Becoming mom

THE MENTAL HEALTH SKILLS COURSE
for expecting & postpartum mothers

  • Becoming mom

    is for expecting & postpartum mothers who want to build the evidence-based mental health skills that will help them prepare for & navigate the transition to motherhood with less worry, overwhelm, and self-doubt and more confidence, presence, and peace.

What People Are Saying

  • “After using Dr. Caroline’s tools, I feel confident about embracing the unknown and trusting that I will learn what my baby needs and what I need as a mom to feel content and fulfilled in all the different aspects of my life, not just motherhood, knowing that they will look different.” 

    —Emily, 7 months pregnant

  • “Becoming Mom has given me some really creative ways to think through some of the things either I am experiencing currently or am anticipating experiencing in the postpartum period. The specific prompts in the worksheets have been really helpful and fun outlets for me and leave me remembering why I am so excited to be a mom.”

    —Brianna, 6 months pregnant

  • “I have super been enjoying the content. The format is really user friendly and I have rewatched several of the videos because they are so helpful and digestible. I have been using the skills so much and they are such great tools. It’s a super cool resource and I haven’t seen anything else like it to accompany me on this ride.”

    —Monica, 4 months postpartum

  • “It’s been an awesome experience! The most recent module really helped me figure out better ways to cope with scary thoughts. It’s been such a great experience and I’ve gained a lot of helpful perspective on navigating motherhood from doing the modules + activities each week.”

    —Hunter, 3 weeks postpartum

  • “The course material is all highly relevant and thoughtful and I go back to a lot of the guidance often, and have referenced it with friends. The videos are thorough, well-paced, and easy to connect with. I've learned a lot!”

    —Molly, 7 months postpartum

  • “Thanks to Dr. Dickens' skillfully curated content, clear instruction, and experiential exercises, I have developed concrete skills to manage anxiety related to new motherhood, replace perfectionism with self-compassion, and be in-the-moment with my baby and partner. Before I joined Becoming Mom, I felt misunderstood and alone in my journey to motherhood. Now, I feel seen, validated, supported, and empowered.”

    —Sarah, 1 month postpartum

  • “Caroline teaches psychological concepts in an engaging and relatable way through personal stories, metaphors, and her incredible sense of humor. Caroline not only speaks to her knowledge as an expert in maternal mental health, but also to her lived experiences as a mother, which leads her to truly understand the complexity of motherhood. She holds both an empowering and firm stance, while also creating space for curiosity and nonjudgement of every mother's unique experiences. I could not recommend her enough!”

    —Dr. Kayla Jimenez, Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

  • “Caroline is an incredible psychologist, educator and person. She beautifully integrates her professional expertise in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and personal experience as a new mother to create a program that is insightful, helpful, and highly relatable. Her intelligence and compassion are evident in her materials and teaching style, which provide validation and guidance for moms navigating the challenges of new parenthood.”

    —Dr. Julia Birt, Psychologist at the Pacific Anxiety Group

If you’re sick of:

  • Turning down plans you would have jumped at pre-baby because you feel too guilty to make them happen

  • Bickering with your partner over things that never caused problems before

  • Obsessing over your baby's sleep schedule 

  • Constantly second-guessing minor decisions because you're so worried about doing things right

  • The emotional whiplash of constantly swinging back and forth between joy and despair

  • Getting overwhelmed by conflicting opinions every time you open Instagram or talk to your mom friends

  • And just not feeling like YOU anymore…

Becoming Mom is your solution.

You’ll learn evidence-based skills that will teach you how to stop comparing yourself to other moms, shrug off all the “shoulds” and external expectations, and stop obsessing over sleep and feeding so you can actually be present enough in your postpartum experience for all those sweet everyday moments with your baby to turn into the core memories you always imagined.

Becoming Mom will help you build the confidence, clarity, self-trust, and freedom to make last-minute lunches with your girlfriends, spontaneous outings to the aquarium, guilt-free morning workout classes, and stress-free vacations with your family your norm.

Because you deserve to thrive, not just survive, during this precious time!

Becoming Mom

What’s included:

  • 5 modules of content that build on each other to help you develop new evidence-based skills that will help you navigate the most common challenges of pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood (for years to come!)

  • 19 video lessons spread across the 5 modules that break down key concepts and walk you through exercises that will help you practice in real time.

  • A comprehensive 139-page workbook full of informational handouts, worksheets, and free-writing exercises that will help you practice and consolidate what you’re learning as you go.

  • A suggested pacing schedule that will help you work through the content efficiently & thoroughly, ensuring both quick & long-lasting results.

  • A library of guided audio meditations.

  • 4 self-guided bonus modules that will help you apply your new skills to specific situations new moms often struggle with, including anxiety, relationship challenges, making childcare decisions, and planning for anticipated challenges.

Inside the Course

  • Learn about the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to the challenges you may be facing during pregnancy & postpartum.

  • Identify the factors that contribute to your specific challenges over time and in-the-moment so you can start to identify how, when, and where to intervene.

  • Learn about mindfulness and how it can help you start to find more enjoyment (and less worry) through this transition.

  • Explore how the new role of mama fits with your other identities. Identify your values (what makes your life feel rich, full, and meaningful) in this new season & examine how they match or diverge from external expectations about what it means to be a mom.

