May You Be Held with Love and Care: Perinatal Mental Health for Latine and Immigrant Families

This training is open to WA state professionals who work with perinatal families in WA state. 

Culturally Responsive and Community-Centered Approaches for Supporting Birthing Parents, Infants, and Families.

Perinatal mental health is deeply connected to the well-being of birthing parents, infants, partners, and families. Latine and immigrant communities bring with them unique strengths and cultural values that are often dismissed or silenced by systemic barriers, and these experiences can shape how perinatal mental health is experienced and supported.

This training will explore perinatal mental health through the lens of Latine and immigrant family experiences, highlighting cultural beliefs, community traditions, possible stigma in the community, and structural barriers that may impact access to care. A particular focus will be placed on elevating indigenous practices that have supported and nurtured birthing parents, leading to healing and positive outcomes. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how migration, family separation, economic stressors, discrimination, and language barriers can influence mental health during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Participants will learn how to recognize signs that mental health may be impacted for birthing parents and partners, and how infant and early childhood mental health is closely connected to caregiver wellbeing. The training will emphasize culturally responsive, community-based ways of caring for families, including approaches that honor cultural traditions, community networks, and collective resilience.

Participants will also learn about screening tools, referral pathways, therapy options, medication considerations, and culturally relevant community supports that can help families access care. Through case examples and interactive discussion, participants will explore ways to reduce stigma, build trust with families, and support Latine and immigrant communities in accessing compassionate and culturally grounded perinatal mental health care.

This training is designed for professionals, community providers, and advocates across Washington State who work with birthing families and want to increase their confidence in identifying concerns, responding supportively, and connecting families in decolonized and culturally responsive ways.

Date: Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Time: 9am-4pm PT

Location: Zoom

Cost: FREE

Trainer: Martha Aguiñiga, MA, LMHC, IMH-E III, PMH-C

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Learning Objectives:

• Describe the scope of perinatal mental health, including common conditions that can affect birthing parents and partners during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
• Recognize signs and symptoms that indicate a birthing parent or partner may be experiencing perinatal mental health challenges.
• Explain the relationship between perinatal mental health and infant and early childhood mental health.
• Identify culturally responsive and community-based approaches to supporting birthing parents, infants, and families.
• Discuss common screening tools and practices used to identify perinatal mental health concerns.
• Describe a range of care options including therapy approaches, medication considerations, peer support, and culturally grounded community supports.
• Identify referral pathways and resources to connect families with appropriate care and support.
• Apply practical strategies for responding supportively when concerns about perinatal mental health arise.

Continuing Education:

• 5.75 CEUs approved for LICSW, LMHC, LMFT.
• This Program has been approved for 5.75 CEUs for Licensed Social Workers, Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists by the Washington State Society for Clinical Social Work.
• 5.75 Contact Hours approved for RNs: Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 17084 for 5.75 contact hours.

About the Trainer:

Martha Aguiñiga, MA, LMHC, IMH-E (III), is an equity-driven Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 15 years of experience in trauma-informed care, infant and early childhood mental health, and culturally responsive clinical practice. She is an EMDRIA-certified EMDR therapist, a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Therapist, and the founder and clinical director of Mente Counseling & Consultation, where she provides trauma-focused psychotherapy, consultation, and community-based trainings. Martha has been a leader in community mental health programs, supporting clinical teams and integrating infant mental health principles into program
development and care delivery. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Martha is passionate about strengthening community systems of care that nurture the well-being of birthing parents, infants, and families

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