Maternal Mental Health & Psychotherapy in NJ, NY, and PSYPACT states

Therapy for the Reproductive Journey: Fertility, Loss, Pregnancy & Postpartum

Deeply specialized support for those navigating the complex psychological transition to parenthood, from fertility and loss to pregnancy and postpartum.

The path to building a family rarely moves in a straight line. Whether you are navigating the exhausting logistics of fertility treatment, managing the profound identity shifts of pregnancy and postpartum, or grieving a loss, this transition can quietly strain your body, your relationships, and your sense of who you are. Even when everything looks entirely stable from the outside, it is common to feel deeply anxious, disconnected, or overwhelmed by the sheer scale of what has changed.

I provide therapy for individuals and couples in the reproductive and early parenting years, including those pursuing IVF and other fertility treatments, and those coping with pregnancy loss, birth trauma, postpartum anxiety and depression, relationship changes, or the transition into parenthood. I work with new moms and dads.

As a licensed clinical psychologist with advanced training from Columbia and Emory, I provide specialized perinatal care for clients across New Jersey, New York, and participating PSYPACT states. While my practice leverages the convenience of telehealth to accommodate the demanding rhythms of fertility treatment, prenatal health care, and early parenthood, I work closely with individuals and partners to arrange hybrid or in-person care as needed.

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The path toward pregnancy often brings a profound emotional and physical toll, particularly when navigating the demanding schedules of fertility treatments like IUI or IVF cycles. Our therapy focuses on helping you manage the acute anxiety of the two-week wait, the physical side effects of medication and embryo transfers, and the exhausting logistics of balancing clinic appointments with your career. Together, we work to navigate the chronic uncertainty and the "stalled" feeling that can take over your life and your relationships during this process.
Growing a human and preparing for a massive life shift brings an intense mix of physical discomfort, emotional vulnerability, and logistical pressure. Whether you are navigating the overwhelming mental load of balancing your career with upcoming leave, managing fluctuating moods, or just trying to anchor yourself amidst constant change, the stress can feel incredibly isolating. High-stakes decision-making and anxiety can easily overshadow this chapter, particularly if you are also navigating a high-risk pregnancy, medical complications, frequent scans, or overwhelming uncertainty about your baby’s health. We work together to find grounding, manage the stress of constant monitoring, and protect your mental wellbeing before birth.
Pregnancy often forces a difficult reckoning with your own upbringing. For many women, the anticipation of motherhood brings up intense grief, guilt, or anxiety rooted in childhood trauma, parental estrangement, or complicated family dynamics. We work together to process these painful emotions and make sense of your history, examining how it is surfacing right now so you can break old patterns and parent on your own terms.
I provide comprehensive therapy for postpartum anxiety (PPA), postpartum depression (PPD), intrusive thoughts, rage, and numbness beyond the “baby blues”. Our sessions focus deeply on processing the profound postpartum identity shifts, intrusive fears, and relationship strains that naturally emerge as you transition into early parenthood.
Many parents need a safe space to process birth experiences that felt frightening, medically complicated, rushed, or dismissed. Whether you navigated an unexpected emergency intervention or NICU stay, birth trauma therapy helps safely reduce the emotional charge the memory still carries so you can feel present in your life again.
We offer a dedicated space to process the heavy, complex grief of miscarriage, stillbirth, chemical pregnancy, or TFMR (termination for medical reasons). This specialized support is especially vital when the world around you may not understand the true depth of your experience, or when you feel isolated in your grief and unsure of how to move forward.
The transition into parenthood can place an immense strain on even the strongest partnerships as you learn to navigate the complexities of co-parenting. Our work focuses on addressing postpartum relationship strain, a lopsided division of labor, resentment, and sexual intimacy shifts. Whether you attend individually or together, we work to resolve ongoing conflict and bridge the disconnection so you can feel like a cohesive team again.

