An Expressive Arts Therapy Group for Postpartum Birthing Parents

This New We:

Now enrolling for parents in the first 6 months postpartum.

  • A 6-week expressive arts group supporting the emotional, relational, and identity shifts of early parenthood. Designed to hold the full spectrum of postpartum experience—from grief and rage to joy and awe—in a space that welcomes your whole self. This group integrates somatic grounding, creative exploration (no art experience needed!), and facilitated community connection.

  • Saturdays September 27th - November 1st

  • 11am - 12:30pm

  • 6 weekly sessions (90 minutes each)

  • $180 - sliding scale available

  • Hybrid format

    • First (9/27) & Last (11/1) sessions in-person

    • All other sessions are virtual

    • Why hybrid? In-person allows for deeper connection and support while online allows for greater accessibility.

  • In person location: Vitalize Studio SLC

  • Queer & trans-affirming

  • Heart Tones Birth Services Clients receive discounted rate

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What to Expect

Each session includes:

  • A guided check-in to explore what's present for you

  • An expressive arts activity (visual art, writing, or movement)**

  • Reflection and sharing in community

Themes we’ll explore will include:

  • Shifts in identity and self-perception

  • Grief, rage, and the complexity of postpartum emotions

  • Reconnecting with creativity and body

  • Boundaries and asking for help

  • Relational changes with partners, family, and friends

  • Building a village and reclaiming community care


** Expressive Arts Therapy is not as scary as it sounds! You do not need to identify as an artist to join. You don’t even have to share your creation. This is about the process over product. (Trust me, all I can draw is a nice stick figure!)

“The marks that pregnancy leaves on your body are a reminder of the permanent shift in your identity.” – Rachael Murray and Anne Hill

Who It's For

This group is designed for:

  • Birthing parents 0-12 months postpartum

  • Those seeking connection, support, and a space to feel seen

  • Anyone overwhelmed by emotional changes or in need of gentle validation

  • Parents who feel isolated or invisible in their experience

  • People processing birth stories, body changes, and new roles

  • Those ready to explore the layered realities of postpartum life

This space is for all postpartum birthing parents who want to connect more deeply with themselves and others during this profound transition.

We are not alone. We are not broken. We are becoming.

All genders and family structures welcome.

“Postpartum is a quest back to yourself. Alone in your body again. You will never be the same, you are stronger than you were.” – Amethyst Joy

Expressive Arts Therapy is a multimodal therapeutic approach that integrates the creative arts with talk therapy to support healing and personal growth. By engaging the senses and exploring creative expression, individuals can process emotions, externalize challenges, and develop new perspectives. Grounded in trauma-informed practices and neurobiology, EXA helps individuals connect with their innate creativity and foster resilience.

What is Expressive Arts (EXA) Therapy?

  • Not at all! Expressive Arts Therapy focuses on the process, not the product. Creativity is a natural capacity within everyone, and the goal is to use art as a tool for self-expression, not perfection. Whether through drawing, writihng, movement, or storytelling, EXA empowers you to explore your unique voice and experiences.

  • Birth is trauma to the body. For birthing parents, whose bodies have undergone profound change, EXA offers an embodied and compassionate path to healing. Expressive arts therapy activates the senses to “tell the story” of trauma through implicit, nonverbal expression, allowing the brain and body to process and release emotions safely and effectively.

  • We keep it simple and flexible. You'll need: a journal, pen, markers, and a few basic art supplies like colored pencils, crayons or oil pastels. You’re welcome to use whatever materials you already have at home.

  • You are always in control of what you share and how you participate. This space is designed to be gentle, inclusive, and supportive—whether you’re speaking, making art, or simply witnessing the experience of others.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • The 1st (11/27) and Last (11/1) sessions will be held at Vitalize Community & Healing Arts Studio located at 3474 South 2300 East #12 Millcreek, UT 84109. They are in the Historic Baldwin Radio Factory.

  • We begin and end with in-person gatherings to foster connection, establish trust, and close with shared reflection. The middle sessions are virtual to accommodate postpartum needs—making it easier to show up from home while still benefiting from continuity and community.

  • Babies-in-arms are welcome during any session. You’re encouraged to do what you need—nurse, bounce, soothe—without apology.

    That said … if you're able to arrange childcare (especially for the in-person groups), it will allow you more space to focus inward. We trust you to decide what works best for you.

  • It depends on your plan and whether it includes coverage for group therapy. I work with two platforms—Rula and Headway—which may allow you to use insurance benefits if eligible. To determine coverage:

    1. Log into your insurance provider’s portal or call the customer service number.

    2. Ask if your plan includes coverage for group psychotherapy (CPT code 90853).

    3. If you're using insurance, I will be your provider through either Rula or Headway and can walk you through the process of setting up your account if your plan is eligible.

    4. If eligible, you may be able to submit this group as an out-of-network claim.

    You’re always welcome to reach out with questions or for help navigating this process.

  • Participants pay a non-refundable deposit (e.g., $50) to reserve their spot. The remaining balance is refundable if cancellation is made 7 or more days before the first session. After that, no refund will be given unless the spot can be filled from the waitlist. No refunds are available for missed sessions once the group has begun.

  • Yes! A $50 deposit holds your spot, and the remaining balance can be split into flexible, client-chosen payments. Full payment is due no later than 7 days before the first session. I'm happy to work with you to create a plan that feels manageable and supportive.

  • Yes. If you’ve been referred by Heart Tones Birth Services, you’re eligible for a discounted rate of $120. Use code HEARTTONES when registering. This discount is reserved exclusively for clients of Heart Tones.

Have questions?
Here’s everything you might want to know—logistics, support, and how to decide if this group is right for you.

Meet Your Instructor

Teresa Trout, LMFT, ExAT

Teresa Trout (she/her) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Expressive Arts Therapist who specializes in supporting mothers and birthing parents through major life transitions. Drawing from over two decades of experience in the creative arts and a deep foundation in trauma-informed care, Teresa brings both clinical skill and lived insight to her work. She holds an M.A. in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and a B.A. in Visual Arts from UC San Diego.

As both a parent and a former Heart Tones Birth Services client, Teresa understands the layered emotional terrain of postpartum life—from grief, rage, and exhaustion to joy, clarity, and creative renewal. Her practice centers the body, the nervous system, and the full spectrum of postpartum identity. With warmth, humor, and compassion, she holds space for healing that is expressive, relational, and real.