Birth Trauma Therapist in Columbus, OH
When Birth Didn’t Go As Planned
Somatic Experiencing™ - informed therapy can help you
process what happened and reconnect with yourself.
1 in 3 births are experienced
as psychologically traumatic.⁺
⁺According to international research on birth trauma from ScienceDirect.Did your birth experience leave you wondering what happened to you?
Birth doesn’t always unfold the way we imagined. So many things can happen that continue to feel painful or confusing, even when everyone is overjoyed that you and your baby are healthy and home. You might still feel shaken. Disconnected. On edge. Or like something about your experience hasn’t fully settled in you.
Birth trauma can come from anything that went against your birth plan.
Birth trauma isn’t always about what technically happened—it’s about how it lived in your body and nervous system afterward. Some, but not all, situations of birth trauma may include:
The use of birthing interventions you weren't expecting, such as an epidural, forceps, vacuum, or emergency C-section
The pace of birth, from rushing to the hospital to feeling rushed by providers once you arrive
Not being able to have skin-to-skin contact, or the cord cut when you wanted more time
Unexpected complications, such as hemorrhaging or a drop in your baby's heart rate
Painful lactation or the inability to breastfeed the way you’d planned
Feeling overlooked, rushed, or unheard as a mother
Somatic therapy can make space for the parts of your birth story that still feel confusing, painful, or hard to talk about.
✓ Notice how your body is still holding stress, fear, or overwhelm from the experience
✓ Work with your nervous system to help it feel safer and more settled
✓ Gently process what happened at a pace that feels manageable for you
As a Birth Trauma Therapist, I’ve Also Experienced It Firsthand
Hi, I’m Rachael. I’m a Licensed Independent Social Worker and Perinatal Mental Health–Certified clinician (PMH-C), and in-training Somatic Experiencing Practitioner.
But most importantly: I’m a mom who experienced a traumatic birth with my son Liam (on top of debilitating hyperemesis and depression throughout pregnancy).
My birthing experience may have looked “normal” on the outside, but inside I felt unheard, rushed, and disconnected. The pain of that experience stayed with me until I found a birth trauma therapist who could help me work through my trauma with somatic, body-based work.
WHAT SUPPORT LOOKS
Birth Trauma Therapy Session
What it is: Our 60-minute, 1:1 birth trauma therapy session is a space to slow down and gently make sense of your birth experience, without pressure to “be over it” or explain it perfectly. We use a somatic (body-based) approach to help you process your birth experience in a way that feels safe and grounded.
Who it’s for: This session is for moms, dads, and all parents. If you are a partner of a birthing person who experienced trauma, this is also for you.
Led by: Pregnancy therapist Rachael Bardnell
Investment: $175 per session
Insurance not accepted
Session type: We can meet in-person at our office in Columbus or virtually throughout Ohio.
Office Address:
1496 Old Henderson Rd
Columbus, Ohio 43220
Building Your Capacity & Expanding Your Identity Starts Here – |
Book
Book a session directly, or schedule a free consultation call if you want to talk it through first.
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Begin
Begin with a first session focused on your story, your body, and what safety looks like for you.
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Heal
Heal and expand at the pace your nervous system needs, session by session.
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When ‘As Long As the Baby Is Healthy’ Prevents You from Healing
You’ve probably heard this sentiment, and maybe even said it to yourself. But physically healthy for you or the baby doesn’t mean whole and unharmed. And it doesn’t negate the challenging or unexpected birth experience you had. You can be relieved your baby is okay and still be carrying something heavy from how it happened. Your nervous system naturally moves between contraction and release, tension and relief. Feeling both at once is natural, and we’ll create the time and space to explore it.
Questions About Birth Trauma Therapy
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I use somatic experiencing-influenced therapy, which is a body-based approach that works with your nervous system to process birth trauma without needing to relive the story in detail. If you’re looking for EMDR for birth trauma, it’s worth considering which approach (EMDR for birth trauma or somatic therapy for birth trauma) fits what you need.
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If your birth is still affecting you, whether that’s your mood, your sleep, your relationship with your body, or your connection to your baby or partner, we encourage you to reach out. Your birth story doesn’t have to look dramatic from the outside, but maybe it continues to feel disappointing or painful to you. Birth trauma is incredibly common and can affect areas of your life you didn’t expect.
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There's no wrong time. Some people reach out around six weeks postpartum, when a lot of the harder mental health symptoms surface. Others don't reach out until months, or even years, later, and that's okay too. It's never too early or too late to start.
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Yes. I see clients in person in Columbus, OH, and virtually anywhere in Ohio. If you’ve been searching for birth trauma therapy near me throughout Ohio, I welcome you to reach out and share your story.
Have questions before you book? Leave me a message here and I'll get back to you.
Ready to process what happened, at your own pace?
It’s okay to not have the words to describe your experience yet.
Book your first session, and we’ll start wherever you are.