Learn how to manageMaternal Mental Health In St. George, Utah
Get Help with unexpected challengesSupport for Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders
Bringing a baby into the world can be a time of deep joy — but it can also bring unexpected emotional struggles. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, disconnected, or unlike yourself during pregnancy or after birth, you’re not alone.
Maternal mental health concerns can affect emotional well-being during pregnancy, after childbirth, and while adjusting to motherhood. These struggles are not a personal failure. Our perinatal mental health services explain the support available during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Back in Charge provides maternal mental health therapy in St. George, Utah for concerns connected to motherhood, fertility experiences, loss, and emotional adjustment. If you are currently pregnant, explore our mental health therapy during pregnancy for support specific to this stage.
When The Joy Is Clouded
Understanding Perinatal
Mental Health
PMADs can affect your mood, thoughts, sleep, relationships, and your sense of identity as a parent. They often go unrecognized because, due to shame, symptoms may be minimized, dismissed, or mistaken for the normal stress of new parenthood.
We provide care for the full range of perinatal mental health concerns, including:
Postpartum Depression
Sadness, hopelessness, irritability, loss of interest or connection or with your baby
Perinatal Anxiety
Constant worry, racing thoughts, panic attacks
Postpartum OCD
Intrusive scary thoughts, compulsive behaviors, mental checking
Birth Trauma / PTSD
Flashbacks, avoidance, hypervigilance following a traumatic birth
Perinatal Grief & Loss
Pregnancy loss, stillbirth, infertility, or NICU experiences
Adjustment Difficulties
Identity shifts, relationship strain, perfectionism, or overwhelm
The postpartum support you needEvidence-Based Treatment for PMADs
Maternal mental health care is provided by Charlotte Esplin, Ph.D., PMH-C, a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized perinatal mental health training. Care begins with understanding your symptoms, history, and goals so treatment reflects your needs.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps address the unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors that often arise with perinatal depression and anxiety — while building practical tools to reduce worry, guilt, and shame.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
IPT is especially effective during the perinatal period, focusing on life role transitions, relationship dynamics, and support systems that may be contributing to emotional distress.
Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP)
For postpartum OCD, ERP is the gold standard. We help parents safely navigate and reduce distressing intrusive thoughts, without reinforcing avoidance or fear.
Coordination with Medical Providers
We collaborate with OB/GYNs, midwives, psychiatrists, and pediatricians to ensure whole-person care — and we’ll support you in understanding and exploring medication options, if needed.
How you feel mattersYou can feel like yourself again
You will not always feel this way. As Postpartum Support International says, “You are not alone, you are not broken, and with help you will be well again”. You deserve to feel like yourself again — not just for your baby, but for you. We’re here to help you get back in charge of your story.
Therapies, tools, & resourcesProven help for mental health challenges
We understand the deep distress that comes from feeling like emotions are running the show. We offer 4 unique levels of therapeutic care and support to empower you on your journey to regain control of your life direction.
Online Courses
Workshops
Outpatient Therapy
Intensive Therapy
Face challenges head onPutting You Back in Charge
We aim to equip individuals and families with the tools they need to thrive, fostering confident, capable individuals who are truly “back in charge” of their lives and futures.