Who We Are
Haven Wellness is dedicated to supporting individuals and families through periods of growth and adjustment, ensuring that each individual feels supported along the way.
Both a therapy practice and postpartum doula program, we seek to address the gap in care for parents and caregivers during the perinatal period - whether it’s addressing fertility challenges, birth trauma, loss, or perinatal mood concerns. Our therapists also have expertise in generalized anxiety, other kinds of trauma, and mood concerns and see clients from the teenage years through older adulthood. We aim to create a healing environment in which clients of all identities can feel supported and affirmed.
Meet our founder
Kirby Paterson (she/her), is a psychotherapist and postpartum doula based in Ann Arbor, MI. As both a therapist and a doula, she seeks to provide a warm, steady, supportive environment for clients as they navigate through big transitions or challenges.
Kirby graduated from the University of Michigan School of Social Work in 2010 and for the last decade has been doing clinical work in various settings including a trauma center, a school-based health center, group practice, and a large hospital system. Kirby holds a certificate in integrated behavioral health and primary care, as well as a certificate in perinatal mental health (PMH-C). She is especially passionate about working with expectant and new parents during the perinatal period, particularly around issues of adjustment to parenthood, mood concerns, and trauma.
Kirby also has a strong interest in working with adolescents and adults experiencing chronic illness, and has spent several years supporting families living with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in her clinical role at Mott Children’s Hospital. Kirby became interested in birth and postpartum work after attending a birth for one of her friends in 2009. The births of Kirby’s own children several years later brought her attention to the large gap that exists in postpartum care.
Kirby began working as a postpartum doula after training with Lifespan Doulas and becoming certified. Since that time, she has aimed to support families with a compassionate, non-judgmental, and trauma-informed approach in the time immediately after the birth of a baby. Kirby feels honored to be working with families during this time of intense adjustment and change and takes great joy in seeing her clients grow with confidence in their new roles as parents.
In her free time, you can find Kirby cooking, practicing yoga, and spending time with her friends and family.
LMSW, PMH-C, CPD
Therapist & Postpartum Doula
Kirby Paterson
Meet the team
Frances Martin
Frances Martin (she/her), LLMSW, CPD is a psychotherapist and postpartum doula committed to supporting individuals and families.
Frances completed her master’s degree in social work at the University of Michigan in 2011. As a therapist, Frances works with clients who are navigating life transitions, relational difficulties, and the effects of early developmental trauma. She has a special interest in supporting parents and those in the perinatal period (preconception through postpartum). Frances’ therapeutic approach is relational, reflective, and strengths-based, and is deeply informed by attachment theory and neurobiology.
With her postpartum care, Frances works to create a nonjudgmental environment that promotes peace and joy for the whole family. By providing emotional and practical support, she helps build contexts for healing and bonding. From processing the birth experience, to working out family sleep strategies and newborn soothing techniques, Frances loves being part of the adventure of welcoming a new human into the family. Her primary focus is providing individualized care for each family, based on their unique needs, preferences, and goals.
Frances has worked for over a decade with children and families, coordinating educational services for students in southeast Michigan. She completed postpartum doula training with Lifespan Doulas and is a graduate of both the Newborn Mothers Collective and Newborn Mothers Breastfeeding programs. When she’s not chasing her two little ones around, she loves cooking, eating, practicing yoga, and spending time with friends.
MSW, CPD // Therapist & Postpartum Doula
Katie Brickman
Katie Brickman (she/her) is a clinical social worker and received her Masters in Social Work at the University of Michigan in 2011. She worked in the field of children’s bereavement for over a decade, providing grief support to children and their families after the death of someone significant in their lives.
Katie is passionate about working with individuals who are navigating fertility issues, assisted reproduction, donor conception, pregnancy, and the postpartum period. She has a particular interest in supporting women who are pursuing the path to parenthood solo. Katie believes that these can be particularly challenging seasons of life and having someone walk alongside of them throughout their journey can help them feel not so alone. She feels honored to companion clients during these big life transitions.
Katie strives to create a compassionate, nonjudgmental space and welcomes people from all backgrounds of race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, or religion. She has extensive training in grief and loss and has completed the Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care Certificate Course.
In her free time, Katie loves to be outside, enjoys hiking and biking, and spending time Up North with friends and family.
LMSW // Therapist
Georgia Pitsakis
Georgia Pitsakis, LMSW, is a clinical social worker and completed graduate school at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. Following her masters, Georgia completed a Post-Graduate Fellowship in the Department of Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry at Michigan Medicine where she was trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Since completing the Post-Graduate Fellowship, Georgia’s social work career has been both a hybrid of behavioral health care and in more recent years, as a medical social worker. Georgia has years of experience of providing behavioral health care to children, adolescents, adults and their families in school-based health settings and in private practice. Currently, Georgia provides support, addresses barriers to care, and advocates for children and families with chronic illness in a pediatric medical setting. Georgia’s passion in clinical social work is fueled by her desire to enrich the lives of families and to address the gaps in health care in our communities.
LMSW // Therapist
Katy White
Katy is a postpartum doula who has been inspired by labor, birth, and parenthood for most of her life. Her passion for perinatal support exploded after the birth of her two children (born via emergency c-section and then VBAC) and her own journey with postpartum anxiety. She is passionate about empowering and advocating for people from preconception through postpartum, and is committed to helping each person ground their experience in their unique values and desires.
Katy holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan. In 2022, she completed birth doula training through the Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations and her postpartum doula training through Nurturing Doula dreams, both DONA-approved trainings. She also serves as a volunteer birth doula for the Michigan Medicine Dial-a-Doula program.
Katy feels grateful to fill her days not only with this important work, but also with the important work of fostering the many beautiful relationships in her life: with her husband, Chris, her two kids, Crosby and Kaylie, her extended family, and her friends. She also loves baking desserts and is trying to learn the art of making bread.
BA // Postpartum Doula
Kate Wright
LMSW, LICSW // Postpartum Doula
Kate Wright (she/her), LMSW, LICSW is a postpartum doula. Kate specializes in perinatal mental health, trauma, and supporting the transition into parenthood. She is passionate about the fourth trimester and creating space for new parents to rest and heal as they develop their relationship with their new baby. Kate creates a non-judgmental and safe space, empowering her clients to advocate for their needs and find the tricks, techniques, and care that works for them.
Kate completed her doula training through Cornerstone Birthwork. She is also a clinical social worker and received her MSW from the University of Michigan School of Social Work. When she is not working, Kate enjoys mountain biking, spending time outside, and hanging out with her dog, Mia.
Amanda Yats
Amanda (she/her), LLMSW, graduated from the University of Michigan with her Master of Social Work degree in the spring of 2022. During her time in the program, she interned in a variety of outpatient healthcare clinics as a medical social worker, including within a comprehensive prenatal diagnosis clinic. Amanda also spent time volunteering as a facilitator for virtual pregnancy support groups alongside other maternity care providers.
It was after these co-curricular experiences during her MSW program that Amanda became passionate about maternal mental health and postpartum work. As our practice Administrative Assistant, you can count on Amanda to provide warm, empathetic support as part of your initial contact with Haven. In her daily life, she practices self-care through walks around her neighborhood (usually accompanied by a podcast), watching 30-second cooking videos on her phone, and connecting with loved ones.
LLMSW // Administrative Support Staff
