Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFC96875)
Clinical Manager
colleen@middlewayhealth.com
Colleen Tweed Wong specializes in maternal wellness and holds a certificate in maternal mood and anxiety disorders from Postpartum Support International. She also works in maternal depression research at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, in General Pediatrics.
Colleen completed her internship at Middle Way Health under the supervision, and continued mentorship, of Stephen Walker. She is available for individual, couples, and family therapy, as well as mindfulness coaching. She has additional training in Mindful Motherhood, co-parenting counseling, attachment, and conflict resolution. She volunteers as a facilitator at the weekly Mindfulness Meditation Support Group at Lion’s Roar Dharma Center.
While postpartum depression has gained familiarity, there are actually several forms of mood, anxiety, adjustment, and identity problems that mothers may experience throughout the course of motherhood. As mothers, we are more likely than our childless counterparts to develop mental disorders over the course of our lives. We are the emotional backbone of the family and when we struggle our whole family is affected. Despite our best efforts to protect them, the children of affected mothers are prone to develop behavioral, social, emotional, and cognitive problems, and are more likely to develop mood disorders as children and adults.
The purpose of mindful motherhood is not to add another guilt laden task to being a good mother. Mindful motherhood is a method of renewing the well-spring of yourself that your children draw from. It isn’t our strife that’s harmful; trials are a normal part of life. To put it simply, motherhood is hard! We make so many sacrifices for the sake of our children, but by asking for help, we are not only modeling a healthy habit for our children, we are acknowledging that we want to give our best.