Made for Minnesota Moms Podcast Interview and Blog with Newborn Photographer Megan Norman

Q&A with Kendra Olson, MSW, LICSW, PMH-C

1. How did you become specialized in perinatal and maternal mental health?

Kendra had already been a therapist for a couple of decades before she specialized. The shift happened after she had her first daughter. About six months postpartum, her boss at the time asked if she wanted to join their reproductive mental health team, a group of therapists whose caseload was women and moms.

At first, Kendra said the timing wasn’t right. She was still finding her footing as a new mom herself. But about eight years ago, she made the move. Then, roughly three years ago, she launched her own practice and made a decision. This was going to be the only population she worked with. No more general caseload. Just women in the family building years of life.

2. How can moms tell the difference between normal baby blues and something that needs more support, like postpartum depression or anxiety?

Kendra explained that the first two weeks postpartum are generally considered the baby blues window. Big highs and lows are normal here, from joyful moments to tears to feeling overwhelmed, largely thanks to the dramatic hormonal shift that happens when the placenta leaves your body.

What she watches for is whether things stabilize after those two weeks. If mood swings continue, if worries and anxieties keep building, if your usual coping strategies stop working, or if a partner notices ongoing changes in sleep or eating, those are worth a closer look. These can be signs of a postpartum mood or anxiety disorder, and Kendra pointed out that the standard six week postpartum checkup often doesn’t leave much room to talk about any of this. It’s part of why therapy for women matters so much in that postpartum window specifically, when the six week checkup isn’t built to catch it. 

3. How do you support women through infertility, pregnancy loss, and early pregnancy anxiety?

Kendra said she often meets clients at the very start of the family building process, whether that’s trying to conceive, working through infertility treatment, or experiencing pregnancy loss. She also works with women mid pregnancy who are doing okay right now but want support before postpartum arrives, which she said she loves seeing more of. You don’t have to wait until things feel hard to reach out.

4. What do you wish more people understood about the emotional toll of miscarriage, failed IVF, and fertility treatment?

This is where therapy for women navigating infertility looks different from general talk therapy, and this question clearly mattered to Kendra. She talked about how grueling the process is, physically and emotionally, and how much waiting and uncertainty women sit with along the way. A lot of her work is helping clients trust their own feelings instead of dismissing them as “just hormones.”

She also used the phrase ambiguous grief to describe pregnancy loss and infertility. It’s a type of loss that’s harder for people, including the person experiencing it, to fully validate or find closure around. She added that shame plays a role too, since so many women feel like an inability to conceive easily is a personal failing, when it isn’t. And she pointed out something worth remembering: if a woman does conceive after infertility, that experience often shapes how she adjusts to motherhood afterward.

5. How do you help moms navigate social media and mom culture pressure?

Kendra brought up how much of a role social media plays for new moms, for better and worse. The issue isn’t social media itself. It’s that you’re often seeing someone’s highlight reel, or a confident opinion from someone with no real credentials, while you’re feeling scared or unsure. That combination can spiral fast, and she’s seen clients spend half an hour convinced their child has a certain diagnosis just from what they scrolled past.

Her approach isn’t about cutting social media out completely. It’s about being honest about how it’s affecting your mental health and finding ways to limit that impact when needed.

6. What does the process of rediscovering your identity outside of motherhood actually look like in therapy?

Kendra described this as different for every client, but it often starts with something like a needs assessment. Do you have any time to yourself? Are there hobbies you still make room for? From there, she looks at whether basic needs are being met, including time where the demands of other people are temporarily paused.

A big piece of her work is helping women look at whether the balance in their household actually reflects what they need, instead of automatically defaulting to putting themselves last. She was honest that this is something she has to actively practice in her own life too, not just something she teaches.

7. What’s a common myth about therapy for women that you wish more moms knew?

Kendra said the biggest one is thinking you have to be in crisis to justify seeing a therapist. You don’t have to be unable to function or unable to get out of bed. If something is weighing on you, or you’re thinking ahead to a vulnerable time like postpartum, that’s reason enough to reach out. She also pointed out how much of this mindset gets shaped by cost and insurance access, which is a real barrier for a lot of people. But she compared it to physical health. We don’t wait for a crisis to go to a yearly physical.

To read the full blog and watch the podcast interview, click here and here! And if you’re looking for a Newborn Photographer, Megan Norman is a must with her skill and talent for capturing important moments with your family. Check her out here!