Perinatal Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Programs in Utah
At Serenity Recovery & Wellness, we offer specialized Perinatal Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) designed for mothers and parents navigating mental health challenges during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
With locations in Draper and Provo, Utah, our programs provide structured, evidence-based care for individuals experiencing postpartum OCD, perinatal anxiety, postpartum depression, and other maternal mental health conditions.
The transition into parenthood can bring enormous emotional, physical, and identity changes. Many parents experience intrusive thoughts, overwhelming anxiety, or a deep sense of pressure to be the “perfect” parent. Our programs are designed to provide compassionate, specialized care while helping parents build practical tools that allow them to reconnect with themselves, their families, and the lives they want to create.
All programming is facilitated by licensed therapists with specialized training in perinatal mental health, trauma, and OCD treatment.
Because perinatal mental health challenges can present in different ways, our Intensive Outpatient Program includes two treatment tracks so clients receive care that best fits their symptoms and needs.
These include the Perinatal OCD & Anxiety Track and the General Perinatal Mental Health Track. Both programs include structured group therapy, weekly individual therapy, and family support groups, allowing clients to receive specialized care while maintaining their daily responsibilities.
Perinatal OCD & Anxiety Intensive Outpatient Program
Our Perinatal OCD & Anxiety Intensive Outpatient Program is designed specifically for individuals experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorder during pregnancy or postpartum.
Perinatal OCD often includes distressing intrusive thoughts related to harm, safety, contamination, health, morality, or responsibility. Many parents feel trapped in cycles of compulsive behaviors such as checking, reassurance seeking, mental reviewing, or avoidance in an effort to reduce anxiety or prevent feared outcomes.
This treatment track integrates two gold-standard, evidence-based approaches.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the most effective psychological treatment for OCD. Clients gradually face feared thoughts, sensations, or situations while learning to reduce compulsive behaviors. Over time, this process teaches the brain that uncertainty and discomfort can be tolerated without relying on rituals.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps clients develop psychological flexibility, respond differently to intrusive thoughts, and reconnect with their values as parents and individuals. Rather than attempting to eliminate anxiety or intrusive thoughts, clients learn how to move forward with meaningful action even when uncertainty is present.
Together, these approaches help clients step out of fear-driven cycles and develop a healthier relationship with anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and uncertainty.
General Perinatal Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Program
Not all perinatal mental health challenges involve OCD. Many parents experience postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, emotional overwhelm, identity changes, or difficulty adjusting to life with a new baby.
Our General Perinatal Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Program provides structured treatment for these experiences using evidence-based therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
CBT helps clients identify and shift unhelpful thinking patterns while developing practical strategies for managing anxiety, mood changes, and stress. ACT helps parents build emotional resilience and reconnect with their values during a season of significant life transition.
This program focuses on helping parents strengthen coping skills, improve emotional regulation, and navigate the challenges of pregnancy and early parenthood with greater confidence and support.
Group Programming
Clients attend structured in-person group therapy several days per week, along with a weekly virtual group session designed to reinforce learning and skill development.
All in-person groups take place Monday through Thursday and include free onsite childcare for children ages 5 and under during all group programming.
Access to childcare is often one of the greatest barriers parents face when seeking treatment during pregnancy and the postpartum period. By providing childcare onsite, we help parents access care while knowing their children are nearby and cared for.
Group sessions include skills-based education, discussion, and experiential practice. Topics may include responding to intrusive thoughts, managing anxiety and emotional distress, navigating identity changes during parenthood, values-based decision making, and strengthening relationships.
Clients practice these skills in real time within a supportive community of other parents navigating similar experiences.
Partner Support
Recovery during pregnancy and postpartum rarely happens in isolation. Our program includes weekly partner support groups designed to help loved ones understand OCD, anxiety, and perinatal mental health.
Partners learn practical ways to support recovery, improve communication, and develop a shared understanding of what their loved one is experiencing. These groups also provide partners with their own space for support and connection with other families navigating similar challenges.
Individual Therapy
Each client receives weekly individual therapy sessions tailored to their specific symptoms, goals, and treatment needs.
Individual sessions allow therapists to provide personalized treatment planning, deeper skill development, and ongoing support. Clients work through specific fears, anxiety patterns, parenting stressors, identity changes, and relational challenges while building strategies that translate into daily life.
A Program Designed for Mothers and Families
Our Perinatal Intensive Outpatient Programs are built on the understanding that recovery is not only about reducing symptoms. It is about helping parents feel more grounded in themselves, more connected in their relationships, and more confident navigating the uncertainties of parenthood.
We recognize the unique pressures of pregnancy and early parenthood, including hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, shifting identities, and increased responsibility. Our programs combine specialized clinical care, experiential learning, partner involvement, and individualized therapy to support healing on multiple levels.
Clients leave treatment with practical tools, increased confidence, and a clearer sense of how to move forward even when anxiety or uncertainty is present.
If you are navigating postpartum OCD, perinatal anxiety, postpartum depression, or other maternal mental health challenges, our team at Serenity Recovery & Wellness is here to help.
You can message us directly through our website to schedule an assessment and learn more about enrollment in our Perinatal Intensive Outpatient Programs.
