CONSULTATION & COLLABORATION
We know that change can't happen in silos. Perinatal Support Washington strives to build connections and develop partnerships with organizations across the state.
We are eager to provide our expertise to support collaborative projects, including coalitions and public policy committees. We also provide custom trainings and consultation.
PS-WA has a new grant to provide perinatal mental health consultation.
- Consultation on perinatal mental health screening; implement a new screening program, improve or add to a current screening program (review current screening program to ensure best practices in screening for depression and anxiety are met, at the right times, and with the right follow up in place.
- Consultation for direct service team; have a perinatal mental health specialist join your team meeting once, or ongoing to support direct service staff with screening, resources, and/or provide case consultation.
- Consultation to start perinatal mental health programming; start a support group, peer support services, or meet with one our perinatal mental health specialists to discuss your program and ways to include perinatal mental health knowledge and awareness within the scope of your work.
- Need something not listed here? Reach out!
Training and consultation topics include:
-
Perinatal Mental Health Overview, 6.5 hours.
Provides staff with a solid foundation of the spectrum of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), which includes: understanding the risk factors and etiology for PMADs, impact on parent, child, family, and community, and screening.
-
Comprehensive Perinatal Mental Health Training, 13 hours.
Includes perinatal mental health overview plus in-depth topics such as working with dads/partners, military families, high-risk populations, NICU families, birth trauma, and breastfeeding.
-
Specialized training for staff:
- Labor and Delivery staff. Understanding how anxiety and depression might show up in the delivery room and postpartum recovery, recognizing birth trauma and interventions to prevent/improve parents’ mental health response, and more.
- NICU staff. How preterm delivery, traumatic birth, and vulnerable babies impact parents’ mental health; attachment; and ways to support families.
- Vicarious trauma for medical staff. Doctors and Registered Nurses need support to process their own emotions regarding traumatic experiences they witness.
- Managing psychiatric medications during pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Understanding medication needs and impact throughout pregnancy by trimester, how to talk about risk, understanding the other components to care (therapy, support groups, warm lines and how to make a referral).
- Breastfeeding and perinatal mental health. Understanding how breastfeeding and perinatal mental health impact each other, how traumatic birth impacts breastfeeding, and best practices in supporting breastfeeding for parents experiencing PMADs.
-
10 Month Perinatal Mental Health Training and Consultation:
This 10 Month clinical training program is designed for mental health therapists and psychiatric practioners. It delves deeply into the following topics: adjustment issues and unrealistic expectations of mothering; perinatal depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and OCD; bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis; birth trauma; breastfeeding and PMADs; perinatal loss; medications during pregnancy and lactation; NICU; sexual abuse survivors and PMADs. The group meets once a month for two hours. The first hour centers on one of the perinatal mental health topics listed above with assigned readings. The second hour is a case consultation and discussion. Consult groups offer a forum to meet with peers and colleagues to confidentially discuss clinical issues.
Recent Projects and Collaborations
Pierce County Perinatal Collaborative
PS-WA chairs the Perinatal Emotional Health Committee and co-hosts quarterly committee meetings to increase perinatal mental health resources in Pierce County. We have done this by providing perinatal mental health training and starting new parents support groups.
Skagit County Public Health
PS-WA provided 6.5 hours of perinatal mental health training for Skagit County providers; hosted a 3 hour stakeholder meeting to bring diverse providers together to discuss perinatal mental health, barriers to care, and gaps in services, and provide networking with providers to improve referral pathways; and facilitated the screening of a documentary about perinatal mental health to engage the community and increase awareness and education.
Start Early (formerly Thrive)
PS-WA is working closely with home visitors to improve and increase caregiver depression screening, referral, and follow up. PS-WA is training home visitors to provide vital front line support for families that decreases stigma, provide accurate information about perinatal mental health, and hold families while they are navigating our complex mental health systems.
We have also provided consultation, training, and support to local organizations implementing new parent support groups, including:
- CHI Franciscan WIC (Pierce County) - Mothers of Color support groups in Lakewood and Parkland
- First Step Family Support Center (Port Angeles) - Low-income moms support group
- Kitsap Hope Circle (Kitsap County) - Four new parent support groups
- King County Public Health WIC Clinic (Federal Way) - New parent support group