Emotional, psychological, somatic, and spiritual preparation for one of life’s most transformative experiences.

Birth Preparation

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A structured, individualized psychotherapy approach designed to help you approach birth with greater confidence, self-trust, resilience, and flexibility.

Why Birth Preparation?

OB-GYNs, midwives, doulas, childbirth educators, pelvic floor PTs, and other birth professionals provide invaluable care, education, and support throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Birth Preparation adds a personalized psychological focus on the person moving through the experience.

It brings together evidence-based psychological approaches, trauma-informed psychotherapy, coaching psychology, somatic work, and emotional and spiritual preparation in one individualized process.

Close-up of a pregnant woman's belly with tattoos, standing on a beach with mountains in the background.

There is no single right way to give birth or transition into Motherhood.

There is only your way.

This is not about creating the “perfect birth.” It’s about preparing to meet your birth with greater confidence, self-trust, resilience, and flexibility - whether your journey includes a home birth, hospital birth, epidural, induction, planned cesarean, or an unexpected change of plans.

The work is shaped around you—your history, your pregnancy, your values, your strengths, and the ways you respond to uncertainty, vulnerability, change, and loss of control.

We can draw from coaching psychology to build confidence, flexibility, and mental preparation; trauma therapy when past experiences need attention; somatic approaches to listen to the wisdom of our body; and transpersonal work to make space for the meaning and spiritual dimensions of birth and motherhood.

Preparation isn’t about predicting birth. It’s about preparing yourself to meet it.

How We Prepare

Reduce Fear Before It Becomes Overwhelm

Work proactively with anticipatory anxiety and fear using evidence-based psychological approaches, so you can build greater capacity before labor begins.

Stay Grounded Under Intensity

Build practical capacity to regulate your nervous system, return to your breath and body, and stay connected to yourself when intensity rises.

Adapt Without Losing Your Agency

Prepare for different birth scenarios and unexpected changes while strengthening flexibility, decision-making, and your ability to stay oriented to what matters to you.

Process What You’re Bringing Into Birth

Work with previous birth trauma, pregnancy loss, sexual trauma, medical trauma, or other experiences that may become activated during pregnancy or birth.

Strengthen Self-Trust, Voice & Connection

Build confidence in yourself and your choices, clarify your values, communicate more clearly with your birth team, and deepen connection with yourself and your baby.

The Transition Into Motherhood

Explore changing identity, body image, vulnerability, expectations, and the psychological and emotional transition of becoming a mother.

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Getting Started

Sessions are available in person in Kakaʻako, via telehealth, and through limited third-trimester concierge in-home appointments on Oʻahu.

60 minutes

Birth Preparation begins with an initial intake and assessment. We’ll explore your pregnancy, history, concerns, strengths, hopes, and goals, and identify the areas that would be most valuable to focus on. Depending on complexity and timing we may also begin targeted therapeutic work during the first session.

Initial Birth Preparation Intake

90 minutes

Following your intake, I’ll recommend a focused number of sessions based on your individual goals, needs, and timeline.

Modalities are determined based on each client’s needs and may include EMDR, Brainspotting, Somatic Parts Work, coaching psychology, transpersonal approaches, and nervous system and emotional regulation work.

The number of sessions is individualized, with additional sessions available as needed.

Birth Preparation Sessions

Request Intake Appointment

Have questions first? Request a complimentary 15-minute consultation →

Locations & Pricing

Exterior view of a store named 'fishcafe' with large glass windows and an open door. The store offers furniture, accessories, art, ceramics workshops, and food. The storefront has a sign with 'fishcafe' and 'home'. There are potted plants outside, a pink square sign, and the building number '307C' beside the door. The interior displays chairs and tables, and various signs are visible on the windows.
Living room corner with a wooden armchair covered by a beige sheet, a colorful floral patterned rug, a potted plant, a small table with a basket, and a white brick wall.

01 In Person — Kakaʻako

307c Kamani St, Honolulu, HI, 96813
Sundays 10am - 5pm

In-person sessions are held at Olanani, a collaborative wellness space supporting pregnancy and whole-person care, located inside Fishcake in Kakaʻako.

