You weren't supposed
to carry this alone.
Compassionate therapy for parents navigating birth trauma, NICU stays, postpartum anxiety, and the invisible weight of raising a medically complex child. Emily Newland, LCSW — virtual sessions throughout Utah.
9+ five-star reviews · Insurance accepted · New clients welcome
New clients in Utah · Insurance accepted · Flexible scheduling
Some experiences don't have easy words.
Emily created this practice for the parents who are holding things that are too heavy, too complicated, and too real to explain to someone who hasn't been there.
Your birth didn't go the way you imagined — and you can't stop replaying it.
The NICU changed you. And nobody around you really understands how.
Your child has medical needs that consume everything — including you.
You look like you're functioning. But inside, you're exhausted and barely holding on.
Everyone thinks you should be "over it" by now. You're not sure you ever will be.
You love your baby deeply — and you're still struggling. Both things are true.
Postpartum anxiety has made you feel like a stranger in your own life.
You're terrified of being pregnant again after everything you've been through.
You've spent a long time holding this.
Therapy is where you finally get to put some of it down.
Here's what working with Emily looks like.
You feel genuinely seen
Not just heard — truly seen. Emily's specialty is the experiences that are hard to put into words. She won't ask you to explain what a NICU is or why birth trauma is real.
Your nervous system starts to heal
Using EMDR, we work with your brain and body to process trauma that talk therapy alone can't always reach — so traumatic memories stop running in the background of your daily life.
You find yourself again
Not just coping, not just surviving — actually feeling like yourself. Present for your child, connected to your partner, and no longer carrying this alone.
A therapist who understands this world from the inside.
Emily Newland is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Utah specializing in birth trauma, NICU experiences, postpartum anxiety, and families navigating medically complex children. She uses EMDR, CBT, and attachment-based therapy tailored to where you actually are.
Therapy for the hardest seasons of parenthood.
If you've ever felt like your experience was too specific, too complicated, or too hard to explain — you've found the right place.
Birth Trauma & Postpartum
For moms and dads struggling after birth didn't go as planned, or navigating postpartum depression and anxiety. You don't have to white-knuckle through this.
NICU & Medical Family Trauma
For parents navigating a child's serious illness, NICU stays, or medical diagnosis. Your grief and fear are real — and they deserve real support.
Pregnancy After Trauma
Fear, hypervigilance, and grief can make subsequent pregnancies feel impossible. Therapy helps you navigate hope and terror at the same time.
EMDR for Birth Trauma
A powerful, evidence-based approach to processing traumatic birth memories so they stop running in the background of your daily life.
Anxiety & Depression
Evidence-based therapy that goes deeper than symptom management — toward understanding and lasting change.
Caregiver Burnout
Years of hypervigilance and putting everyone first depletes you. You deserve support too — not just coping strategies to keep going.
What it feels like to work with Emily.
"She is a wonderful listener who makes you feel heard. I leave each session feeling empowered."
"Sessions with Emily feel like working through challenges with a trusted friend — warm, personable, and incredibly empathetic. She creates a safe, judgment-free space where I feel truly seen."
"The EMDR sessions we've done together have made a significant difference in my progress. Truly grateful for her expertise and compassionate approach."
Questions people ask before reaching out.
It's okay to have doubts. Here are the things people most often wonder about before booking their first call.
You've been strong long enough.
Let someone help.
A free 15-minute call. No paperwork, no pressure. Just a conversation to see if we're a good fit.
You love your baby.
And you're still
struggling.
Both are true.
Postpartum depression and anxiety affect 1 in 5 new mothers — and 1 in 10 new fathers. It's not weakness. It's not failure. And it's absolutely treatable.
✓ Video sessions from home · ✓ Insurance accepted · ✓ Utah residents
That doesn't make you a bad one.
Postpartum mental health conditions don't always look like what you've seen in movies. Sometimes it's rage, not sadness. Sometimes it's numbness, not tears. Sometimes it's constant anxiety, or feeling like you're watching your life from outside your body. Whatever it looks like for you — it has a name, it has a cause, and it responds to treatment.
It might be postpartum depression or anxiety if…
Many new parents dismiss their symptoms because they don't fit a stereotype. These signs are worth taking seriously — and bringing to therapy.
You don't have to check every box. Even one or two of these, lasting more than two weeks, is worth talking about.
