ASK A PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST
When to refer, what I treat, and how to work together.
What I Actually Do
Chelsea runs two lanes: perinatal mental health therapy and maternal coaching.
When to Refer to Me
Therapy:
Anxiety, depression, mood swings, infertility struggles, or pregnancy and infant loss during the perinatal period
A traumatic birth, a NICU stay, or old trauma resurfacing
Intrusive or unwanted thoughts, signs of postpartum OCD
Identity shift into parenthood, feeling overwhelmed by early parenthood
A parent and partner needing support adjusting to early parenthood or navigating relationship strain
Coaching:
Feeling depleted or overwhelmed despite genuinely trying hard
A harsh inner critic feeding guilt, making "enough" feel impossible
A sense of lost identity since becoming a parent
Functioning fine externally, struggling internally, without meeting a clinical threshold
Trouble accessing patience or connection with kids, rooted in depletion, not lack of love
Isolation, whether geographic, relational, or the absence of a village
Already in therapy, looking for ongoing growth-oriented support
Wanting connection to self and others through a small group cohort
What a Referral Conversation Sounds Like
For therapy: "I'd like to connect you with Chelsea Solorzano. She's a therapist who specializes in perinatal mental health and works with individuals and couples navigating pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood. She's warm, collaborative, and a parent herself."
For coaching: "I'd like to refer you to a maternal coach whose work starts from a simple idea: parents need support too. She helps people move from depletion and self-criticism toward real self-kindness, individually or in a small group, using an IFS-informed approach."
When Not to Refer to Me
Coaching is not for acute cases. If mood symptoms are impacting daily functioning, that's a therapy referral. Therapy is currently limited to IL residents and is virtual only, though CA licensure is in progress.
How We Work Together
If a client signs a release of information, Chelsea will coordinate directly with you to build cohesive, connected care.
Not a member yet? This is what Weferral actually looks like: providers who know exactly when and how to send people to each other, because they actually know each other. Join Matrikas