Embracing Every Parent: Engaging Non-Birthing Parents in Perinatal Support

This training is open to WA state professionals who serve perinatal families in Washington state. Priority registration for professionals who serve families in San Juan County.

For LGBTQIA+ parents, adoptive parents, and dads, welcoming a baby can leave new parents feeling less than welcome in perinatal spaces; these feelings of invisibility can leave non-birthing parents feeling disconnected and increase their vulnerability to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. In this all-day virtual training, we will embark on a deep dive into engaging non-birthing parents in support throughout the perinatal period. The training will include a review of perinatal mental health for all parents, with a deep dive on the unique experiences, strengths, and challenges of non-birthing parents, as well as practical resources for screening, referral, and support. Participants can look forward to an interactive training that will include breakout activities, real-life examples, and a spotlight from PS-WA dad peer specialist Nathan Friend on the magic of peer support and what he wishes everyone knew about supporting dads. Attendees will come away with concrete strategies to engage non-birthing parents in support.

Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026

Time: 9am-4pm PT

Location: Zoom

Cost: FREE

Trainers: Lara Hayden, MSW, LICSW and Nathan Friend

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to name 5 perinatal mood and anxiety disorders affecting birthing and non-birthing parents.
• Participants will be able to describe 3 unique psychosocial challenges faced by non-birthing parents in the perinatal period.
• Participants will be able to identify 4 resources to provide effective and affirming support to non-birthing parents throughout Washington.

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Continuing Education:

• 5.5 CEUs pending for LICSW, LMHC, LMFT.
• 5.5 Contact Hours approved for RNs: Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 17084 for 5.5 contact hours.

About the Trainer:

Lara Hayden (they/them) graduated from the UW School of Social Work with a Masters in Social Work in 2010; they are a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and an Approved Supervisor for Washington State mental health professionals seeking licensure. In their private practice, Lara offers evaluations and reports along with groups, clinical supervision and training. Specifically, Lara provides social work home study reports for confirmatory adoptions, fertility and family build support, as well as gender-affirming care documentation. They have worked in multidisciplinary care settings for over a decade, supporting individuals, families, and providers in navigating the complexities of medical and mental health care. Their clinical interests include LGBTQ+ family building, gender-affirming care, eating disorder care, and neurodiversity. Lara is a fat queer agender person who uses they/them pronouns. They are a parent of three kids, an enthusiastic road trip planner, and really into spreadsheets.

This free training is offered by Perinatal Support WA through a grant from Strengthening Families Washington at the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).

This is a live training and will not be recorded. Questions regarding the training, please email: training@perinatalsupport.org