Women’s Mental Health @Ob/Gyn (WMH @Ob/Gyn)

Mental health care during pregnancy and the postpartum period is an essential part of health care: there is no health without mental health (World Health Organization).

Yet for many perinatal patients seeking mental health care, significant barriers exist, primarily women’s inability to access quality mental health care and use insurance to afford it.  Other obstacles can include stigma and fear, making it difficult for new and expecting parents to engage in the care they need and deserve. In 2019, the Department of Ob/Gyn established WMH@Ob/Gyn, an integrated mental health service within ColumbiaDoctors (Columbia's faculty practices) that provides insurance-based treatment, focused on the gold-standard of care, therapy combined with medication management when medication is needed, as well as free support groups in a familiar, Ob/Gyn setting. Across eight faculty practice locations in the New York/New Jersey area, ColumbiaDoctors supports roughly 3,500 deliveries annually.

What We Do

WMH@Ob/Gyn embeds the expertise of mental health specialists—including therapists, psychopharmacologists, and support group facilitators—directly into obstetrical and gynecological practices. Care is provided largely via telehealth, consistent with patient preferences and the realities of new and expecting parenthood. By integrating mental health services within Ob/Gyn settings that patients already trust and attend, we meet women where they are.

With deep expertise in women's mental health, we care for women across the life course, with a special focus on stress, anxiety, and depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period, as well as during fertility challenges and pregnancy loss. We also counsel women through menopause and its significant emotional and physical stressors. Any patient referred to us from Columbia's Ob/Gyn department is welcome, regardless of gender identity.

Our team includes clinicians trained in women's mental health, as well as patient coordinators skilled in navigating insurance, addressing cultural and linguistic differences, and ensuring that a patient's first point of contact leaves her feeling seen and supported.

How It Works

Patients are connected to WMH @Ob/Gyn through two pathways: 

1. referral from their obstetrical provider following a depression screening or; 
2. through self-referral when a patient identifies a mental health need directly. 

Following initial outreach, a patient coordinator will make contact, handle insurance verification, and facilitate scheduling. This removes the administrative burden that are especially difficult for those who have mental health symptoms.

Services include individual therapy, medication management, and peer support groups. All services are insurance-based, and our integrated care model leverages the existing administrative infrastructure of the host Ob/Gyn practice to realize meaningful cost efficiencies.

A Model Built To Scale

WMH @Ob/Gyn is a pivotal component of CTtP’s mission to translate perinatal mental health services research into real-world clinical practice. The model has been designed to be replicable across obstetrical settings that vary in size, structure, and patient population. Our published research supports its effectiveness with respect to access to, and engagement in, treatment (Mental health service utilization in a novel insurance-based Ob/Gyn integrated model for women across the lifespan).

Women's Mental Health @OB/GYN: Access to Treatment and Utilization Outcomes

Data From February 2020 to December 2023

Patient Referrals and Visits

• 2,661 patients referred
• 15–30 referrals per week
• 16.6 days on average from referral to first evaluation and visit with a mental health provider
• 23 average visits

Utilization of Services

• Women's Mental Health @OB/GYN: 65%
• Referral to Psychiatry: 22%
• Perinatal Psych Access Programs: 43%
• Haight et al. 2024, Health Affairs: 25%

Make an Appointment

Women’s Mental Health @Ob/Gyn only accepts patients referred by or seen by providers in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NewYork-Presbyterian/ColumbiaDoctors. To refer a patient or make an appointment, call or text 646-756-6289.

Support Groups

We host a range of free virtual support groups, which offer a place to talk about challenges, life transitions, and emotions in a welcoming and inclusive environment. These groups offer support around topics such as fertility, menopause, endometriosis, pre-term birth, perinatal loss, the postpartum period, LGBTQIA+ parenting, and more. For more information, complete our interest form or contact Kiyanne Rivers at lf2292@cumc.columbia.edu.

Rolling With Parenthood: A Perinatal and Postpartum Support Group

(Every Tuesday,  Wednesday, and Thursday at 12 p.m.)

Women’s Mental Health @Ob/Gyn offers free, multiple-times weekly (Thursday held in Spanish), virtual groups for pregnant and postpartum women to create a supportive community. Share your experiences, joys, and stress during the transition to parenthood —  even if it’s not your first time! Join us over weeks or months to connect with peers and providers in a validating group environment. Use this link to sign up and join here.

Questions: please contact Kiyanne Rivers, Practice Operations Supervisor for Women’s Mental Health @Ob/Gyn:  lf2292@cumc.columbia.edu

Navegando La Maternidad: Un Grupo de Apoyo Prenatal y Postparto

(Se reúne semanalmente todos los jueves a las 12 p.m.) 

Salud Mental de las Mujeres @Ob/Gyn ofrece grupos virtuales semanales gratuitos para personas embarazadas y en posparto para crear una comunidad de apoyo. Comparta sus experiencias, alegrías y estrés durante la transición a la paternidad. ¡Incluso si no es la primera vez!. Únase a nosotros por meses o semanas y conéctese con otros miembros y proveedores en un ambiente alentador y comprensivo. Utilice este para inscribirse. Únete aqui.

Preguntas: Contacte a Kiyanne Rivers, Supervisora ​​de Operaciones de Práctica para la Salud Mental de las Mujeres @Ob/Gyn:  lf2292@cumc.columbia.edu

WMH @Ob/Gyn Offers Training Opportunities in Mental Health Care

We offer a year-long clinical practicum to affiliated schools for social work and psychiatric nurse practitioner trainees. Please contact Ms. Claudia Roca, Division Administrator cr479@cumc.columbia.edu to learn more about these opportunities or Ms. Sarah Vitello, LCSW, Manager of Clinical Services and supervising social worker sv2547@cumc.columbia.edu or Dr. Ashlie Butler, supervising psychiatric nurse practitioner adb2167@cumc.columbia.edu.