Mental Health in the Childbearing Year

Live Interactive Webinar

Instructor: Gretchen Davidson, LICSW

Level: Intermediate

CEs: 3 CEs are available for $10 fee.

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The childbearing year is a time of enormous physical, emotional and cultural transition. Many new parents report feeling overwhelmed, isolated, depressed and anxious. Some develop mood and anxiety disorders or are triggered into memories of past trauma during this time of change. Injustice and racism in the perinatal healthcare system cause increased peril for women of color, particularly Black women, who face maternal mortality rates three times that of white women. This course provides an overview of how, as clinicians, we can provide specialized support to parents during the emotional transitions of the childbearing year: from pregnancy, through birth and into the postpartum period. We will explore the concepts of Reproductive and Birthing Justice (SisterSong, Inc., 2022; Oparah, J. & Bonaparte, A.) and apply these concepts to clinical work. We will cover psychiatric issues that manifest uniquely in the childbearing year, including perinatal loss, birth trauma, postpartum psychosis, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression.