It may be a saying that's used often but that's because it's true. It takes a village. That's why I think it's important to provide all birthing persons with resources for pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenthood. I can confidently say that I stand by each of these professionals (and think they're pretty heckin' cool too.)
Dr. Jennifer Santamaria is the founder and owner of Femme Strong Physical Therapy- a specialized, mobile physical therapy practice that focuses on guiding women through recovery from various pelvic floor & orthopedic dysfunctions such as incontinence, leaky bladder, pelvic pain, and prolapse. She works with women of all stages of life including young adulthood, childbearing years, and menopause.
She is a SoCal resident who received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of St Augustine for Health Sciences in San Marcos, Ca. Throughout her career, Jennifer has gained experience working with orthopedic, neurological, pelvic floor/women's health, and pediatric patients. She developed further neurological therapy skills while completing a two-month internship in Italy and has completed various manual therapy courses. As her career progressed, she developed a desire to do more for women within her scope of practice and thus the passion for pelvic health rehabilitation began. She completed advanced coursework to address women's health and pelvic dysfunction throughout varying stages of a woman’s life. Since then, her passion towards helping women address their concerns when no other providers could flourished into creating Femme Strong Physical Therapy.
Jennifer is a fluent Spanish speaker and is able to effectively communicate with those who feel more comfortable completing their rehabilitation in their native tongue. When she’s not at her dream career Jennifer enjoys the outdoors, spending time with her frenchie pups, and traveling whenever possible.
Website | Instagram
Dr. Jennifer Santamaria PT,DPT -
Pelvic Health & Orthopedic Physical Therapist
Jen is a licensed mental health therapist with a private practice focused on helping women thrive on the journey through motherhood. She specializes in anxiety in pregnancy and postpartum, birth trauma, loss, and adjusting to new motherhood.
Early in her career, she recognized that her most fulfilling work involved supporting women during big shifts in identity and major life transitions. Jen received her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Southern California, and she has over ten years of experience as a mental health therapist. Her personal and professional experiences led her to complete advanced training in maternal and reproductive mental health, and she ultimately became a Perinatal Mental Health Certified (PMH-C) therapist.
Jen is passionate about supporting women through pregnancy, postpartum, and fertility challenges. She is also trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and other therapeutic approaches to address the unique concerns of women and mothers.
When Jen is not seeing clients, she spends her days laughing with her husband of 14 years, snuggling (or chasing) their two toddlers, listening to true-crime and birth story podcasts, and drinking afternoon coffees.
Website | Instagram
Jennifer Mendoza LCSW, PMH-C -
Maternal Mental Health Therapist