Articles
Writing on motherhood, mental health, and healing
Ten years of Ashley’s writing: essays, practical tools, and news from the practice, kept as she wrote it.
Start with three of her pieces below, browse by topic, or see the whole collection sorted your way. Older announcements are gathered at the end, dated.
Ashley Hanna-Morgan, LCSW, PMH-CCalifornia LCSW #66494 Nevada LCSW #7719-CClient Notices
Three places to begin
Tools, meditations & resources
The FLOW Exercise
A walking meditation, a realization about avoided feelings, and a four-letter acronym to remember what to do with them instead.
Perinatal & postpartum mental health
Learning to Flex Your “Uncertainty Muscle,” or Specific Coping Tools for Dealing with Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
The visual I want to give you today is flexing your “uncertainty muscle.”
Perinatal & postpartum mental health
Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me…? Or, How to Psychologically Prepare to Become a Parent
This morning, I was chatting with some other mamas about the things nobody tells you before you have a baby.
When the early weeks are harder than anyone said
Honored to be a Speaker for the Canadian Perinatal Collective Conference November 4-6th, 2026
I am deeply honored and so excited to share that my proposal, “The Milk & Mood Connection,” has been officially selected for presentation at the upcoming Canadian…
Honored to be Speaking at Point Loma MomCo on November 3, 2026
Motherhood is often painted in soft pastels (cozy snuggles, quiet nursery corners, and endlessly smiling baby photos), the maternal idealized.
Navigating Breastfeeding Anxiety: Tips for Relief
Breastfeeding can bring guilt, pressure, and real anxiety. Gentle ways to notice fight-or-flight and calm your body, from long exhales to self-care.
Whether you are in CA or NV, you can find me…. Virtually!
The upside of virtual therapy: fewer germs, no packing up the baby, and comfort in your own space. Plus walk and talk park sessions in San Diego.
Breathing through Pain, or What Yoga taught me about Postpartum Depression & Anxiety
Long ago, a wise friend once told me, when I asked her why she practiced yoga so faithfully, “yoga has taught me to breathe through the pain.”
Did You Know: Medicaid Reimburses for PMHD Screening
Did you know: If you have Medicaid, you can ask your pediatrician to screen you for postpartum depression during your first year of well-child visits.
Why the Afterglow?
I found this painting and fell in love with the name, of course, but mostly the interplay of light and shadow.
Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me…? Or, How to Psychologically Prepare to Become a Parent
This morning, I was chatting with some other mamas about the things nobody tells you before you have a baby.
I thought it was called the “Baby Blues,” not “Seeing Red”…Why am I so ANGRY?
Sometimes, when you’re struggling with a Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder, the smallest thing happens and then out of nowhere…yowza!
Sleep Survival Guide (When Day & Night are Meaningless)
Sleep Survival Guide Difficultly falling asleep when you desperately need it but there are too many worries rolling around your mind is the absolute worst.
Learning to Flex Your “Uncertainty Muscle,” or Specific Coping Tools for Dealing with Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
The visual I want to give you today is flexing your “uncertainty muscle.”
Grief, hope, and the road through loss
Pregnancy & Infant Loss Day of Remembrance 2026
The whole month of October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month, a time to be tender with ourselves and each other.
Thoughts on Healing our Grief through Art for the 7th Annual PILSOS Time of Remembrance
Ashley’s keynote for parents who lost a baby: how art and poetry helped her carry grief, and gentle ways to mourn, dose the pain, and hold onto hope.
How EMDR works and what it feels like
What does EMDR Feel Like?
As you might have noticed, lately I have been experiencing a lot of personal and professional growth with EMDR therapy integrated into my life and my practice.
EMDR for Birth Trauma & Perinatal Mood Disorders
An introduction to EMDR: what it is, how a session unfolds, and why Ashley turned to it for birth trauma and perinatal mood disorders.
Partners, friends, and finding your people
Tinder for Moms, aka How to Combat Isolation and Find your Tribe
There really should be a Tinder app for moms who want to make new mom friends–it feels so much like dating!
10 Tips For Couples Transitioning from Partners to Parents:
1. Shift from Accusation to Curiosity with “I” Statements When a hurt or unmet need arises, try grounding your approach with an “I” statement, such as: “I felt overwhelmed when XYZ happened.
