Bundle Contents
About the Courses
Course 1: Introduction to Perinatal
Mental Health
Perinatal health is the focus on mental health during the pregnancy and postpartum periods. A CDC study from 2018 found that 10-24% of women experienced maternal mental health disorders. Mental health disorders are some of the most common complications of childbirth, however they are not universally screened for. This course will provide an introduction to the topic of perinatal mental health with a global lens, including a definition of the different aspects of perinatal mental health; risk factors; and an overview of screening tools, prevention and interventions.
Participants will be able to:
- Describe an overview of Perinatal Mental Health
- Describe how adverse experiences and risk factors intertwine with perinatal mental health.
- Describe an overview of recommendations, interventions and resources.
Course 2: Working with Trauma + Perinatal Mental Health
Course Description: Trauma and PTSD are complicated experiences and disorders that affect people of all ages, lifespans, and backgrounds. Pregnancy is an important developmental stage for both the parent and the developing fetus, and a time where traumatic reminders, new symptoms, and old memories may increase or become especially charged. Understanding how trauma impacts a person experiencing pregnancy is an important part of perinatal mental health and prenatal health care. This training will provide an overview of how trauma impacts the mind and body of people experiencing pregnancy. We will discuss special considerations for pregnant people with a trauma history, strategies of supporting the expecting parent, and trauma informed interventions for this population.
Participants will be able to:
- Identify special considerations for the impact of PTSD on people who are pregnant.
- Identify 2 risk factors of trauma symptoms for expectant parents.
- Identify at least 3 trauma informed practices to support people who are pregnant who have experienced trauma.
Course 3: Traumatic Pregnancy +
Mental Health
Course Description: While pregnancy can be one of the most exciting times in a person's life, it can result in a traumatic experience. It is important for clinicians to understand the possibility of birth trauma, traumatic pregnancy losses, and infertility when working with clients and their reproductive health. Other considerations for a traumatic pregnancy include sexual assault, incest, and a history of childhood trauma. This training will discuss examples of birth and pregnancy trauma including infertility, miscarriage, still birth, and traumatic birthing experiences. We will identify how these experiences impact clients, as well as those who are currently pregnancy after a past pregnancy or birth trauma.
Participants will be able to:
- Learn how pregnancy, birth trauma, and pregnancy loss impact perinatal mental health and as potential for PTSD.
- Identify the impact of sexual assault, incest, and childhood trauma on reproductive health.
- Explore trauma informed practices for supporting this population.
Meet The Presenter
Erin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, who has worked for years in the domestic violence and sexual assault community. Erin enjoys working with children, adolescents, and adults of all ages, and helping families heal after abuse and trauma. Erin also enjoys working with parents and expecting parents to help their children heal, and learning to parent after experiencing abuse, trauma, and childhood abuse.
Her approach comes from an Attachment, Psychodynamic, and somatic lens. She leans toward somatic approaches in therapy and believes in working with trauma from a “bottom-up” approach, working on grounding to help you feel safe in your body and in the world. Erin has specialized in working with survivors of trauma who have difficulty feeling connected with their bodies.