Initial Birth Preparation Intake
60 minutes — $150 + GET

Birth Preparation Session
90 minutes — $195 + GET

02 Telehealth

Virtual Birth Preparation sessions are available for clients who prefer the flexibility of meeting remotely.

Initial Birth Preparation Intake
60 minutes — $125 + GET

Birth Preparation Session
90 minutes — $175 + GET

03 In-home appointments

Limited in-home sessions are available on Oʻahu, particularly during the third trimester or when travel to the office is difficult.

O’ahu only. Pricing varies based on location.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Birth Preparation is short-term, goal- and event-focused psychotherapy designed specifically around preparing for birth. The work is individualized to your pregnancy, history, concerns, strengths, and goals, with an emphasis on psychological, emotional, somatic, and spiritual preparation.

  • The number of sessions is individualized. Following your intake, I’ll recommend a focused number of sessions based on your goals, needs, pregnancy timeline, and the depth of work you’d like to do. Additional sessions can be added as needed.

  • No. Some clients come with significant fear, previous trauma, pregnancy loss, or difficult experiences. Others simply want to prepare proactively by building confidence, flexibility, self-trust, and greater capacity to stay grounded when birth becomes intense or unexpected.

    All are welcome and deserve intentional, individualized support and preparation.

  • Birth Preparation is offered as psychotherapy because the work can go beyond skills, mindset, or preparation strategies alone.

    Depending on your goals, we may draw from coaching psychology, but we can also work with trauma, fear responses, attachment patterns, body-based reactions, or past experiences that may become activated around pregnancy and birth. Because the service is provided within a psychotherapy framework, we can use approaches such as EMDR and other clinically appropriate modalities when deeper processing is needed.

  • Birth Preparation is organized around a specific future event and a defined set of preparation goals rather than open-ended weekly treatment. Sessions are typically 90 minutes, allowing more time for focused psychological, somatic, and experiential work.

    If you are looking for ongoing trauma therapy or broader mental health treatment, traditional weekly psychotherapy may be a better fit.

  • Birth Preparation is offered as a private-pay service and is not billable to insurance.

    The work is structured primarily in 90-minute sessions and is designed as targeted birth preparation that can be pursued proactively; you do not need a mental health diagnosis in order to participate.

    For clients seeking traditional weekly psychotherapy for trauma, anxiety, or other mental health concerns, I also provide 53-minute insurance-based psychotherapy through the Center for Healing and Transformation, where I currently accept HMSA and HMSA QUEST/Medicaid.

  • No. Childbirth education and approaches such as hypnobirthing can provide valuable information, techniques, and coping tools. Birth Preparation adds individualized psychotherapy and psychological preparation based on your own history, patterns, goals, and needs.

  • No. Birth Preparation is designed to complement the work you are already doing with your birth team. It does not provide medical care, midwifery, childbirth education, or labor support.

  • There’s no single right time to begin. Starting earlier gives us more time to space out sessions and address fears, challenges, and transitions as they arise throughout pregnancy, while sessions later in pregnancy can be more concentrated around what feels most important as birth approaches.

    If a lot is coming up close to birth, extended sessions or intensives may be appropriate, and limited in-home appointments are available on Oʻahu, particularly during the third trimester

  • If you’re ready to begin, you can request an Initial Birth Preparation Intake through the contact form or email at kat@soulboundhealing.com. A complimentary 15-minute consultation is available if you have questions or would like to connect before scheduling.

  • In-person Birth Preparation sessions are held in a private office inside Fishcake Hawaiʻi in Kakaʻako, shared with Olanani Wellness.

    Fishcake is a creative community space with a café, art, merchandise, and workshop areas, while the therapy office itself is fully private and secluded from the public spaces. Olanani Wellness also offers Women’s Health and pregnancy-focused services such as acupuncture and herbal medicine from the space.

    Telehealth sessions are available through a HIPAA compliant platform. Limited in-home appointments on Oʻahu and are also available when appropriate.

Silhouette of a pregnant woman standing in water near a shoreline with trees in the background, during daytime.

Preparation for birth, identity, and transition.

Ready to begin? Start with your Initial Birth Preparation Intake.

Book Intake Appointment

Have questions first? Book a complimentary 15-minute consultation →