Rebecca Abel has been a clinical social worker since 1980. She has worked with pregnancy and postpartum patients since 1992, both at UCSF Medical Center and Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, Calif. At both hospitals, Abel provided counseling to women and their partners experiencing high-risk pregnancies. For 12 years, Abel also worked as a social worker on the labor and delivery unit at UCSF. There, she had the privilege of helping many women cope with traumatic birth, fetal demise, unwanted Caesarean sections and sick babies.
In 2007, Abel was asked to develop a mental health program at UCSF for women suffering from pregnancy or postpartum depression, which is now the Pregnancy and Postpartum Mood Assessment Clinic. She has since worked closely with hundreds of women who feel overwhelmed by complex emotions following childbirth. Many women struggle with self and body image, partnership problems and figuring out how to be a good parent. Women with a history of depression or a dysfunctional family of origin can be at particular risk for depression and anxiety during this period. Abel is very experienced in helping families find creative ways to survive a wide range of challenges and to find their way back from pain and stress. She encourages women to bring their partners in, and believes that partner involvement is critical to the healing of perinatal mood disorders. She is married and the mother of two sons.
Pregnancy and Postpartum Mood Assessment Clinic
400 Parnassus Ave., Floor B1
San Francisco, CA 94143
Phone: (415) 353-2566
Hours:
Tuesday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Thursday, 1 – 5 p.m.
