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Gemma | Therapist + Mum of 3 | T1D Parent

@gemma.capocci

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🌀 Lost yourself in motherhood + midlife?
🤔Questionning what your needs even are?
🧭 Therapy to explore identity, recovery and finding yourself again

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NEW! Free Walk ‘n’ Talk Mums Group, Wanstead

This is a monthly outdoor meet up for all mums, but particularly those who:

🍃 have found themselves feeling lonely or isolated in motherhood
🍃 who find typical baby groups overwhelming
🍃 Who often feel like they’re failing
🍃 Who are craving adult conversation
🍃 Who have wondered if they’re cut out for motherhood
🍃 Who worry about getting it wrong
🍃 Who feel like they’re always waiting for things to get easier / better / less stressful
🍃 Who wish they had more support
🍃 Who long for their old lives back pre baby
🍃 Who need more routine or structure
🍃 Or simply want to get out of the house and meet some new friends

Come meet us on the last Wednesday of every month at Wanstead Tea Hut, 11am - starting on 30 September. We will take a relaxed, gentle stroll together around the lake in Wanstead Park where we can connect and chat about whatever is showing up for us that day.

Please join our dedicated WhatsApp group for the latest updates / date changes should the weather play up ☔️ Link in bio or via QR code in post.

As it gets wetter and colder we can look to move to a local cafe over the winter, but I’m remaining optimistic for the next couple of months!

Please share with friends, family and/or neighbours who may benefit.

If you have any Qs, please do DM.

Looking forward to a walk and a natter soon 💕 by @gemma.capocci

Hello! 👋

This little page has taken many a form over the last few years so I thought I would do a little update.

This is me striking my best professional counsellor and psychotherapist pose in our beautiful local park. I graduated this summer and I am now specialising in supporting mothers therapeutically, particularly those struggling with feelings of failure, not being enough and a loss of identity, which may or may not be tied in with postnatal depression or anxiety.

I am also extremely interested in how childhood trauma and adversity shows up in our parenting, and the link between these experiences and any difficult feelings and or conditions we experience in the perinatal period.

I am an integrative therapist, which means I have been trained in several different styles of therapy and I will work collaboratively with you to decide which style is best suited to you. Nonetheless, I believe the therapeutic relationship is key, and I will always strive to create an environment of trust and safety that will serve as a foundation on which we can build.

When I’m not seeing 1:1 clients, I co-run a peer support group for mothers struggling with their mental health @motherlylove_uk Every week I feel privileged to witness the kindness and connection shared between the women who attend and it reminds me how powerful we can be when we’re brave enough to ask for help and support one another. Your vulnerability really is your strength.

Those of you who have been here a while will know that I have experienced my own struggles postnatally, and whilst I will never claim to have the answers, I will always listen and support you with true empathy and care.

I currently have limited space for new clients, both in-person and online. If you think therapy may benefit you, I would love to hear from you. by @gemma.capocci

Jumping on my soapbox here after seeing yet another huge account celebrating Barbara Palvin for walking the Victoria Secrets Show.

Women are amazing and should be celebrated, but because they’ve grown and birthed a baby, not because they are walking a catwalk!

For anyone postpartum who is looking at this content and is thinking we should be removing any evidence of giving birth at six weeks, please know this isn’t in any way the norm. It’s more than OK to take time to rest and recuperate and navigate the transition through motherhood at your own pace.

Rant over! by @gemma.capocci

I appeared “fine” on the outside for so long, I was able to convince myself that I was OK. But I wasn’t.

My journey to support wasn’t easy - and it wasn’t actually until after I had my third baby that I got the help I so desperately needed. I do often wonder if I had sought help earlier, would that have made a difference to my journey. But I also know that decision was so layered and admitting I needed help was complex and deeply emotional in itself.

