Empowering Women: The Story Behind Her Path Women’s & Perinatal Psychiatry

I created Her Path Women’s & Perinatal Psychiatry out of a simple but deeply felt need: women deserve mental health care that understands the full context of their lives, especially during pregnancy, postpartum, and the many hormonal transitions that shape emotional wellbeing across the lifespan.

As a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with certification in perinatal mental health through Postpartum Support International, I have specialized training in supporting individuals through pregnancy, postpartum, infertility, pregnancy loss, and the emotional transitions of motherhood. This work has deeply shaped how I approach care and why I knew a dedicated practice focused on women's mental health and perinatal mental health was so necessary.

Too often, women are told to “push through” symptoms that are actually treatable. They are reassured that exhaustion, overwhelm, intrusive thoughts, or emotional numbness are just part of motherhood and something they need to wait out, rather than signs that support and care may help. These experiences can be signs of perinatal mental health concerns that deserve evidence-based care and support.

A Gap I Saw in Care

In my work as a psychiatric provider, I saw a consistent gap in care. Many women were navigating mental health concerns in healthcare settings where appointments felt rushed, leaving little time to fully explain what they were experiencing or discuss questions about treatment, including concerns around pregnancy and breastfeeding. I saw how often women left feeling unheard, overwhelmed, or uncertain about their options.

I also saw women searching for care that understood the many roles and experiences shaping their mental health. Her Path was created to offer a different kind of experience, one that allows women the time, space, and thoughtful attention to feel heard, understood, and supported.

Women’s mental health can be shaped by relationships, changing roles, chronic stress, burnout, fertility and reproductive health experiences, hormonal changes, pregnancy loss, trauma, and the transitions that come with different stages of life. That’s why care here considers the full picture, including:

Sleep deprivation and burnout

Chronic stress and emotional overwhelm

Fertility and reproductive health experiences

Perimenopause and menopause

Pregnancy planning or loss

Postpartum adjustment and identity shifts

Trauma histories that may resurface during transitions

Women’s mental health is complex, and healing is not linear. It doesn’t have to happen alone.

Care That Centers Women’s Experiences

Her Path Women’s & Perinatal Psychiatry was built to provide a space where women can be fully seen, not just as patients with symptoms, but as individuals navigating some of the most emotionally demanding stages of life.

This includes care for:

Depression

Anxiety

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

PTSD

Bipolar Disorder

ADHD

PMDD

Perinatal and reproductive mental health concerns

Every treatment plan is individualized, because there is no single version of what womanhood, pregnancy, or motherhood looks like.

A Focus on Evidence-Based Care

One of the core goals of Her Path is to bring clarity and confidence to medication decisions. Many women have questions or concerns about psychiatric medications at different stages of life, including when considering medication during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Concerns may be influenced by fear, stigma, or conflicting information online.

Part of my role is helping patients understand:

What the research actually shows

How to weigh risks of medication versus untreated symptoms

Which treatment options are safest and most appropriate for their goals

How to make informed decisions without pressure or fear

Medication is never the only answer, but when it is needed, it can be life-changing in restoring stability, sleep, emotional connection, and the ability to function in daily life.

Why “Her Path”

The name reflects something intentional: there is no single path through motherhood, pregnancy, or mental health recovery. Each woman’s journey is shaped by her own experiences, values, challenges, and strengths.

Her Path Women’s & Perinatal Psychiatry exists to walk alongside patients in that journey, offering clinical expertise, compassionate support, and evidence-based care at every step.

The Goal

The goal of Her Path is simple:

To create a place where women feel understood, supported, and empowered in their mental health care, especially during some of life’s most vulnerable and transformative seasons.

Because when women are supported in their mental health, everything else in their lives is positively impacted: their relationships, their families, their children, their sense of self, and their ability to thrive.

And that support should never be hard to find.

If you are looking for care that recognizes your individual needs and where you are in your mental health journey, I invite you to learn more about Her Path and how I can support you.

Written by Autumn Shutt, PMHNP-BC, PMH-C

Founder, Her Path Women's & Perinatal Psychiatry

Disclaimer

This article is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Need immediate support?

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7. You can also call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-852-6262 (1-833-TLC-Mama). If there is immediate danger or a medical emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.