Practical tools you can use today
Afterglow Week One Meditation: A Meditation to Accept Yourself as You Are
Week One of the Afterglow series: a meditation to accept yourself as you are, written by Ashley for her support group.
Afterglow Week Two Meditation: Relax, Ground & Clear
Week Two of the Afterglow series: a meditation to relax, ground and clear, written by Ashley for her support group.
Afterglow Week Three Meditation: Navigating Change
Week Three of the Afterglow series: a meditation for navigating change, written by Ashley for her support group.
Afterglow Week Four: Compassion
Week Four of the Afterglow series: a compassion meditation, written by Ashley for her support group.
Afterglow Week Five: Forgiving Yourself
Week Five of the Afterglow series: a meditation for forgiving yourself, written by Ashley for her support group.
Afterglow Week Six: Cultivating Joy
Week Six of the Afterglow series: a meditation for cultivating joy, written by Ashley for her support group.
Imagery for Creating your Calm Place
Allow yourself to be in a comfortable position, either lying down or sitting up.
One of my Favorite Poems of All Time
This is one of my favorite poems of all time, because it reminds us that feelings come and go.
Comics FTW
Molly McIntyre’s comics, Karen Kleiman’s #speakthesecret project, and why saying, or drawing, what is truly on your mind matters.
Essential Oils for a Quick Jolt of…Calm!
Aaaahhhh, the topic that keeps coming up over and over with moms, dads, and well, everyone it seems lately is self-care.
The FLOW Exercise
A walking meditation, a realization about avoided feelings, and a four-letter acronym to remember what to do with them instead.
My Go-To Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Coping Tools
One of the hardest things to hear as a parent who is struggling with depression or anxiety is, “Oh yeah, I had postpartum depression and it just went away.”
My Prayer for a Weary Parent
A short prayer for tired parents everywhere: rest, effective caffeine, less needless worry, and unconditional love, plus a gratitude meditation.
Questions to Ask Yourself When Considering Medication for a Perinatal Mood Disorder
Six honest questions to ask yourself before considering medication for perinatal anxiety or depression, and when to bring them to your doctor.
Your Postpartum Daily Vitamin
Small daily coping tools for new parents: find your mantra, find your people, be kind and truthful with yourself, and get the feelings out.
Sweet Pea Muffins a.k.a. Breakfast, Solved!
Ashley’s one-handed breakfast muffins, blended with peas, banana, and oats, that reheat in 30 seconds and keep a busy new parent full until lunch.
Ashley's writing life, in print and on air
Why I Wrote In Her Own Backyard: Destigmatizing Perinatal Mental Health Through Storytelling
As a perinatal mental health-certified trauma therapist by day and a novelist by night, I spent a lot of time writing in my office feeling a bit… incognito, like I was…
Pitching a Psychological Thriller: Behind the Scenes of the In Her Own Backyard Pitch Deck
Writing a novel like In Her Own Backyard is a deeply personal, solitary journey.
Lately, I Have Been Having Too Much Fun with Readers to Write
Lately, I have been having too much fun to write.
Celebrating Stories in Community: Highlights from the KPBS San Diego Book Festival
There is a distinct, wonderful energy that fills the air when book lovers gather in one place to celebrate the written word…and fill their tote bags with as many books…
An Afternoon Among Literary History: Book Signing at Warwick’s in La Jolla
Stepping into Warwick’s in La Jolla always feels a bit like stepping into a literary sanctuary, between the historic, dark wood shelves and their charming shop full of bookish gifts.
When All Our Parts Coalesce: Moving Past Performative Healing
In my work as a therapist with my clients, and in conversations with the wise women in my life, a common theme keeps resurfacing: exhaustion with performative healing.
Sunburned, Happy, & Pondering how Putting Ourselves Out There Energizes Others
Sharing In Her Own Backyard at The LA Times Festival of Books this last weekend was a dream come true!
Interview for In Her Own Backyard with My Addiction is Reading… Love that blog title!
Ashley on the message she hopes readers take from the novel, its Reno setting, and how the story took shape.
Book Tour Interview for In Her Own Backyard with A Life Through Books
Ashley on the hardest part of writing the novel, the playlist she wrote to, and the people who read it first.
Interview for In Her Own Backyard with The Avid Reader & A Give Away!
I had the pleasure of chatting with The Avid Reader for the blog tour of In Her Own Backyard.