I am also aware that there are many many parents who do seek help, but find that they aren’t considered severe enough for support - which aligns with my story and breaks my heart as I know how hard it is to finally take that step. I also know that private therapy is a privilege not everyone can afford.

Saying all this, early intervention is key. Please don’t wait until you feel “bad enough” to seek help. All mums deserve support ❤️ by @gemma.capocci

“Everything just changed overnight.”

In this next podcast episode, I’m joined by Gemma who bravely opens up about the moment her daughter was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes and what it really felt like to suddenly navigate a completely different life.

From the early signs and the shock of diagnosis, to the emotional impact, technology, siblings and finding a community…

This is such an honest conversation about the reality of a T1D diagnosis from a parent’s perspective. 🫶🏻

Thank you @gemma.capocci for sharing your story with us.

Episode dropping on all the platforms you listen on at 6pm tonight. 🎧

#type1diabetes #T1D #type1diabetesawareness #diabetes #podcast by @gemma.capocci

How many “shoulds” are you carrying today?

And how many of them are actually yours?

Could it be that you’re striving to meet an expectation of you or some societal belief we’ve been conditioned to follow.

Is it possible to give yourself permission to let go of a few “shoulds” today to create a bit of space? by @gemma.capocci

Hey there! 👋 It’s been a while.
Here’s a little catch up from me.
I hope to be a little more consistent on here, but as my post says, I can’t make any promises 😉 by @gemma.capocci

Intrusive thoughts can be one of the most frightening parts of new parenthood.

And yet so many parents experience them in silence, because they feel too ashamed, scared or confused to say them out loud.

In Episode #5 of A Long Way To Go, therapist Gemma Capocci explains why intrusive thoughts can happen after having a baby, why they are often linked to the brain’s protective, hyper-vigilant state, and how to understand when worry may need more support.

Because some anxiety in early parenthood is understandable.

You are suddenly responsible for a tiny person.
You are sleep deprived.
You are recovering.
You are scanning for risk all the time.
You are trying to keep someone alive while your own mind and body are also adjusting.

But there is a difference between passing thoughts that feel distressing and thoughts that become all-consuming, repetitive, frightening or start to affect how you live day to day.

In this episode, Gemma talks about how to recognise the difference between common intrusive thoughts and signs that may point towards postpartum anxiety or OCD, and why getting support early matters.

Because being constantly worried should not be dismissed as simply being a “good mum”. And you do not have to wait until things feel unbearable to ask for help.

Comment MATRESCENCE and we’ll send you the full episode.

This episode is for information only and should not replace personalised mental health advice. If you are struggling during pregnancy or postpartum, please speak to your GP, midwife, health visitor or a qualified mental health professional.

Watch now on @youtube, @spotify and wherever you get your podcasts 🎙️

#IntrusiveThoughts #PostpartumAnxiety #PostpartumOCD #PostpartumMentalHealth #MaternalMentalHealth #NewParentLife #NewMumLife #PostpartumSupport #MotherhoodUnfiltered #Matrescence #WomensHealth #MaternalHealth #ALongWayToGo by @gemma.capocci

Have you ever really questioned this whole idea of “bouncing back” after birth? I mean, *really* questioned it?

Because you cannot undo becoming a mother. You cannot pretend your body has not carried, birthed, fed, held, lifted, rocked, recovered and kept going.

You cannot neatly return to who you were before, as if nothing has happened to your body, your emotions, your mind, your relationships or your sense of self.

And yet so many women feel pressure to look, feel, work, exercise and cope as though motherhood has barely touched them. It's wild!

In Episode #6 of A Long Way To Go, therapist Gemma Capocci explores why the pressure to “bounce back” can be so damaging, and why becoming a mother is not something to erase, rush through or recover from as quickly as possible.

Postpartum is not about getting back to the old you. It is about being adequately supported through becoming someone new.

Comment MATRESCENCE and we’ll send you the full episode.

