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We offer therapy to women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Our program is designed to help those who are experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, or unfamiliar and uncomfortable psychological changes associated with pregnancy, birth, loss, or fetal abnormalities. 

Please call the scheduling desk to make an appointment with one of our psychologists or social workers (984-974-5217 and follow prompts for new patients). Please specify whether you prefer to be seen in Chapel Hill (Vilcom Center) or Raleigh (Rex Hospital).

Our therapists work with women to provide the best treatment to meet their needs and circumstances. During the initial sessions, we will discuss treatment goals and customize a treatment plan to address women’s specific needs.

Therapy may include the following types of evidenced-based treatment, to be determined by a psychologist during initial consultation:

  • Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT): used to treat perinatal depression, grief, and bulimia nervosa;
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): used to treat mood, anxiety, and eating disorders, psychosis, and trauma-spectrum disorder
    • Prolonged Exposure (PE): a type of CBT that is designed to treat PTSD and trauma-related disorders;
    • Exposure Plus Response Prevention (ERP): a type of CBT that is designed to treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder;
    • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT): a type of CBT that is designed to treat PTSD and trauma-related disorders; 
    • Skills Training for Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR): a type of CBT that is designed to treat PTSD and trauma-related disorders in individuals who experienced abuse and trauma in childhood and early adolescence;
  • Behavioral Activation (BA): used to treat depression;
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): used to treat a wide range of difficulties, including depression, anxiety, grief, and psychosis;
  • Motivational Interviewing (MI): used to help patients generate motivation for difficult life changes, including those associated with substance use;
  • Partner-Assisted Therapy (PAT);
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): an intensive outpatient treatment which includes weekly individual therapy, weekly group therapy, and phone coaching. DBT is designed for individuals with intense emotional, interpersonal, and behavioral difficulties. DBT is also beneficial for individuals with multiple mental health diagnoses or individuals whose symptoms have not responded to other types of evidence-based treatments; and
  • Attachment and Bonding Therapy: used to assist parents in developing a more secure attachment with their infants and children

Depending on the woman’s needs, the number of sessions and how often we will meet will be determined in the first few sessions.

Other resources for patients 

Although not affiliated with the Center for Mood Disorders, UNC hosts a monthly support group at the SECU House for families experiencing pregnancy or infant loss.