Choosing the Wilderness, or the Dance Party in the Wilderness
On the way to teach a training on the Afterglow curriculum, a Jen Hatmaker quote about choosing the wilderness cracked Ashley wide open.
The Support Group Curriculum is Live on Amazon!
The Afterglow: A Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder Support Group Curriculum is live on Amazon…and I feel like I’ve given birth, i.e.
Why I haven’t been blogging recently…
Why creating art out of pain is the only thing that truly helps Ashley, and where she went to find people who understood that.
All articles
Every piece on this site, newest first.
- Why I Wrote In Her Own Backyard: Destigmatizing Perinatal Mental Health Through Storytelling
- Honored to be a Speaker for the Canadian Perinatal Collective Conference November 4-6th, 2026
- Pitching a Psychological Thriller: Behind the Scenes of the In Her Own Backyard Pitch Deck
- Honored to be Speaking at Point Loma MomCo on November 3, 2026
- Pregnancy & Infant Loss Day of Remembrance 2026
- Lately, I Have Been Having Too Much Fun with Readers to Write
- Celebrating Stories in Community: Highlights from the KPBS San Diego Book Festival
- An Afternoon Among Literary History: Book Signing at Warwick’s in La Jolla
- When All Our Parts Coalesce: Moving Past Performative Healing
- Sunburned, Happy, & Pondering how Putting Ourselves Out There Energizes Others
- Interview for In Her Own Backyard with My Addiction is Reading… Love that blog title!
- Book Tour Interview for In Her Own Backyard with A Life Through Books
- Interview for In Her Own Backyard with The Avid Reader & A Give Away!
- In Her Own Backyard is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble…as of TODAY!!
- Nevada Author Network Podcast Episode Now Available!
- Mom Rage: Reclaiming Your Calm
- Coming soon to a bookstore near you…
- Navigating Breastfeeding Anxiety: Tips for Relief
- Whether you are in CA or NV, you can find me…. Virtually!
- Afterglow Week Six: Cultivating Joy
- Afterglow Week Five: Forgiving Yourself
- Afterglow Week Four: Compassion
- Afterglow Week Three Meditation: Navigating Change
- Afterglow Week Two Meditation: Relax, Ground & Clear
- Afterglow Week One Meditation: A Meditation to Accept Yourself as You Are
- B!RTH Podcast
- Thanks to being fully vaccinated, I am seeing clients in person again!
- The Sex & Perinatal Mental Health Conference
- Imagery for Creating your Calm Place
- What does EMDR Feel Like?
- EMDR for Birth Trauma & Perinatal Mood Disorders
- Honored to be a Guest on the Healthy Moms Happy Family Podcast Today!
- Choosing the Wilderness, or the Dance Party in the Wilderness
- One of my Favorite Poems of All Time
- Breathing through Pain, or What Yoga taught me about Postpartum Depression & Anxiety
- Comics FTW
- Thoughts on Healing our Grief through Art for the 7th Annual PILSOS Time of Remembrance
- Did You Know: Medicaid Reimburses for PMHD Screening
- Essential Oils for a Quick Jolt of…Calm!
- The FLOW Exercise
- Honored to be a Featured Story on Maternal Mental Health NOW
- Baby Art!
- The Support Group Curriculum is Live on Amazon!
- Why the Afterglow?
- My Go-To Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Coping Tools
- Come join me on Saturday for the book launch party!
- A surreal moment: my book is live on Amazon!
- Why I haven’t been blogging recently…
- Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me…? Or, How to Psychologically Prepare to Become a Parent
- I thought it was called the “Baby Blues,” not “Seeing Red”…Why am I so ANGRY?
- Tinder for Moms, aka How to Combat Isolation and Find your Tribe
- Sleep Survival Guide (When Day & Night are Meaningless)
- My Prayer for a Weary Parent
- 10 Tips For Couples Transitioning from Partners to Parents:
- Questions to Ask Yourself When Considering Medication for a Perinatal Mood Disorder
- Your Postpartum Daily Vitamin
- Sweet Pea Muffins a.k.a. Breakfast, Solved!
- Learning to Flex Your “Uncertainty Muscle,” or Specific Coping Tools for Dealing with Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
Notes, news, and announcements, as written
Dated posts kept as Ashley wrote them. The events, offers, and dates they mention were current at the time.
2026
2025
2021
2019
2018
2017
Work with Ashley
Explore therapy services, or reach out about books, speaking, or media.