Motherhood Therapy & Matrescence Support
Therapy and counselling for women navigating pregnancy, postpartum and the evolving seasons of motherhood — in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs and online.
Becoming a mother is one of the most powerful rites of passage a woman can experience. It reshapes not only your daily life, but your sense of self, your relationships, your priorities, and the way you move through the world.
You might love your child deeply and still feel lost. You might be trying to do everything right and still feel like something is missing. Many women find themselves holding it all together while privately wondering where they went.
This season of life doesn’t ask you to focus solely on caring for others. It invites you to meet yourself in a new way. And while that threshold can feel isolating, it isn’t meant to be navigated alone.
“Understanding that motherhood is the psychological and spiritual birth of a woman is the greatest story never told.”
Aurelie Athan
When motherhood reshapes everything
Motherhood often brings a wide and sometimes contradictory mix of emotions. You might feel joy and gratitude alongside sadness, anger and grief. You may notice that parts of you that once felt strong or clear now feel uncertain.
Many women describe feeling emotionally stretched. You might feel as though your needs come last, or that you’ve lost touch with who you were before becoming a mother. There can be guilt for wanting space or rest, pressure to “enjoy every moment,” and a quiet longing for emotional breathing room.
These experiences are far more common than most women are ever told. And yet they can feel confusing, especially when you feel you should be coping better.
If motherhood feels harder than you expected, it doesn’t mean you’re failing. It could be the sign that something meaningful is unfolding, while doing your best to navigate a world that asks mothers to do a lot with very little support. This process is called matrescence: a powerful developmental transition that has the capacity to reshape who you are.
A gentle introduction to matrescence (free audio guide)
Many women arrive at this stage wondering if what they are experiencing is normal. Because the concept of matrescence is rarely discussed, the emotional and identity shifts of motherhood can feel confusing or isolating.
This short guided audio introduces the concept of matrescence and explains why becoming a mother can feel so destabilising at times. Listening can help you put language to what you may be experiencing and remind you that you are not alone in this transition. In this guide, you’ll discover:
- What matrescence actually means
- Why motherhood can feel like an identity shift
- Why the emotional ups and downs are normal
- How understanding matrescence can bring relief and clarity.
It is designed for women who are:
- pregnant and preparing for motherhood
- newly postpartum and adjusting to early motherhood
- further along in their mothering journey and noticing identity shifts
Download the free audio guide to begin making sense of this powerful life transition.
Listen to my intro message here Matrescence Explained
If you’d like to learn more, pop your name and email address down below to receive the three-part audio series straight to your inbox.
You’re not alone if motherhood feels like this
Women reach out for support at many different points along their motherhood journey. Some are preparing to become mothers, while others are navigating the complex identity shifts that unfold as their children grow.
I commonly support women through situations such as:
- Preparing emotionally for pregnancy and early motherhood
- Adjusting to the emotional and identity shifts of early postpartum
- Navigating perinatal mood changes or emotional overwhelm
- Reconnecting with themselves after the intensity of early motherhood
- Returning to work and renegotiating identity and priorities
- Balancing career, partnership, and motherhood
- Navigating the later stages of motherhood, where identity questions re-emerge
These conversations create space to slow down, understand what is changing, and find a steadier way forward.
What becomes possible with the right support
Our work together offers a steady place to land while you navigate the emotional and practical demands of motherhood.
This includes supporting you to:
- Understand and regulate intense or conflicting emotions
- Gently process grief or loss related to your identity, body, or relationships
- Rebuild confidence and self-esteem
- Clarify what truly matters to you in this season
- Navigate the tension between work, motherhood, and personal needs
- Learn how to set boundaries and ask for what you need
- Find your own rhythm through the highs and lows of mothering
This support can be helpful whether you are navigating preconception, pregnancy, postpartum adjustment, perinatal mood challenges, returning to work, or any phase of your mothering journey that calls for a shift in perspective.
