“Everyone talks about postpartum depression, but we see a lot of anxiety: perfectionism, worrying, not sleeping. Being a new mom can be a lonely road.”
“I was born in Nanaimo, grew up in Abbotsford and graduated as a Certified Dental Assistant. I loved working with people, but not on them. I loved their stories. So I started taking classes at Douglas College: 12 years later I got my Master's in Counselling Psychology. In grad school, I had two babies and started my practicum in St. Paul's Hospital's BC Reproductive Mental Health Program three months postpartum. I realized there weren’t many supports for pregnant women and mothers.
I joined Fraser Health in 2013. I specialize in grief and loss. Our clinic treats women struggling with mental health when trying to conceive, in pregnancy, postpartum, and during their menstrual cycle for anxiety, depression, OCD, grief, trauma and more. Everyone talks about postpartum depression, but we see a lot of anxiety: perfectionism, worrying, not sleeping. Being a new mom can be a lonely road. I want women to find their authentic selves and break through what they’re told they should be, to be the moms they want to be.
I live in Vancouver with my husband, 10-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter. I love interior decorating — I’m always painting. I like to exercise, take barre classes, and just completed my first half-marathon for my 40th birthday. We love to travel. One of my most memorable trips was near Lytton: on a camping trip I froze metres from a Grizzly bear!”
— Alexandra Lihou Gibson, Registered Clinical Counsellor, Reproductive Mental Health Program, Royal Columbian Hospital
Read more Humans of Fraser Health stories: https://fraserhealth.ca/HumansofFraserHealth