Postpartum Couples Therapy
Located in Lee's Summit, serving new parents across the Kansas City area.
A new baby changes everything, including the two of you. You can love your baby and each other and still feel like strangers passing in the hallway at 3 a.m. Both are true at the same time.
Postpartum couples therapy is a place to slow down and talk about what has changed, with someone who works with new parents every day. I'm a Certified Perinatal Mental Health professional (PMH-C) in Lee's Summit. As a Licensed Professional Counselor in Missouri and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Kansas, I see couples in person or virtually anywhere in either state.
What Changes After a Baby
The arrival of a child reorganizes a relationship whether or not you were ready for it. The common version looks like this: one of you is managing the baby and everything invisible that comes with it, the other is trying to help and being told they're doing it wrong, and you're both exhausted and quietly furious and too tired to talk about it properly at 11 p.m., when the baby is finally asleep.
None of that means something is wrong with your relationship. Sleep loss, a recovering body, new roles and very little time alone put pressure on even the strongest couples. It helps to name what's happening so you can face it together instead of facing each other.
The division of labor, including the part nobody can see — the remembering, the planning, the noticing
Communicating something other than logistics, because most couples at this stage only talk in handoffs
Resentment before it calcifies into something bigger
Intimacy, which usually needs its own conversation rather than being left as the thing you're both avoiding. This isn't just physical; we'll also process emotional intimacy and connection.
Feeling like partners again, not two people passing like ships in the night
Postpartum Rage and Resentment
Postpartum rage is more common than most people realize, and it often lands on the person closest to you. If you've been snapping at your partner in a way that doesn't feel like you, you're not a bad partner. Rage is often a sign that you're depleted and that a need isn't being met.
In couples work, we look at what sits underneath the anger, like exhaustion, feeling unsupported or grieving the life you had before, so both of you can respond to that rather than to the outburst.
You can read more in the Postpartum therapy page.
When One of You Is Struggling
Postpartum depression and anxiety affect the whole relationship, not just the person experiencing them. The partner who is struggling may feel guilty or hard to reach. The other may feel helpless, or unsure whether to step in or give space.
Couples therapy can help you both understand what's happening and how to support each other through it. If one of you also needs individual support, more is on the Postpartum therapy page.
Partners Have a Postpartum Experience Too
The postpartum period is often talked about only in terms of the parent who gave birth. Partners go through their own adjustment, and they can experience depression and anxiety in this season too. Many feel they aren't allowed to struggle because they weren't the one who was pregnant.
I've completed advanced training in paternal perinatal mental health, and I make room for both of your experiences in our sessions. That includes non-birthing mothers, adoptive parents and parents who welcomed a baby through surrogacy.
What We Work On
Talking When You're Both Exhausted
When you're running on very little sleep, the goal isn't the perfect conversation. It's a short, honest one. Phrases like these give you somewhere to start:
• "I'm not upset with you. I'm running on empty and I need a break. Can you take the next feeding?"
• "I miss us. Can we find ten minutes this week that aren't about the baby?"
You don't have to say it exactly this way. Finding your own words is part of the work we do together.
The Mental Load After a Baby
A baby multiplies the invisible work in a household overnight: the appointments, the supplies, the schedules and the constant noticing. When one partner holds most of it, resentment builds quickly.
I'm a Certified Facilitator of the Fair Play Method, a practical system for dividing that work so it's seen, valued and shared. It can run alongside couples therapy or on its own.
More about the fair play method.
Session length, fee and format
Couples therapy: 50 minutes · $165
Format: in person in Lee's Summit, or virtually on a HIPAA-compliant platform anywhere in Missouri or Kansas
Payment: HSA, FSA, most major credit cards, debit cards, cash and check
Reduced fee: therapy scholarships are available — please ask
Training in reproductive mental health
Katie Kirkenmeier, MA, LPC, LCPC, ATR, PMH-C
Seven years working exclusively with survivors of sexual violence before moving into perinatal work
40-hour advanced sexual assault training
EMDR Level 1 and 2 trained
Level 1 and 2 trained in Internal Family Systems through the IFS Institute
Certified in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C)
Registered Art Therapist (ATR)
Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology: Art Therapy, The Adler School of Professional Psychology
Licensed Professional Counselor in Missouri and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Kansas
Questions About Postpartum Couples Therapy
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Yes, absolutely.
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Virtual sessions mean no drive and no babysitter. Many couples meet from home during a nap.
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Start on your own. Individual work changes the dynamic more than people expect, and partners are sometimes more willing to participate as time goes on and they witness their partner having a positive experience.
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Whenever you're ready. Some couples come in during the first weeks, and others come in once the baby is a year old or older.
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Yes. I work with couples who are planning a family, going through infertility, pregnant or grieving a loss.
Schedule Postpartum Couples Therapy in Lee's Summit or Virtually
Book a free 15-minute consultation, send me a message or text 816-875-0078.
I reply within two business days.
You don't have to wait until things are falling apart. Wanting to feel like a team again is reason enough to reach out.