Theresa Sherman, LGPC
Therapist
Theresa Sherman, LGPCHolistic Perinatal/Postpartum Therapist, Trauma-informed Psychotherapist & EFT Couples Counselor
"The journey through pregnancy, postpartum, infertility, and parenthood can be one of the most emotionally complex and vulnerable seasons of life. Whether you are navigating this experience as an individual or as a couple, you do not have to carry it alone. "
Book a 30-minute consultation call with Tess
Issues Tess helps with
While therapy is primarily in English, Tess also speaks Spanish, French and Arabic
Who she works with
Pregnancy, Postpartum & Therapy for Moms
Tess specializes in supporting moms and moms-to-be through pregnancy, postpartum, and the messy journey of parenthood. From fertility challenges and preparing for a baby to navigating postpartum anxiety, depression, identity shifts, and the overwhelming demands of motherhood, she helps clients find their footing through one of life's biggest transitions. Whether you're feeling unlike yourself, struggling with mom guilt, questioning whether you're doing enough, or trying to balance your own needs with everyone else's, Tess offers a space to make sense of it all, understand what you're feeling, and develop practical ways to cope, with no pressure to thrive if simply getting through the day feels like a lot right now.
Tess helps you build confidence in yourself, find support that actually meets your needs, and navigate the emotional overwhelm of motherhood with greater self-compassion.
Parenting, Childhood Trauma & Breaking Generational Patterns
Becoming a parent can bring old wounds to the surface in ways you never expected. You may find yourself reacting to your child's behavior in ways you don't understand, repeating patterns you promised yourself you'd avoid, or feeling pressure to be the parent you never had. Tess helps mothers explore how their own childhood experiences, attachment wounds, and family dynamics influence their parenting today. Together, you'll work to understand emotional triggers, break intergenerational patterns, develop healthier responses to parenting challenges, and build more connected relationships with your children—without the pressure to be a perfect parent.
Couples Therapy & Navigating Parenthood Together
Having a baby can change everything about your relationship—from how you communicate and share responsibilities to how connected you feel as partners. Tess helps couples navigate the mental load of parenting, recurring arguments, intimacy changes, resentment, and the challenges of staying connected while raising a family. She also works with couples navigating trust issues, infidelity, emotional disconnection, and major life transitions, helping partners break painful conflict cycles, repair relationship wounds, and feel like a team again.
How she works
Drawing from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS), Tess helps clients understand their emotional responses, develop greater self-compassion, and break free from patterns that keep them feeling stuck. Her person-centered approach is warm, collaborative, and responsive to what you need in the moment. Some days that means practical tools to manage anxiety, navigate parenting challenges, or cope with the demands of motherhood. Other days, it means slowing down to unpack difficult emotions, explore old wounds, or make sense of changes in your identity and relationships.
Above all, Tess believes therapy should be a space where you can show up exactly as you are—without judgment or pressure to have it all figured out. A lover of language and literature, Tess has a particular gift for helping people find words for feelings and experiences they've struggled to articulate—because sometimes, naming what you're going through is the first step toward understanding and healing from it. Having lived in the Middle East, North Africa, and Latin America for ten years, she also brings a culturally attuned perspective to her work, recognizing how cultural backgrounds, family expectations, and lived experiences shape our relationships and approaches to parenting.
With couples, Tess draws on her training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) to help partners move beyond recurring arguments, resentment, and emotional disconnection to understand what's really happening beneath the conflict. Rather than focusing on who's right or wrong, she helps couples recognize the painful cycles they get caught in, uncover the underlying emotions and attachment needs driving those patterns, and find new ways to turn toward each other instead of pulling apart. Whether you're navigating the transition into parenthood, rebuilding trust after a rupture, or struggling to feel like a team again, Tess helps you rebuild emotional safety, strengthen your bond, and create a more connected relationship.
"The power to name our experiences on our own terms, in our own language, can be an profound for healing.Together, we will create space to process difficult experiences, develop effective coping strategies, and strengthen your connection to yourself and your body."