- Feeling disconnected from your baby or like you're going through the motions
- Crying more than usual, or feeling nothing at all
- Intrusive thoughts that scare or disturb you
- Rage or irritability that feels out of proportion
- Constant worry that something bad will happen to your baby
- Feeling like your partner or baby would be better off without you
- Difficulty sleeping even when the baby sleeps
- Feeling like you've lost your sense of self entirely
- Withdrawing from people you love
- Feeling like a fraud — like everyone else knows what they're doing and you don't
Dads and partners feel it too. And it's rarely talked about.
Paternal postpartum depression is real, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. Fathers often express it differently — through withdrawal, irritability, overworking, or a creeping sense of disconnection from the family.
If you've felt like you're failing your partner, detached from your baby, or like the joy everyone said you'd feel just… isn't there — you're not alone. And you deserve support too.
New fathers experience paternal postpartum depression
of dads with PPD go undiagnosed and untreated
of people with PPD improve significantly with therapy
Most clients notice meaningful change within 4–8 sessions
Therapy that works around your life as a new parent.
Free 15-Min Call
We talk briefly about what you're going through. No intake forms, no pressure. Just a conversation to make sure we're a good fit.
Your First Session
Video, from your home. We go at your pace. Emily listens first — really listens — before we build a plan together.
Ongoing Support
Weekly or biweekly sessions, flexible weekday scheduling — mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Insurance accepted. Progress you can actually feel.
From people who've been exactly where you are.
"Emily is compassionate, understanding, and kind. She makes you feel heard and helps you understand the why behind so many things. I leave each session feeling empowered."
"Sessions with Emily feel like working through challenges with a trusted friend — warm, personable, and incredibly empathetic. She creates a safe, judgment-free space where I feel truly seen."
"She really listens, remembers previous things talked about, and doesn't jump to offer quick fixes. She guides you toward finding solutions yourself."
"I highly recommend Emily. She's empathetic and her clinical expertise combined with her own life experiences allow her to be of real support to her clients."
You've been taking care of everyone else.
It's time someone took care of you.
Free 15-minute consultation. No paperwork first. No pressure. Just a conversation.
Your child is the patient.
But you need
support too.
When your child is seriously ill, your own mental health moves to the back of the line. The fear, grief, helplessness, and exhaustion you carry is real — and it has a name. Emily Newland, LCSW specializes in supporting parents through the weight of a child's medical journey.
Getting help for yourself is not selfish — it's how you stay present for your child. You cannot pour from an empty cup, and you deserve support just as much as they do.
Nobody prepares you for what it feels like
to watch your child suffer.
There's no roadmap for this. No one tells you how to hold it together in the hospital waiting room, how to answer your other kids' questions, or how to explain to people who don't understand why you still aren't "over it."
Parents of medically complex children experience some of the highest rates of anxiety, depression, and PTSD of any population — and receive the least support, because all attention goes to the child. You are expected to be strong. To cope. To keep going.
Therapy gives you somewhere to put all of it. Not to fix you — you are not broken. But to give you the support, space, and tools you deserve.
"Studies show that up to 40% of NICU parents and parents of chronically ill children meet criteria for PTSD, depression, or clinically significant anxiety — yet the vast majority never receive treatment."
If any of these is your story,
you're in the right place.
NICU Parents
The beeping monitors. The tubes. Not being able to hold your baby. The guilt of leaving to sleep. NICU trauma is real, lasting, and deeply undertreated — even years after your baby comes home.
Post-Diagnosis Families
Receiving a serious diagnosis for your child — cancer, a rare disease, a heart condition — can feel like the ground disappearing beneath you. The grief and fear deserve real support.
Chronically Ill Children
When your child has an ongoing condition — diabetes, epilepsy, autoimmune disease — you live in a state of constant hypervigilance. Chronic parental stress is its own form of trauma.
Anticipatory Grief
Grieving a child you haven't lost yet — while also being their caregiver — is one of the most complex emotional experiences a human can have. You deserve a space to feel all of it.
Medical Trauma Survivors
Sometimes the trauma shows up later — after the crisis is over and you're "supposed to be" relieved. Flashbacks, hypervigilance, and avoidance are signs your nervous system is still protecting you.
Couples & Co-Parents
Medical stress strains relationships in ways that are hard to talk about. Partners often grieve differently, cope differently, and can feel deeply alone even when they're in it together.
Therapy built around where you actually are.
There's no timeline for healing. No "right" way to feel. Emily's approach starts with deep listening — understanding your specific situation, your family, and what you're carrying — before anything else.
Sessions are available mornings, afternoons, and evenings on weekdays to work around hospital schedules, appointments, and the unpredictability of medical parenting.
Free 15-Minute Consultation
A simple call. You share your situation. Emily shares how she works. No forms, no pressure.
