Programa de Resiliencia para Padres y Madres
Programa de Resiliencia para Padres
El Programa de Resiliencia para Padres ofrece apoyo entre pares a personas embarazadas y nuevos padres que atraviesan situaciones de estrés y desafíos emocionales. El Programa de Resiliencia para Padres ofrece apoyo a los padres que están atravesando dificultades de salud mental o que corren el riesgo de experimentarlas durante el período perinatal. Nuestro programa se basa en la experiencia vivida, la conexión cultural y la atención informada sobre el trauma.
Apoyamos a personas embarazadas y a padres primerizos hasta dos años después del parto. También apoyamos a personas que han sufrido una pérdida, han interrumpido un embarazo o han tenido otros resultados inesperados en el parto y que quizá no se consideren padres, así como a padres que actualmente no están criando a sus hijos debido a una pérdida, a la retirada de la custodia por parte de los servicios sociales, etc, si necesitan apoyo de salud mental perinatal.
Con orgullo, hemos extendido nuestros servicios a la zona de North Sound (Skagit, Island, San Juan y Whatcom)
El Programa de Resiliencia para Padres da prioridad a las familias de comunidades rurales que pueden encontrarse sin acceso a servicios esenciales de salud mental y bienestar. Entendemos que los participantes pueden enfrentarse a múltiples retos relacionados con la salud, la seguridad y las necesidades básicas, especialmente en zonas con acceso limitado a los servicios de asistencia. En los casos en que las familias se enfrenten a múltiples obstáculos para acceder a recursos esenciales, se puede ofrecer apoyo adicional. Póngase en contacto con nosotros para ver cómo podemos ayudarle en su región.
Para Padres
Sabemos que la crianza de los hijos puede ser una experiencia abrumadora, especialmente cuando sientes que nadie entiende realmente por lo que estás pasando. Ahí es donde un compañero o un par puede ayudar.
Nuestros Especialistas en Apoyo Entre Pares (PSS) son padres de su comunidad que han experimentado de primera mano los retos de la salud mental perinatal. Aportan compasión, conexión y comprensión. No solamente hay un enfoque en entrenamiento y credenciales. Están aquí para acompañarle mientras afronta sus retos, como lo haría un compañero.
¿En qué me puede ayudar un especialista en apoyo entre pares?
- Crear rutinas realistas de autocuidado.Acompañarte en tus momentos de dolor, ansiedad o aislamiento.
- Apoyo y colaboración para que defiendas tus necesidades ante el sistema de salud y sus proveedores.
- Apoyo con recursos comunitarios (doulas, terapeutas, grupos de apoyo, etc).
- Construir tus metas de bienestar a través de una Rueda del Bienestar personalizada.
Se ofrece apoyo flexible en persona, por teléfono, mensaje de texto o videollamada, con citas semanales o quincenales. Se puede permanecer en el programa desde unos meses hasta un año, dependiendo de las necesidades de cada persona.
¿Qué significa apoyo cultural entre pares?
El apoyo en nuestro programa es culturalmente adaptado y toma en cuenta a la persona en su totalidad a la hora de prestar apoyo (no solo su diagnosis).
Esto significa que buscamos proveedores y tratamientos que apoyen y respeten la cultura, el género y que nuestros servicios están adaptados a los objetivos de la persona que recibe apoyo. Cada uno de nuestros especialistas en apoyo entre pares son miembros activos de sus comunidades y tienen amplia experiencia en conectar a su comunidad con recursos y eventos.
El Programa de Resiliencia para Padres ofrece servicios adaptados culturalmente a estas comunidades:
- Familias afroamericanas
- Familias latinas/hispanohablantes.
- Familias rurales del norte de Washington (condados de Skagit, San Juan, Whatcom e Island)
Proveedores
El Programa de Resiliencia para Padres ofrece apoyo entre pares, adaptado culturalmente y basado en el conocimiento del trauma, a personas que están atravesando el período perinatal. Nuestro programa se basa en las necesidades de cada participante para ofrecer un apoyo único y personalizado que los padres necesitan durante el periodo perinatal para fomentar, recuperar y mejorar su bienestar emocional. En nuestro programa definimos el período perinatal como el período preconceptivo hasta dos años después del parto.
¿Cómo se integra el apoyo entre pares con un equipo de salud, o servicios sociales?
Nuestros especialistas actúan como “compañeros de apoyo emocional” y animadores, ofreciendo un apoyo constante y basado en las fortalezas para ayudar a los participantes a alcanzar sus objetivos de bienestar.
El apoyo entre pares es:
- Voluntario.
- Evaluaciones de salud mental solo bajo solicitud (no son obligatorias).
- Dirigido por los participantes.
- Muy flexible (presencial, con opción híbrida a través de mensajes de texto, vídeo o teléfono)
Observamos un alto nivel de compromiso y retención gracias a la confianza y la experiencia compartida que es la fundación de este programa. El Programa de Resiliencia para Padres puede mejorar el impacto de la atención clínica al apoyar las necesidades emocionales y prácticas de las familias.
Nuestros especialistas en apoyo entre pares están capacitados en el período perinatal y cuentan con experiencia vivida para brindar atención flexible y centrada en la familia a los padres que atraviesan:
- Angustia emocional, aislamiento o ansiedad.
- Duelo, pérdida o resultados inesperados en la crianza de los hijos.
- Barreras culturales o sistémicas para acceder a la atención médica.
- Trauma debido al racismo y la discriminación.
- Navegar por sistemas complejos (vivienda, atención médica, prestaciones, asuntos legales).
