. If you are not ready to talk about something, you can say so, and that choice will be respected.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within legal limits. Those limits include a risk of serious harm to you or someone else, a suspicion that a child is being abused or neglected, and a court order. Your therapist will explain them in your first session, and you can read more in the confidentiality and privacy section above.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. Some people come for a few sessions to think through a specific decision or plan. Others prefer ongoing support through pregnancy or adoption and into the months after. You and your therapist review progress regularly and adjust as you go.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is reasonable to want a different therapist. You can let your therapist or the admin team know, and they can help you find another 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 anywhere in Alberta and follow the same confidentiality standards as in-person sessions. Some people find them easier to fit around medical appointments and work. You can read more about online counselling.

Do I need to be pregnant to book?

No. This service may suit people who are considering motherhood, expecting a child or preparing for a change in their parenting role. A first conversation can help you decide whether the focus fits what you are looking for. If you are earlier in the process, our page on preparing for pregnancy may also be relevant.

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

Possibly. This depends on your goals, your therapist's approach and the consent of everyone involved. You can ask about it when you book. If your main focus is the relationship itself, couples counselling may also be worth a look.

Is this a replacement for prenatal or medical care?

No. This is counselling support only. Questions about pregnancy, birth, medication, physical health, feeding or newborn care should go to your doctor, midwife or another healthcare provider. Counselling can sit alongside that care.

Meet Your Clinicians

The Wholesome Psychology 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, as approved by CAP. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), and Student Therapists are master's-level students completing a supervised practicum.

Areas of training vary from one clinician to the next. You can read individual profiles on the Our Therapists page, use the Match with a Therapist tool, or call the admin team at 780-904-4880 for help finding someone whose experience fits what you would like to work on.

Children and Youth

Preparing for motherhood can affect a whole family, including children already at home who are getting ready for a new sibling. Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents and young people. Therapists who work with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches and work with caregivers to support the child at home. You can learn more on our child and youth counselling and adolescent mental health pages.

If you are a young person who is pregnant or thinking about parenthood, you can reach out too. The admin team can explain how consent and confidentiality work for younger clients.

Next Steps

If you would like to learn more or talk with someone, you can take the next step in whichever way feels easiest:

• Book a session online
• Match with a therapist
• Call the admin team at 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy

If you are reading this for someone else, you are welcome to share this page with them. 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). Perinatal anxiety [PDF resource].
• Government of Canada. (n.d.). [Crisis-support information: mental health get help]. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (n.d.). Antenatal care.
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Care during pregnancy: Family-centred maternity and newborn care national guidelines.
• S1. First-time parents' prenatal needs for early parenthood preparation: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative literature. Indexed in PubMed.
• Statistics Canada. (n.d.). Access to postpartum health care and perinatal mental health support, 2024 Parental Experiences Survey.