Soleo, a maternal health and wellness clinic in Duxbury, Massachusetts, is changing the way mothers find support for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. These conditions, including depression and anxiety, affect about one in five women during pregnancy and the first year after childbirth. Sadly, many of these women don’t receive the help they need.
Co-founders Liane Dupuis and Jackie Megill created Soleo to fill the gaps in maternal healthcare. Dupuis drew inspiration from her own experience of losing her son, Leo, shortly after birth. She wanted to create a space that felt warm and welcoming during a tough time. The name “Soleo” combines “Sol,” meaning light in Latin, and “Leo,” honoring her son.
“We wanted to build a space that feels like a haven,” Dupuis said. She and Megill designed Soleo to feel more like a wellness center and less like a medical clinic. “Moms need care and compassion,” Megill added, emphasizing how important it is for mothers to feel supported.
At Soleo, support can take many forms. They offer motherhood circles where women can share experiences, outpatient therapy, and even holistic services like sound healing. The clinic also provides on-site childcare and accepts most major insurance plans, tackling common barriers to accessing care. Recently, they launched a Community Access Fund to help women who might have difficulty affording treatment.
For Megan Flaherty, Soleo was a lifeline. “I’ve dealt with anxiety and OCD my whole life, and it worsened during pregnancy,” she shared. The stigma around maternal mental health made it hard for her to seek help. But after visiting Soleo, everything changed. “I felt like I found an oasis,” Flaherty said.
The center’s unique sound healing practice really helped her find peace. “It brought me relaxation I hadn’t felt in a long time, and I’m so grateful for that,” she noted. Dupuis believes combining traditional therapy with holistic treatments like sound healing has helped many women see improvement in their symptoms in as little as six to eight weeks.
The hope at Soleo is clear: they want mothers to feel understood and comfortable asking for help. “Even when motherhood goes well, it can be one of the hardest things you’ll ever do,” Dupuis reminded the group of mothers during a session.
As more women speak out about their struggles, the conversation around maternal mental health is growing. A recent study by the American Psychological Association found that support systems significantly improve outcomes for women experiencing these challenges. The goal remains to create more safe and nurturing spaces like Soleo, where mothers can find their light—even in dark times.
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Duxbury, Pregnancy, Mental Health
