Postpartum Psychologist I Therapist I Counseling

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Dr. Sandra Rodriguez-Siuts’ Motherhood Story
My motherhood story was not one that I had imagined, but many mothers would say the same. In short, I had a difficult pregnancy, a traumatic delivery, and an overwhelming postpartum period. My postpartum story, which I openly share with others, involved struggles with balancing family and work, career concerns, anxious feelings of inadequacy with my work and motherhood, changes in my marriage and friendships, physical/hormonal changes, medical issues after delivery, and sleep deprivation which was impacting my overall functioning. I learned a lot of hard lessons and I always said I would do things very differently if we had another child.

I started my career working in university counseling centers and I was confident this was the setting that I would stay in long-term. After giving birth, I questioned my career path for many reasons. My priorities shifted and I struggled with keeping up with my demanding job. My identity and perspective on life had changed and how I wanted to live my life was suddenly different. I anxiously took a leap of faith and changed career paths by pursuing private practice. Once I was in this setting, I quickly learned that working with women was my passion. Women helping women in this world is what I stand by! As I continued to work through unraveling my new identity as a mom, businesswoman, and clinician, I realized that my deepest passion was helping other mothers and mothers-to-be begin their process of healing.

I believe many mothers would agree that having children changes your whole life. However, I was surprised to learn how rare it was for moms to talk about the challenges of motherhood. I always find it disappointing when mothers feel a pressure to “have it all put together” when in reality no mother does. Even though I was a psychologist when I became a mother, I didn't think to prepare for how to prevent postpartum adjustment issues. My journey to motherhood could have been so different if I had just prepared a little differently. With the clinical knowledge and personal experience that I have in maternal mental health, I feel confident that I can guide women in a healthy direction. I believe that my less-than-ideal start to motherhood has led me to become the type of psychologist who constantly strives to help women feel optimistic and hopeful about their future. I am privileged to work with women who proactively prepare for the postpartum period or work through their motherhood challenges and this work truly makes my heart sing.

Other information about Dr. Sandra Rodriguez-Siuts
Dr. Rodriguez-Siuts is a licensed psychologist in the state of Arizona. She was born and raised in south Texas, but has lived in Georgia, Florida, and now Arizona. Dr. Rodriguez-Siuts has been married for 16 years, has an 2 year-old son, and two Cockapoo dogs. Dr. Rodriguez-Siuts enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cooking, gardening, traveling, and training her dogs, Luna and Diego. Her love for traveling started after she completed a work abroad position in Istanbul, Turkey 20 years ago, which is also where she met her husband.

Dr. Rodriguez-Siuts’ has advanced training in maternal mental health. She has completed training with Postpartum Support International (PSI), Postpartum Stress Center, and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).

Dr. Rodriguez-Siuts is passionate about helping mothers and mothers-to-be address their mental health concerns. In therapy, she works collaboratively with her patients to identify and meet therapeutic goals. She integrates a range of treatment modalities, with a focus on cognitive-behavioral strategies (changing the way you think and cope with stressors), to help women most effectively address their concerns. With compassion and understanding, she works with each woman to build on her strengths and attain the personal growth that she is committed to achieving in therapy.

Dr. Rodriguez-Siuts strives to be genuine and authentic in therapy. She personally understands many of the issues that her patients are seeking help for. Dr. Rodriguez-Siuts truly hopes that you find the therapeutic process to be an empowering and enjoyable one!

EDUCATION
Ph.D., Counseling Psychology, Texas Tech University
M.A., Counseling Psychology, Texas Tech University
B.A., Psychology, St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas

Kat Gage
I have been married for 16 years and I have two daughters and two Husky dogs. I enjoy spending time with my family exploring the great outdoors, hiking, fitness, music, and baking. While spending time with my family, some of our favorite activities include hiking, camping, and traveling to the mountains. Some of our favorite places in Arizona are Flagstaff, Strawberry, and Prescott. During the summer, we love to escape the heat by taking a trip to the Colorado mountains. Over the years, we have fallen in love with Colorado. Some of our favorite places are Durango, Colorado Springs, and Ouray.

I am passionate about whole body wellness: the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual factors in a person’s life that impact their overall health and wellness. Due to this, I felt torn between three different major paths while pursuing my bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University: psychology, exercise and wellness, or medical studies. After taking a mix of classes from each of the majors and meeting with my advisor a few times, I learned about an interdisciplinarian degree which would combine two of the fields I loved and focus on how they are related. As soon as I heard about this major, I knew it was for me. In 2018, I graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree of Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Wellness and Psychology.

As the Office Manager for the practice, I manage scheduling, verifying insurance, and resolving billing questions/issues. My role also includes managing the social media and marketing for the practice. As a mother myself, I am familiar with how the demands of being a mom, working hard towards professional ambitions while also trying to find time to myself can sometimes feel overwhelming and unfeasible. I often feel such a strong urge to focus more on my girls and their overall well-being then I do on my professional ambitions and my overall health. At the same time, I then feel a guilt for “putting off” my professional ambitions or for not “keeping up” with my fitness and health. I am incredibly happy to work for Dr. Rodriguez-Siuts and to be a small part of the equation that helps mothers work towards their goals, feel less stressed, and feel more empowered.

Meet LUNA! She's a 5 year-old Cockapoo (Cocker-Spaniel and Poodle) and has received a significant amount of training. Luna has completed 4 levels of obedience courses and is a Good Canine Citizen. She has also completed a specialized "Alerting" course where she has been trained to respond to intense emotions. Luna is currently in agility courses to continue building her bond with Dr. Rodriguez-Siuts and to channel her desire to run really fast. She’s also in the process of becoming a certified therapy dog, so that she can be Dr. Rodriguez-Siuts' assistant in therapy. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed those plans, but she’ll be back on track in no time! Luna’s hobbies include: chasing balls, destroying dirty socks, getting belly rubs, and being a lap dog.