Widening Circles

Set in the Appalachian mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, Widening Circles provides integrative outpatient mental health care for adults who need more support than traditional weekly therapy. Their CARF-accredited Heartwood intensive outpatient program (IOP) runs for 8 weeks, with 9-19 hours of clinical care each week. Groups meet Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., with participants attending at least 3 days per week and most attending 5.

Meet Complexity with Many Tools

Care may include group therapy, individual psychotherapy, psychiatric medication management, somatic therapy, expressive arts, ecotherapy, and nature connection. They may add ketamine-assisted psychotherapy when clinically appropriate, while clinicians also offer individual IV or IM ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and intranasal esketamine (Spravato) as standalone outpatient services. They treat depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma, and stable co-occurring substance use disorder (SUD) when clinicians determine that outpatient care fits the patient’s needs.

Find Belonging in Shared Care

Heartwood IOP serves cisgender women, transgender women, nonbinary, queer, and gender-expansive adults seeking a women-centered therapeutic environment. Participants must live in or near Asheville, have reliable transportation, and arrange their own housing. The program emphasizes group connection through a relationship-centered approach, while participants may continue working with an established outside therapist when this supports their treatment goals.