A holistic approach to

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is a serious mood disorder that can happen after having a baby. Unlike normal "baby blues" that pass in a few days, postpartum depression lasts longer, feels more intense, and can make it hard to care for yourself or your baby. In extreme cases, it can lead to psychosis.

Common Symptoms

Feeling sad, empty, hopeless, or worthless

Crying a lot for no clear reason

Severe mood swings, anger, or irritability

Trouble sleeping or wanting to sleep all the time

Eating too much or too little

Trouble bonding or feeling connected with your baby

Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby

The therapist

Nicole Story is a mother of two children and has been practicing for 25 years. Her empathy, expertise and support is invaluable, for mental health support and guidance.

Approach

"I look at the whole person and the system in which they live. We will assess hormones, nutritiion, coping skills, support networks, medical needs and social support needs. For one client it may be psychodynamic, for another it may be family systems, cognitive behavioral (CBT), acceptance commitment therapy (ACT) or a combination of each. Motherhood brings up many issues and creates a chemical difference, it requires a skilled and experienced approach.

Nicole Story, EDS, MED, LMFT-QS, LMHC-QS, FMBPsS

Nicole Story is a trained psychotherapist, and family systems therapist with degrees (MED & EDS) from the University of Florida in Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling and is dually licensed in the State of Florida as a Marriage and Family Therapist and as a Mental Health Counselor.

She served as the President of the NE Florida Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the Ethics Chair of the Florida Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She is a Clinical Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and a member of the Family Therapy Association of Ireland and the Association for Family and Systemic Psychotherapy in the UK.

She is a full member of the British Psychological Association and serves on the Northern Ireland Committee. She also studied Psychology and Family Therapy at Rollins College (BA with honors) and has been practicing for 25 years including training and supervising mental health and family therapy interns and clinicians throughout the state of Florida as a Qualified Supervisor through the Florida Department of Health.

Culturally she is originally from Ireland/UK and has lived in Florida for many years. Warmth, humor, life experience and authenticity are vital qualities in individual and family therapy - to hold, embrace and balance family tensions and individual insecurities.

Having served as the Clinical Director of a dual diagnosis inpatient and outpatient adolescent hospital, there is no outpatient case too heavy or clinical at this practice. Postpartum Depression is treated in conjunction with a nutritionist and medical team for full holistic care.

Her upcoming book Saints, Scholars and Schizophrenics is part memoir and part clinical analysis of maladaptive family patterns and how to overcome them and thrive. She also is a forensic expert witness and sanity board for the US Navy and Department of Defense.