Areas of Focus

How Therapy Can Help

When TTC or navigating fertility treatments: Challenges in this chapter often bring up a layer of shame that tells you getting pregnant should have been easier. When the path involves IVF, loss, or medical interventions, it can also lead to spiraling thoughts and hopelessness. It’s common for these feelings to interfere with sleep, keep you on-edge, or unexpectedly trigger unresolved pieces from your past, leaving you feeling isolated in a process that feels too private to share. Therapy can help you manage the disconnect between what you expected this experience to feel like and the overwhelming reality of what you are actually going through.

During pregnancy: This chapter brings an incredible amount of change all at once, physically, emotionally, and logistically. It is entirely normal to find yourself needing extra support as you navigate shifting moods, physical discomfort, and the practical stress of balancing your career while preparing for a major life transition. Therapy offers a grounded space to process these changes, manage the identity shifts, and anchor yourself as you prepare for what’s ahead.

Postpartum and early parenthood: The transition into life with a baby often brings a distinct gap between how you thought you would feel and the actual day-to-day reality of parenthood. It is common to feel entirely overwhelmed by the exhaustion, the constant demands, and the sheer volume of adjustments happening within your life, your relationship, and your sense of self. We work together to help you find your footing, navigate the unexpected pressures, and build a sense of confidence in this new chapter.

Navigating the gap between expectation and reality

Grounded support for an intense period

My style is warm and collaborative. I combine specialized clinical expertise with a clear, compassionate presence so you don't have to figure out these overwhelming shifts in isolation. We slow things down enough to focus on what you need in real-time, giving you a safe place to unpack the anxiety and find your way back to yourself.

Depending on your specific needs, pace, and goals, our work may draw from:

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT): A way of slowing down overwhelming emotional patterns in real time. We look at what is happening beneath the surface to address past experiences, communication blocks, or isolation that cause strain during major transitions.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT): A present-focused, gold-standard approach for navigating postpartum depression, identity shifts, and the negotiation of new parental roles.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) & Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills: Concrete tools specifically tailored to interrupt postpartum anxiety, manage obsessive intrusive thoughts, and steady your system in high-stress moments.
Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP): Support for anxiety and intrusive thoughts, helping your body feel less reactive to uncomfortable physical sensations, reducing distress, anxious rumination, and the feeling of needing to “escape”.

The goal is to use the right level of structure, depth, and support for what you are carrying.

About Me

I’m Dr. Ali Pickover, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in reproductive and perinatal mental health across New York, New Jersey, and participating PSYPACT states.

My approach is built on a foundation of intensive training within major medical and hospital systems. I completed my doctoral internship at Emory University School of Medicine, focusing on crisis intervention and acute distress, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University Irving Medical Center / NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Navigating the intersections of physical and mental health in these high-stakes environments is exactly what allows me to deeply understand and support the complex physiological and emotional realities of the perinatal period.

Beyond the clinic, my career has focused on shaping how reproductive healthcare is understood and delivered. I have authored more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters investigating stress, trauma, and resilience. I also bring unique industry expertise to my work, having previously led the clinical development of behavioral health programming at Maven Clinic, the global leader in digital reproductive healthcare.

What this means for our work together is that it is entirely okay to feel vulnerable and uncertain of what comes next. Navigating infertility, postpartum transitions, or the profound identity shifts of parenthood can bring up anxieties you’ve never experienced before. I bring a deep understanding of how these intense changes affect your mind and body, along with a warm, nonjudgmental presence to ensure you are receiving the best care that is available.

Logistics

Individual and couples sessions are primarily conducted via secure telehealth for clients located throughout New Jersey and New York, with hybrid or in-person care options arranged as needed.

I operate as a private-pay practice and provide detailed superbills for out-of-network reimbursement to help clients maximize their insurance benefits.

Start Where You Are

Reaching out does not mean you have to explain everything perfectly. Whether you are in the middle of fertility treatment, grieving a loss, recovering from a difficult birth, or trying to find yourself again in early parenthood, we can start with what feels hardest now.