How I hold space for women during matrescence
Motherhood has been one of the most meaningful and challenging journeys for me personally. Through my own experience and my formal training in matrescence and motherhood studies, I came to understand how deeply our internalised ideas about what a “good mother” is can shape our experience of this stage of our lives.
Becoming a mother is not only about learning how to care for a child. It is also about learning how to care for yourself in a new way.
In our work together, we gently unpack what you’re feeling and explore what a meaningful version of this season of life could look like for you, beyond expectations or comparison. Our sessions are a place to slow down, listen more closely to yourself, and allow clarity to emerge from within.
Words from women who have shaped this work
Matrescence offers supportive language for understanding the identity shifts of motherhood, while cyclical wisdom reminds us that women’s lives have always unfolded in seasons. My work is shaped by both, and by the teachers and mentors who have preserved, embodied and passed on this knowledge with care and integrity.
Amy Taylor-Kabbaz
Author and founder of Mama Rising, global leader in Matrescence education
“Elise is one of the most embodied and gifted coaches I have ever known. She manages to stay deeply grounded in her client’s unique experience whilst also drawing on her extensive training in the moment, always able to meet her client exactly where she is. I was so impressed with Elise’s coaching skills, I invited her to become one of our Coaching Mentors and Trainers in Mama Rising, as she truly embodies the best in the industry.”
Jane Hardwicke-Collings
Women’s Mysteries Teacher, Founder of The School of Shamanic Womancraft
“Elise has courageously walked her own path of initiation towards reclaiming her innate gifts and feminine power. And her journey can be an inspiration to many.She now combines an embodied knowledge of cyclical wisdom with her skills as a coach and psychotherapist to guide women on their journeys through matrescence. Elise’s kind and gentle nature together with her passion for this work, make her a fierce protector of the sacredness of motherhood.”
If you’d like support
If you’d like support as you move through this season of motherhood, you’re welcome to book an initial consultation.
This first session offers a supportive space to share what you’re carrying, explore what you need, and see whether working together feels right for you.
After having two children, I didn’t know how to get my life back and felt stuck in so many areas from my relationships to my job. I was feeling depressed and lost. Elise helped me gain so much clarity and purpose thanks to her broad range of techniques and exercises that felt very tailored to my needs which I continue to use in my life. I feel like I am now the mother, wife, friend that I aspired to be.
Working with Elise has helped me tremendously to trust my inner voice when it comes to motherhood and everyday challenges. I feel more confident about my own decisions as a woman and a mother, with more capacity to focus on what matters most. It’s priceless. Elise has a gentle yet efficient way of communicating which creates a safe and warm environment to discuss any topic.
Questions many women ask during matrescence
Is it normal to feel overwhelmed or lost after having a baby?
Yes. Many women feel overwhelmed or disconnected from themselves during pregnancy and early motherhood. Becoming a mother brings emotional, physical, and identity changes all at once. Feeling unsettled does not mean you are doing anything wrong; it often means you are moving through a major life transition that deserves care and support.
What is matrescence?
Can counselling help if I don’t have postnatal depression or anxiety?
Yes. You don’t need a diagnosis to seek support. Many women come because they feel overwhelmed, emotionally stretched, or disconnected from who they used to be, sometimes soon after giving birth, at other times further down the mothering road. This work is about emotional care, not just crisis care: supporting you to make sense of what’s changing and feel steadier in yourself.
Can you help if I’m struggling with returning to work after having a baby?
Yes. Returning to work after becoming a mother can bring up questions about confidence, guilt, and balance. We can explore what this transition is stirring emotionally, clarify what matters to you now, and support you to navigate work and motherhood in a way that feels more aligned and sustainable.
Is this therapy or coaching?
It’s both. I integrate therapeutic depth with coaching clarity. That means we make space for your emotions, nervous system, and inner world, while also supporting you to move forward when you’re ready.
I live and work on the unceeded land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. I bow to the wisdom of the custodians and their elders, past present and emerging.
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