From Personal Struggle to Professional Mission

Twenty years ago, therapist Perri Shaw Borish faced a crisis that would change her life—and eventually help thousands of other women. As a new mother struggling with postpartum challenges, she couldn’t find a single Philadelphia practice specializing in reproductive mental health. The providers she encountered knew little about postpartum anxiety, depression, or birth trauma.

“I realized I wasn’t alone in feeling lost,” Perri recalls. “There had to be other women going through the same thing with nowhere to turn.” That realization sparked her mission to create the support system she desperately wished she’d had.

Comprehensive Reproductive Mental Health Services in Philadelphia

Today, Whole Heart serves women, couples, and parents through every stage of their reproductive journey. The practice addresses infertility and fertility distress, pregnancy complications, all types of pregnancy loss, birth trauma, and postpartum care. They’ve also expanded to support women through perimenopause and menopause—recently organizing EmpowerPause, an event that explored every aspect of midlife transitions.

Technology has transformed how they reach clients. Many sessions now happen via telehealth, making therapy accessible to parents juggling childcare and busy schedules. “We meet women where they are,” explains Perri. “Sometimes that’s in their living room at 9 PM after the kids are asleep.”

Breaking Down Barriers to Mental Health Care

For nearly two decades, Whole Heart has operated low-fee and free support groups in Center City Philadelphia. Financial barriers shouldn’t prevent anyone from getting help during vulnerable times. They’ve expanded these groups online too, creating virtual communities where new parents can connect even when leaving the house feels impossible.

These support groups have become lifelines for many. Women share their struggles with pregnancy loss, postpartum anxiety, and the isolation that often comes with early parenthood. The groups prove that healing happens in community.

Beyond Therapy: Workplace Mental Health Consulting

Whole Heart Consulting helps companies create family-friendly, mentally healthy workplaces. They train managers to support employees through fertility treatments, pregnancy loss, and postpartum transitions. An Executive Function Consultant also works with working parents, busy professionals, and neurodivergent individuals to strengthen focus, organization, and time management skills.

“We realized that supporting parents means supporting them everywhere—at home and at work,” Perri notes.

The Future of Women’s Mental Health Care

Whole Heart Reproductive Mental Health continues expanding while staying true to its founding mission: women and families deserve evidence-based therapeutic support from trained specialists throughout their reproductive years. Whether facing fertility struggles, pregnancy complications, loss and grief, or menopause transitions, Whole Heart helps women not just survive—but thrive.

The practice that began with one woman’s difficult experience has grown into a beacon of hope for thousands. It’s proof that when women support women, remarkable healing happens.

Philadelphia Family selected Perri Shaw Borish as a 2025 Women of Influence Award Winner—learn more about her and why she earned this recognition from among our nominees.