Perinatal Wellness Program

Many women experience mood changes or anxiety issues during or after pregnancy. The UCSF Perinatal Wellness Program provides behavioral health services to help pregnant and postpartum patients transition into healthy family life. We address mental health needs while providing wraparound support for physical and emotional well-being during this critical time.

Our services include:

• Emotional support and care coordination. To help patients who have just given birth cope better, we encourage them to open up about their delivery experiences, seek to ensure their safety, and discuss any legal or disability-related concerns they have. We connect them with community resources, help them navigate insurance coverage and benefits, and refer them for substance use treatment, if needed.
• Brief therapy. Our Collaborative Care Obstetric Resource Program supports patients with anxiety and depression, the most common complications of pregnancy and the postpartum period. Patients see a team of experts, so that all issues related to these mood disorders can be addressed. Each patient's primary contact is a dedicated care manager – a licensed clinical social worker who can provide emotional support and therapy. The care manager tracks progress and consults with the other team members, including an obstetrician and a psychiatrist specializing in the mental health of people who have just given birth.
• Consultation with our perinatal psychiatrists. These specialists evaluate and provide care for mental health disorders affecting patients during pregnancy and after giving birth. Conditions that our perinatal psychiatrists treat include moderate to severe depression or anxiety with uncontrolled symptoms, severe or complex mental illness, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other conditions that require complex medication regimens or medication changes.
• Pregnancy support groups. The UCSF Mothers and Babies support group is a six-week course of 90-minute sessions that brings expectant mothers together to support each other and teaches them skills for reducing stress and cultivating healthy moods. Participants must be between 10 and 27 weeks pregnant to start the program. Mothers-to-be learn ways to foster their babies' emotional and physical health, and they receive information on pregnancy, infant development, managing life stresses and techniques for improving mood.
• Postpartum support groups. The Postpartum Support Group meets for six weeks to teach new mothers skills for navigating early parenthood. These techniques aim to reduce stress, promote healthy postpartum moods and build community. Sessions are held online and facilitated by a mental health professional with perinatal expertise.

The UCSF Perinatal Wellness Program is open to all patients of UCSF's obstetrics clinics. Patients receiving prenatal or postnatal care elsewhere are not eligible. Interested UCSF patients should ask their obstetric care provider about our program's services.

Most insurance plans cover our services. Please note that cost sharing (including co-pays) may apply. Contact your insurance company for information on your behavioral health coverage.