Intake & First Session
Video session from home. Emily takes time to truly understand your story before anything else happens.
Personalized Ongoing Work
Weekly or biweekly sessions, at your pace. Practical tools. Real progress you can feel.
Therapeutic Approaches Emily Uses
- EMDR — for processing traumatic memories and medical trauma
- Trauma-Informed CBT — restructuring fear-based thought patterns
- Grief Therapy — for ambiguous, anticipatory, and complicated grief
- Attachment-Based Work — reconnecting with yourself and your family
- ACT — living fully despite uncertainty
Common questions from parents like you.
You've been holding this long enough.
Let someone help.
Free 15-minute consultation. No forms first. No pressure. Just a conversation.
Emily Newland, LCSW —
A therapist who believes
every heart deserves to thrive.
Emily is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Utah specializing in trauma, perinatal mental health, and the complex emotional experiences that come with navigating medical family stress. She is EMDR-trained and uses an integrative approach tailored to each individual.
Her clients describe her as warm, direct, and deeply attentive — someone who helps you understand the why behind what you're feeling, not just manage the symptoms.
Therapy that meets you exactly where you are.
Emily uses an integrative approach — drawing from multiple evidence-based modalities depending on what each client needs. There's no one-size-fits-all formula. Every treatment plan starts with listening.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — a powerful, research-backed approach to processing traumatic memories and breaking patterns rooted in past experiences.
Trauma-Informed CBT
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy adapted for trauma survivors — helping you identify and restructure thought patterns that no longer serve you without retraumatizing you in the process.
Attachment-Based Therapy
Exploring how early relationships and experiences shape how you connect with yourself and others — and healing those patterns in a safe, consistent therapeutic relationship.
ACT
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy — helping you live a full, meaningful life even in the presence of pain, uncertainty, or difficult emotions you can't always control.
Grief Therapy
Specialized support for ambiguous loss, anticipatory grief, and the kinds of grief that don't have a clear name — including the grief that comes with medical family stress.
Education, licensure & specializations.
Licensure
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) — State of Utah. All sessions are conducted within Utah state licensing requirements.
EMDR Certification
Trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for trauma processing, PTSD, and medical trauma.
Perinatal Mental Health
Specialized training in perinatal and postpartum mental health, including postpartum depression, anxiety, and perinatal loss.
Practice Format
100% teletherapy — video sessions via secure, HIPAA-compliant platform. Flexible weekday availability — mornings, afternoons, and evenings — for working parents and caregivers.
In their own words.
"Emily is compassionate, understanding, and kind. She makes you feel heard when you speak and helps you understand the why behind so many things."
"She has a remarkable ability to help me challenge and explore my thoughts. The EMDR sessions have made a significant difference. Truly grateful."
"Emily is able to help you navigate the heavy and often ambiguous work of growing through life. She has a talent for framing challenges in a structured way."
Ready to work with Emily? Let's talk.
A free 15-minute call. No paperwork, no pressure. Just a conversation to see if we're a good fit.
Therapy shouldn't be a financial barrier.
Emily accepts most major insurance plans and works with clients to make therapy as accessible as possible. Here's everything you need to know before your first session.
Insurance Accepted
Emily is in-network with most major insurance providers. During your free consult, she'll verify your specific coverage before you commit.
Free Consultation
Your free 15-minute call is completely at no cost — no insurance needed, no billing. Just a conversation to see if we're a good fit.
Self-Pay Rate
$155 per 55-minute session. No insurance required. Ask about options during your free consultation.
Insurance plans currently accepted.
Don't see your plan? Contact Emily directly — she may still be able to work with your insurance or provide a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement.
Flexible options if you're not using insurance.
Emily understands that navigating insurance can be complicated and stressful. If you'd prefer not to use insurance, or if your plan isn't accepted, self-pay is available at $155 per 55-minute session.
During your free 15-minute consultation, Emily will walk you through all fees and options so there are no surprises before your first session.
Questions about insurance? Just ask.
Emily is happy to answer any questions about coverage, fees, or billing during your free consultation.
Ready to take the
first step? We're here.
The fastest way to get started is to book a free 15-minute consultation. No paperwork, no pressure — just a conversation to see if we're a good fit.
counseling@thrivingheartstherapy.org
Phone
(385) 645-7455
Sessions
100% teletherapy · HIPAA-compliant video · Utah residents
Availability
Flexible weekday hours · Currently accepting new clients
Send a Message
The fastest way to connect? Book a free call.
Skip the back-and-forth — pick a time that works for you and Emily will be there.