Since becoming parents, you fight more, connect less, and both want something better.
For each other, and for the family you’re building.
Virtual couples therapy for parents of young children in Virginia.
Small things have turned into bigger ones: a tone, a question about weekend plans. Moments that used to pass unnoticed now feel loaded. Once it starts, one of you wants to talk it out right away while the other tends to pull away and go quiet. This reaching and retreating becomes a fight of its own, and you both end up feeling lonely, even with the person you love the most.
Between the busyness of life with small children and a mental load that doesn’t stop, there’s very little left at the end of the day to repair anything, or even to keep things as they are.
The early years of parenthood change you and your relationship faster than either of you expected, and no one hands you a roadmap for doing that together. It makes sense that this feels hard, because it is.
I'm Jackie, a postpartum couples therapist in Virginia, certified in perinatal mental health (PMH-C). In virtual sessions, I draw on Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) to help you see the cycle you’re caught in and build new ways of reaching for each other. Together, we build that roadmap.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Most of your conversations are about the schedule, kids’ needs, logistics.
You fight about things that never used to matter, and you can feel resentment building underneath.
A meltdown at bedtime turns into a second argument about who handled it wrong.
You each picture a different family, because you grew up in different ones, and it comes out at the worst moments.
You keep score of who got up last night and who did the dishes, and no one feels like they’re winning.
Physical intimacy has become a touchy subject: one of you is touched out and the other is craving connection.
You’re both exhausted, you love each other, and you keep wondering how you got here.
If this sounds like your house, we can start there.
Offering Online Therapy Across Virginia
Secure, flexible video sessions designed to fit the life you’re actually living.
How I Can Help
Postpartum & Parenthood Support
The baby is here and everything has shifted. Or maybe the baby is now a kid, and somewhere between the soccer practices and the school pickups, you and your partner started feeling more like co-managers than partners. Often this comes up when your child is around six months to four years old, and especially after fertility treatment, IVF, or a NICU stay. However far into parenthood you are, this is support for couples who want to find their way back to each other inside the life they've built.
Pregnancy Support for Couples & Individuals
Pregnancy reshapes everything: your body, your identity, your relationship. This is support for couples and individuals who want to move through that transition with intention, honesty, and each other.
Premarital & Relationship Foundations
For couples preparing for marriage or long-term partnership who want to enter this next chapter with clarity, honest conversation, and a real plan for the road ahead.
Individual Counseling for Life Transitions
Something has shifted recently and the person you were in your old life doesn't quite fit this new one yet. Maybe your relationship changed, you stepped into a new role, or you're carrying something you can't quite explain to the people around you. This is support for individuals who are ready to make sense of where they are and find their footing again.
Hi, I’m Jackie.
it’s nice to meet you
I work with couples and individuals who are ready for something to change. Whether you're navigating pregnancy, early parenthood, or years into a relationship that doesn't feel the way it used to, I'm here to help you make sense of what's happening and find a way forward. I bring 15 years of experience as an educator alongside my clinical training, and as a partner and parent myself, I understand this work from the inside out.
I'm certified in perinatal mental health, which means I understand the whole arc: the fertility journey, the pregnancy, the birth, the first year, and how all of it still lives in your relationship now.
In Their Own Words: Client Reflections
"Jackie helped me through a time when I felt alone in my sadness. She helped me notice my strengths and how to ask for support. I am doing really well now."
- M, Individual Client
"Jackie met us both with compassion and openness and allowed us both to feel safe and confident to make mistakes and learn from them. We are now almost a year into our marriage and approach each other with that same openness."
- G & P, Couple
"Working with Jackie has strengthened my emotional intelligence and helped me feel more confident in tough times."
- C, Individual Client
"Before working with Jackie, I struggled to control repeating thought patterns that were affecting both my work and personal life. Since working with her, I feel calmer and have a much bigger toolbox for identifying and addressing those patterns when they come up. I especially appreciate that Jackie always shows up prepared, with a clear recall of past sessions and a plan to make sure each one is productive. If someone told me they were thinking about finding a therapist, I'd tell them Jackie would be a great person to help them process their thoughts."
-J, Individual Client
Real Conversations for Real Relationships
These posts are a snapshot of what I actually help clients work through: the transition to parenthood, the distance that sneaks in, and how to find your way back to what matters.