Watch now on @youtube, @spotify and wherever you get your podcasts 🎙️

#PostpartumRecovery #PostpartumMentalHealth #MaternalMentalHealth #Matrescence #MotherhoodUnfiltered #NewMumLife #PostpartumSupport #WomensHealth #MaternalHealth #PregnancyPodcast #PostpartumPodcast #ALongWayToGo by @gemma.capocci

Becoming a mother is often spoken about as if it is instant. You have the baby. You become a mum. You get on with life.

But there is a word for the huge transition that can happen when you become a mother: matrescence.

Matrescence is the profound physical, psychological and emotional transition of becoming a mother. It is often described as the adult equivalent of adolescence, involving hormonal shifts, changes to the brain’s neural pathways, and a reshaping of identity, relationships and sense of self.

So if motherhood has made you feel unrecognisable to yourself, it does not mean you are doing it wrong.

It may mean you are moving through one of the biggest identity shifts of your life without enough language, support or preparation.

In episode #5 of A Long Way To Go, qualified counsellor, psychotherapist and BACP-registered practitioner @gemma.capocci explains why matrescence can feel so destabilising, and why understanding it can help women feel less alone in the transition.

Save this for the next time you wonder why motherhood feels like such a lot.

Comment MATRESCENCE and we’ll send you the full episode.

Watch now on @youtube, @spotify and wherever you get your podcasts 🎙️

#Matrescence #Motherhood #NewMumLife #PostpartumMentalHealth #MaternalMentalHealth #PostpartumSupport #MotherhoodUnfiltered #PostpartumJourney #WomensHealth #MaternalHealth #PregnancyPodcast #PostpartumPodcast #ALongWayToGo by @gemma.capocci

Why do so many women feel blindsided by motherhood?

It's not because they don't want it enough.
It's not because they are doing it wrong.
It's not because they are somehow less able to cope.

It's because so much of motherhood is still spoken about in ways that do not fully prepare women for the reality of it.

The identity shift.
The loss of control.
The pressure to feel grateful.
The imposed shame.
The invisible mental load.
The loneliness.
The intensity of being needed all the time.

In Episode #5 of A Long Way To Go, qualified counsellor, psychotherapist and BACP-registered practitioner Gemma Capocci explores the emotional realities of becoming a mother.

Because motherhood is not just a life change.

It is a psychological, emotional and identity shift — and too many women are expected to move through it without enough honesty, support or space to say: actually, this is harder than I thought it would be.

What you’ll take away from this episode:

🧠 Why motherhood can feel so overwhelming
🤍 Why struggling does not mean you are failing
💬 Why we need more honest conversations about the identity shift
🫶 How to tell the difference between 'normal' worry and something that needs more support

Comment MATRESCENCE and we’ll send you the full episode.

Watch now on @youtube, @spotify and wherever you get your podcasts 🎙️

#Motherhood #NewMumLife #PostpartumMentalHealth #MaternalMentalHealth #PostpartumSupport #MotherhoodUnfiltered #Matrescence #PostpartumJourney #WomensHealth #MaternalHealth #PregnancyPodcast #PostpartumPodcast #ALongWayToGo by @gemma.capocci

Has anyone else been watching Two Weeks in August over on @bbciplayer?

The show follows a group of friends in their 40s as they holiday together in Greece, and how things unfold when two of the friends (in separate relationships - with their partners also on the holiday) kiss after a drunken night.

I was watching whilst folding away some laundry and this quote from the character, Zoe, (Ep 4) hit hard.

In so much of my work (and very much in my own life!) I see how we are driven by what we have been conditioned to believe is “good” - what it takes to be a good mother / wife / daughter / friend / employee / sister (the list goes on…) but this can often be at the expense of our own happiness. When pleasing others and being perceived as “good” becomes the priority, it’s so easy to lose sight of yourself, until you’ve forgotten the last time you did something just because you wanted to.

What are your thoughts? Does this ring true for you too? by @gemma.capocci