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Serenity First Counseling, PLLC

Serenity First Counseling, PLLC
Prenatal and Postpartum Therapy
The Transition To Parenthood Practice

Online Therapy in Maryland and Virginia 

Individual Prenatal Therapy—Honoring the Experiences of Fathers and Mothers

Support for parents navigating anxiety, overwhelm, identity shifts, loss, high stress, and relationship strain-grounded in research and attentive to both maternal and paternal experience.

We help fathers and mothers navigate parenthood with more stability and connection. 

 

Trauma-informed/Evidence based therapy in a collaborative environment. Where you can gain practical and insightful tools to help you navigate your next steps.

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New Parents

You may be in the right place if…

  • You’re more anxious/irritable/shut down than you expected

  • Parenthood is bringing old wounds to the surface

  • You feel disconnected from your partner or yourself

  • Experiencing grief

  • You’re carrying the mental load and trying to hold it together

  • You want tools that actually work when you’re sleep-deprived and stressed.

  • You are experiencing internal or external pressures. 

  • You and your partner recently became parents, and your relationship satisfaction has decreased.

How I do it

The transition to parenthood effects each person differently. We build skills for regulation, communication, and emotional connection so the couple unit can thrive — which strengthens the entire family system during pregnancy and beyond.

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How We Can Work Together

Stress Mother in early parenthood

Mothers in Transition

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A support program helping moms navigate life changes while building resilience, confidence, and stronger family connections.

Group Therapy

Groups

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A therapist-led space for shared support, skill-building, and growth through connection with others facing similar challenges.

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Fathers in Transition

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A focused support program helping dads navigate life and identity changes in fatherhood while building resilience, clarity, and stronger connections with their children.

EMDR Therapy

EMDR

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An accelerated therapy format using extended sessions to process trauma more efficiently and support faster, deeper healing.

No matter where you are in your journey, you deserve a space where you are heard, understood, and supported in your healing.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist 

Shayla Gray

Shayla Gray, a licensed pertinal therapist in Maryland and Virginia

I specialize in helping individuals navigate the prenatal season of life with clarity, compassion, and practical tools that fit real life. I’m an EMDR-certified Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Virginia and EMDR-certified Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist in Maryland with 15+ years of mental health experience. I provide individual therapy focused on prenatal and postpartum transitions. Many of the clients I work with are processing birth-related experiences, relationship changes after pregnancy, pregnancy loss or complications, fertility journeys, postpartum anxiety, intrusive thoughts, panic, depression, identity shifts, internal/external pressures and the ways that becoming a parent can activate earlier trauma.

My approach is collaborative, grounded, and trauma-informed. Therapy with me is a space where you don’t have to “hold it together.” We’ll move at a pace that feels safe, and we’ll focus on reducing triggers and creating sustainable habits that support your nervous system, your identity, and your relationships. Whether you’re preparing for parenthood, newly postpartum, or parenting while healing old wounds, you deserve support that honors the whole story.

I hold a B.S. in Psychology (Virginia State University) and an M.A. in Human Services (Liberty University), along with certifications in Marriage and Family Therapy, Autism Education, and advanced couples-focused training. I’m Harvard-trained in Couples Therapy and a PhD candidate in Marriage and Family Therapy at Northcentral University, where my research focuses on relationship satisfaction during parenthood.

Stronger Together: A 6-Week Virtual Couples Group

Connecting Couples through Couples Therapy

Connecting Couples

Parenthood is rewarding but challenging. This educational group helps couples overcome burnout, restore intimacy, and strengthen their bond while navigating family life.
Benefits:
  • Learn practical strategies to rebuild connection during stressful times
  • Strengthen communication and emotional intimacy with your partner
  • Gain tools to manage burnout together instead of alone
  • Reignite joy and teamwork in your relationship
  • Connect with other couples on a similar journey

Join the waitlist

Growth for Partners

I support couples in reconnecting, resolving conflict, and deepening emotional intimacy at every stage of their journey.
Happy Couples
Couples

Are you a couple
looking for support
or looking for community support?

FAQs

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Grounded in Accredited Practice

EMDRIA CERTIFIED THERAPIST CERTIFICATE
EMDRIA CERTIFIED THERAPIST CERTIFICATE
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