Training & Credentials
BA in Arabic and Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
Master's in Counseling, The College of New Jersey
Graduate coursework in Women's Studies, University of Jordan (thesis on Jordanian midwives and national family health care)
Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor — Washington, DC
Trained in Internal Family Systems Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Postgraduate Training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy - ICEEFT
Postgraduate Training in Perinatal Mental Health - Postpartum Support International
What a first session is like
After your free 30-minute consultation, if it feels like the right fit, you will schedule your first full 50–55-minute session.
For individual therapy, the first few sessions are a chance to begin developing a fuller, more holistic understanding of what you are facing now. Tess will learn about your history, when the current concerns began or became more difficult, what has shaped them, and what you have already tried. Together, you will start to make sense of the larger context around your experiences and identify where the work can begin.
For couples, the first full session focuses on understanding your relationship, the concerns that brought you in, and the pattern that may be keeping you stuck. Each partner then has an individual intake session with Tess, giving her the opportunity to understand each person’s history and perspective. Ongoing sessions are generally held together as a couple.
If that sounds like what you are looking for, book a 30-minute consultation call with Tess.
Questions people ask Tess
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Pregnancy and postpartum bring enormous emotional, physical, and identity changes. Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, irritable, or unlike yourself is common, but just because these feelings are common doesn't mean you have to navigate them alone. It's completely normal to need extra support during pregnancy and postpartum. Whether you're preparing for your baby's arrival or already in the thick of postpartum life, Tess can help you understand what you're feeling, develop practical strategies to cope, and create a personalized postpartum support plan so you can feel more grounded, supported, and confident as you navigate this new chapter.
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Sleep deprivation and the demands of caring for a newborn can leave anyone feeling emotionally depleted. But persistent sadness, anxiety, irritability, guilt, or feeling disconnected from yourself or your baby after the initial baby blues may signal postpartum depression or another perinatal mood disorder. You don't have to wait until things feel unbearable to seek support. Tess can help you understand what you're experiencing and explore the support that's right for you.
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Absolutely! In fact, we encourage starting perinatal therapy during pregnancy, or when you’re trying to concieve, rather than waiting until you're struggling postpartum. Working with Tess before your baby arrives allows Tess to get to know your baseline mood and emotional well-being before pregnancy and postpartum, making it easier to recognize changes that could signal pregnancy anxiety, postpartum depression or anxiety and help you access support early. It also allows Tess and you to create a personalized postpartum support plan, anticipating potential challenges, and building practical strategies for navigating the emotional and relationship changes to ensure your have the support you will need in the postpartum period from your support system outside of therapy. Think of prenatal therapy as preparing for your emotional well-being after birth, just as you prepare for your baby's arrival.
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Yes. Tess is in network with CareFirst, BCBS, and Anthem plans. Coverage and copays can vary by plan. We are happy to help you understand your insurance benefits and the next steps when you reach out.
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Even strong relationships can feel strained after becoming parents. Between sleepless nights, shifting responsibilities, less time for intimacy, and the invisible mental load of parenting, it's easy to feel like you've gone from partners to roommates. Tess works with postpartum couples to help them understand the patterns behind recurring conflicts, communicate your needs, share responsibilities more effectively, and find your way back to feeling like a team.
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Couples often arrive having spent months explaining themselves to someone who stayed neutral but was wrapped up in the content of your argument. EFT works differently: the focus is on the cycle the two of you fall into in these difficult moments and arguments. Tess helps you slow down and understand that pattern, explore what’s underneath it and learn to respond differently in difficult moments.
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While Tess primarily conducts therapy in English, she understands that some things may only be best explain in ones native langauge. Having lived abroad for many years, she has a conversational understanding of Spanish, French and Arabic and is welcoming of her clients integrating these languages in therapy as needed. She understands how important cultural and language is in shaping our expereince and tries her best to make space for that.
Book a free consultation call
No waitlists and no phone tag. Pick a time that suits you, and Tess will call.
