About Aleksandra Balazy-Knas
Specialist CBT Therapist for Pregnancy After Loss, Birth Trauma, Tokophobia & Postnatal Mental Health
Welcome - I’m So Glad You’re Here
If you’re holding your breath through another pregnancy, replaying a traumatic birth in your mind, or lying awake with postnatal anxiety - you’ve found a space where your story is understood and held with care.
I’m Aleksandra, a BABCP-accredited CBT therapist, psychologist, coach, and registered mental health nurse. For more than a decade, I’ve specialised in perinatal mental health, supporting women who feel scared, stuck, disconnected or overwhelmed during and after pregnancy. My approach blends clinical expertise with warmth, humour, and a pace that respects where you are right now.
Why I Do This Work?
Before motherhood, I was drawn to perinatal mental health as a professional. After motherhood, it became personal.
My first son’s birth left me shaken by postnatal depression and trauma. With my second, we faced months of fear over his health. Those years taught me what it means to live in the tension between hope and heartbreak - and why expert, compassionate support matters so deeply.
This is why I show up fully for my clients: because I know what it means to grieve, to rebuild safety, and to learn to hope again - carefully, slowly, and with support.
What I Help With?
I work with women navigating the emotional aftermath of:
Pregnancy after loss — when every scan feels like a test, and anxiety overshadows milestones.
Birth trauma & PTSD — from emergency deliveries, NICU stays, or being dismissed when you needed care most.
Tokophobia (fear of childbirth) — when the thought of labour fills you with panic or dread.
Postnatal anxiety & depression — whether you’re crying easily, on edge, restless, or feeling numb and disconnected from your baby or yourself.
Grief & identity loss — when the person you were before motherhood feels far away, and you’re unsure who you are now.
This might be your first time seeking therapy, or you might feel like you’ve tried everything. Either way, you’re welcome here. We’ll work together to make sense of what you’re feeling, rebuild emotional safety, and help you move forward in a way that’s right for you.
As seen in…
MY CREDENTIALS
I’m fully accredited therpiast with the BABCP and registered mental health nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. I’ve spent over a decade working in NHS and private mental health services, with specialist training in trauma and perinatal care.
My Qualifications
𑁍 Psychology, MSc (Wroclaw University)
𑁍 Mental Health Nursing, BSc (Coventry University)
𑁍 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, PGDip (Coventry University)
𑁍 Cognitive Behavioural Coaching (CBC), Transformation Academy
Professional Registrations
𑁍 Registered Mental Health Nurse with the NMC: I am a registered mental health nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), ensuring that I adhere to the highest standards of mental health care and ethical practice.
𑁍 Accredited CBT Therapist with the BABCP: As an accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) with the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP), I’m trained in evidence-based techniques to help you manage anxiety, trauma, and grief effectively.
𑁍 Working Towards Supervisor Accreditation: I am actively working towards my Supervisor Accreditation with the BABCP. This ongoing professional development reflects my commitment to advancing my skills and providing the best possible support to clients and fellow professionals alike.
Selected Relevant Training
𑁍 Clinical Supervision (High Intensity), Birmingham University
𑁍 Introduction to Compassion Focused Therapy, The Compassionate Mind Foundation
𑁍 Trauma-Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Psychwire
𑁍 The Compassion Focused Approach to Perinatal Mental Health, The Compassionate Mind Foundation
𑁍 Healing and Hope: Working with Trauma and Loss in the Perinatal Period, Bespoke Mental Health
𑁍 How to move forward with loss, grief and PTSD linked to traumatic bereavement with Cognitive Therapy, Bespoke Mental Health
𑁍 Strategies to Help Clients Process Grief and Loss, National Institute for Clinical Applications of Behavioral Medicine (NICAMB)
𑁍 Polyvagal Theory in Action: Creating Safety and Connection with Trauma Clients, Deb Dana
𑁍 The Foundation for Infant Loss Training, Foundation for Infant Loss
What Therapy With Me Is Like?
There’s no emotion too big or thought too scary to bring into the room. Clients often tell me they feel safe to be fully themselves — even when they’re unsure what they need.
𑁍 In our sessions, you can expect:A real, present connection. You won’t be met with silence or a polite nod. You’ll feel me with you — engaged, emotionally present, and gently tuned in to what you’re not saying yet. If something feels hard or messy to bring up, I’ll help you name it without rushing or over-analysing. You’ll never be expected to “perform” your healing.
Conversations that feel human. Not every session feels heavy. We’ll sit together with the big feelings, yes — but we’ll also laugh, pause, roll our eyes at the impossible standards on mothers, and wonder out loud what your body might be trying to tell you. It’s not about sounding clever or “saying the right thing” — it’s about being real.
Gentle work with the patterns beneath the pain. We won’t just talk about what happened — we’ll explore what it did to you. Loss, fear and trauma don’t just leave memories. They shape how you scan for danger, how your breath catches before a scan, how you freeze when someone says “congratulations.” Together, we’ll track those patterns and create small but powerful shifts — so your system can start to feel safe enough for hope again.
Clinical grounding, held with care. As an accredited CBT therapist, I draw on evidence-based approaches like TF-CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy and Polyvagal Theory. But I don’t see you as a case study. You’re the expert in your own story — I’m here to walk it with you, not rewrite it for you.
✨ If this sounds like the kind of support you’ve been craving — whether in pregnancy after loss, after a traumatic birth, with tokophobia, or in the fog of postnatal anxiety — you’re welcome to book a free 20-minute call and see if we’re a good fit.
Some things that my Clients have said about working with Me:
Ready to Take the Next Step?You don’t have to keep managing this alone. If you’re ready to feel more grounded, connected, and hopeful — I’d love to walk alongside you.