Whitney Frost | Perinatal Health & Mental Wellness Tips | Littleton, CO

In our Women in Wellness series, we spotlight inspiring women who are making waves in the wellness community. Today, we're excited to introduce you to Whitney Frost, a mental health professional based in Littleton, Colorado, whose passion for perinatal health and women's mental wellness is creating positive change in her community.

Meeting Whitney Frost

Whitney Frost, MA, MSHA, NCC, LPC, PHM-C, C-DBT, brings extensive credentials and personal experience to her role as founder of The Rylie Center for Hope and Healing. With specialized training in perinatal health and women's mental wellness, Whitney has built a practice that addresses a critical gap in healthcare support systems.

"Everyone can benefit from therapy," Whitney explains. "You don't have to be in a crisis to reach out for therapy. Therapy is a great form of self-care for everyone."

Beyond the Stigma: The True Power of Therapy

While therapy has historically been associated with crisis intervention, Whitney's approach focuses on its transformative potential for everyday wellness. She works to dispel the misconception that therapy is only for people experiencing severe distress.

"A lot of people are under the impression that therapy is for people who are 'crazy,' in a crisis, or who have a significant thing going on in their life," she shares. "But therapy is for everyone. It can be a nice complement to everyday life stressors and grounding."

Practical Tips for Mental Wellness

Whitney believes that simple techniques can make a significant difference in managing everyday stress and anxiety. Here's her practical grounding exercise for when you're feeling overwhelmed:

Try the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique: When feeling overwhelmed or anxious, put down all distractions and:

• Notice 5 things you can see

• Acknowledge 4 things you can touch

• Listen for 3 things you can hear

• Identify 2 things you can smell

• Recognize 1 thing you can taste

"By focusing on your senses," Whitney explains, "you shift your focus away from your distress and into your surroundings, bringing your awareness into the current moment, which can reduce your distress."

Try This at Home: A Simple Grounding Practice

Ready to experience the power of grounding? Whitney recommends starting with this simple exercise:

1. Find a quiet space where you can sit comfortably

2. Take three deep breaths

3. Begin the 5-4-3-2-1 technique described above

4. After completing the sequence, take one more deep breath

5. Notice how your body and mind feel different from when you started

Finding Purpose Through Personal Experience

Whitney's journey to founding The Rylie Center stems from both professional observation and personal experience. "I spent years working with the under-resourced community that faced so many barriers to safe and compassionate birth experiences due to cultural biases and systemic racism within the healthcare system," she reflects.

This professional insight, combined with her own struggles with postpartum depression that went "unseen by the medical model," ignited her passion for creating change. "I knew that I had to use my education, knowledge, and privilege to do something meaningful and impactful in my community to correct the direction in which maternal mortality rates were moving."

In April 2022, this vision became reality with the opening of The Rylie Center for Hope and Healing, which provides wraparound support for families in Colorado navigating pregnancy, postpartum, pregnancy loss, or infertility—regardless of their ability to pay.

The Power of Accessible Care

Beyond her clinical practice, Whitney is passionate about making mental health care accessible to all. The Rylie Center offers a holistic approach to healing with a continuum of care model that supports mind, body, and spirit while accepting commercial insurance, Medicaid, and offering pro-bono and sliding scale rates.

"Perinatal mental health challenges can be overcome and families don't have to struggle in silence," she says. "Help is available and accessible to anyone who is interested."

What might surprise you about The Rylie Center? Despite being open for just two years, they've already assembled "a tremendous team of providers serving the community" with work that is "far reaching."

Community Resources

The Rylie Center offers several specialized resources:

• Birth Trauma Process Groups: Ongoing support for those processing difficult birth experiences

• Scholarships: Available for any BIPOC or under-resourced birthing person interested in birth support, lactation support, or mental health support

• Affordable Care Clinic: Available to anyone seeking mental health support because, as Whitney emphasizes, "we believe mental health care is for everyone, not just those who have health insurance"

Connect with Whitney

Ready to experience Whitney's approach to perinatal health and mental wellness?

• Website: TheRylieCenter.com

• Instagram: @the.Rylie.center

• Location: The Rylie Center for Hope and Healing, Littleton, CO

• Specialties: Perinatal Health and Women's Mental Health

• Contact: Through website, Instagram, by text, or through your insurance provider

This post is part of PeachyYogi's Women in Wellness directory, where we spotlight inspiring women in the wellness community. Stay tuned for more features highlighting women who are making a difference through their unique approaches to health and wellbeing.