  • Identify barriers to living in alignment with your values and build a variety of skills to overcome them — so you can start to show up the way you really want in this chapter.

The Bonus Modules

  • Apply your new skillset to experience of anxiety during pregnancy & postpartum. This module will help you get untangled from anxious thoughts so you can make the most of and savor this time.

  • Learn how to communicate mindfully and effectively, make values-informed decisions about how you want to navigate new relationship dynamics and challenges, and accept the uncertainty and lack of control that comes with them.

  • With so much conflicting information about “best practices” in parenting, one of the biggest challenges new moms face is the struggle to confidently make effective childcare decisions. Employ your new skillset to various frameworks that will help you make these decisions — and trust yourself in the process.

  • This module will review everything covered in the course. It will help you reflect on takeaways and areas for growth and guide you through creating a plan to carry your new learning forward as you navigate upcoming challenges.

About Me

Hi, mama! I’m Caroline, and I’m so glad you’re here!

I’m a psychologist for new moms, so when I was pregnant, I figured I’d be pretty well-prepared for the transition to motherhood. But I was shocked by how much harder it was than I imagined!

I was expecting postpartum to be full of joy, awe, wonder. And it was! But it was also full of anxiety, confusion, and guilt.

I felt like I needed more support, but I also often told myself I shouldn’t need it. Because a “good mom” wouldn’t struggle with becoming a mother, would she? And after all, things weren’t so bad! I was doing okay for the most part. And surely things would get easier with time…right?

So I waited it out for a while, and realized that even though some things got easier with time, new challenges kept popping up, too.

Things were alright, but I wanted more than that, and I realized I needed more support to really make the most of my experience.

So I started searching for resources. I bought postpartum courses and books, but they really only focused on physical health and recovery. I joined a mom’s group hoping to feel less alone in my struggles, but most of the curriculum focused on baby care. I found resources on Postpartum Depression and Anxiety, but they weren’t a good fit for my “things-are-okay-but-I’m-still-struggling” experience.

And through all that searching…I couldn’t find much of anything that focused specifically on mamas’ mental health.

So I got to work creating what I wished for during my own experience - and Becoming Mom was born!

It combines all my greatest passions - psychology, supporting and empowering other mamas, and my own motherhood - and I poured my heart into developing it.

I know it’s exactly what you’ve been looking for, and I can’t wait to support you as you embark on this journey!

 FAQs

  • While Becoming Mom was created by a licensed clinical psychologist, it does not constitute therapy nor is it intended as a substitute for therapy.

    All of the course content inside is based on evidence-backed psychological concepts and skills and is an educational program only.

    It will help you learn skills to cope with common challenges new moms face as they navigate the transition to parenthood. It is not individualized to you specific situation or goals, and is not designed to diagnose or treat any mental health diagnoses, including perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs).

    As this course is self-guided, I am unable to provide individual mental health guidance, advice, or crisis support.

  • The self-guided nature of this course allows you to be in control of the time commitment.

    All educational content was carefully designed to accommodate the schedules of busy new mamas while remaining as comprehensive as possible.

    Each module contains a few brief (~3-10 minute) video lessons that are smartphone compatible and can easily be watched or listened to while nursing or pumping or rocking baby to sleep!

    For those who want to invest more time into consolidating new skills as they go, each module also has includes informational handouts and worksheets.

    While everything is self-paced, I have included a pacing schedule to help you get the most out of the course. Using the pacing schedule will involve 5-20 minutes of work on course content per day, and will allow you to complete one module per week.

  • Becoming Mom was developed with evidence-based approaches to coping with the transition to motherhood in mind. It is rooted in scholarly research about common psychological processes that contribute to distress during this time, as well as skills that can help new mothers cope with them.

    In particular, it draws on concepts from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - two highly researched, gold-standard approaches to helping women cope with mental health difficulties occurring during the perinatal period.

  • The content inside the course addresses a huge array of maternal mental health challenges, including:

    Anxiety and depression

    Identity development

    Breaking free of the “shoulds”

    Coping with unwanted thoughts and feelings

    Changing relationship dynamics

    Making childcare decisions

    And more!

    The 5 course modules will introduce you to general concepts and skills that can be widely applied to coping with a variety of painful thoughts, feelings, and situations.

    The 4 bonus modules focus on helping you apply your new skills to more specific challenges that commonly occur during the perinatal period.

    In short: what you learn inside the course will serve you not only during your pregnancy and postpartum journey, but for years to come.

  • I recommend taking the course anywhere between 12 weeks of pregnancy and 24 months postpartum, but there is no strict requirement! The perinatal period is long and full of change and transitions, so Becoming Mom can be helpful at any point in your journey!

    What you’ll gain in completing the course are a variety of enduring skills that will continue to support you throughout the rest of your perinatal experience - and well beyond!

    The earlier you start, the sooner you can begin to make the most this time - so I recommend that you joining in whenever you feel you could benefit from acquiring new mental health skills.

  • The course costs $97.

  • Because the products included in Becoming Mom are digital and downloadable, refunds are not available.

Are you ready to make the most of your transition to motherhood?

Have questions?

I want to connect with you! Leave me a note and I’ll get back to you soon.