- Trastornos de salud mental perinatal, como depresión, pensamientos intrusivos o estrés relacionado con la UCIN.
¿Quién podría ser un buen candidato para este programa?
Este programa es ideal para personas que:
- Necesitan conectarse con recursos comunitarios o proveedores que les brinden apoyo.
- Son inmigrantes, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+ o pertenecen a comunidades que sienten inseguridad en los sistemas tradicionales.
- Alguien que necesite apoyo para crear estrategias y metas relacionadas con el bienestar.
- Necesita apoyo más allá de lo que pueden proporcionar los servicios clínicos
Meet Our Team
Elizabeth Moore Simpson, Parent Resilience Program Manager
Elizabeth Moore Simpson (she/her), LICSW, Parent Resilience Program Manager
Is a parent of two and also identifies as a bereaved parent. Prior to joining PS-WA she had over ten years of experience working with growing families. With an infant-early childhood mental health (IECMH) and perinatal health focus, she has held roles as a full-spectrum doula, restorative justice circle keeper, child and family therapist, PMH therapist and community organizer.
Elizabeth practices as a perinatal therapist, abortion doula and is the program manager for PS-WA’s Parent Resilience Program. She enjoys bringing tarot and body-based awareness to her personal and professional practice. She is passionate about supporting families impacted by the child welfare system to sustain, develop and strengthen secure attachments with family and community and working upstream to challenge mandated reporting laws causing harm and distrust between families and providers.
Elizabeth enjoys improvising crafts with her kids and manifesting cozy fall days. She aspires to bring levity, integrity and realness to her work with colleagues and families and can often be found scouring thrift stores for costumes and craft supplies.
Elizabeth.MooreSimpson (at) perinatalsupport (dot) org
Stephanie Valerdi, Parent Resilience Program Support Coordinator & Latinx Peer Support
Stephanie Valerdi (she/her/they/them), Parent Resilience Program Support Coordinator and Latinx Peer Support
Stephanie Valerdi Tellez (she/they) brings over a decade of experience advocating for families and parents through a variety of community-based roles. Stephanie is deeply committed to promoting equity and accessibility within community services, centering their work around a trauma-informed approach to support families.
With a background in mental health and early childhood education and development, Stephanie has offered compassionate, bilingual support (in English and Spanish) to parents navigating challenges in the birth-to-five age range. Stephanie has provided culturally aligned, strengths-based peer support within the Latinx community and has worked to expand access to Spanish mental health and community resources. Her work is grounded in a passion for improving outcomes for families most impacted by systemic oppression.
Stephanie also brings her lived experience to her work. As a Queer, chronically ill Mexican immigrant and survivor of gender-based violence, she understands firsthand the complexities of navigating the mental health system. She draws on this experience to connect deeply with QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Color) survivors and peers, offering affirming, trauma-informed peer support.
In addition to her one-on-one support work, Stephanie facilitates Queer parent groups and serves her community as a board member of Somos Seattle a Latinx LGBTQ+ organization, and the WA State LGBQT Commission.
Outside of her work, Stephanie is rooted in both family life and community care. They find joy in everyday moments, spending time in nature with her wife, 9-year-old child, and their dog, or attending drag shows and celebrating Queer & Latinx joy. Stephanie remains fiercely committed to challenging racism, homophobia, and systemic oppression in all its forms, bringing that purpose into every aspect of her daily life.
stephanie.valerdi (at) perinatalsupport (dot) org
La Tonia Bussell-Packard, Peer Support Specialist
La Tonia Bussell-Packard (they/she), Parent Resilience Specialist, Traditional Midwife
La Tonia is a queer Black femme who supports pregnant and parenting families as a Parent Resilience Specialist in King County. They serve as an encouraging resource and witness for parents navigating the perinatal mental health landscape by using their firsthand experience as a parent who has lived with anxiety and depression. La Tonia knows firsthand the barriers that exist for Black and queer folx seeking support for their mental health. La Tonia has experienced personal and professional loss, which allows them to offer supportive tools and skills that are based on lived experience and shared community ways of ‘knowing’ and processing grief and loss.
La Tonia has spent the last 7+ years advocating for families, attending births, and providing compassionate care as a birth doula and student midwife. They graduated from midwifery school in June 2021 and now practice and attend births as a traditional midwife. In all their work, La Tonia centers Black, Indigenous, and QTPOC families in their role as a midwife, doula, and peer. They use the framework and lens of reproductive justice, the intersections of race, class, gender/sexuality, and ability, and radical rest politics when supporting families in their community.
Amy Menjivar, Peer Support Specialist
Amy Menjivar (she/her), Peer Support Specialist
Amy is a Latina and mother of two children and PMAD’s survivor and Bilingual Spanish speaker. She has a passion to provide strong contributions to our society, with awareness of the use of stigmatizing language around mental illness. She has a background in Early Childhood Education and has worked with children for the past 9 years. She has supported King County Families and children of all ethnicities with special needs. She has worked mostly with Latin families as their family support specialist.
Amy is passionate about helping the community, engaging families and building community. She is committed to help immigrants in the community and teach families that there is someone here to listen to them and also to receive help.
Addelle Diedesch, Skagit Parent Resilience Program Manager
T. Addelle Diedesch (she/her), Parent Resilience Program Manager Skagit County, MA, LMHC, PMH-C
Addelle is the Skagit and North Sound Site Manager, where she provides strength-focused reflective supervision to Parent Support Specialists, builds community connections, and advocates for systemic change. She also helps grow and guide the program, tending to the behind-the-scenes details of program management while keeping the focus on people and families.
Her career began in substance use disorder treatment, including a perinatal inpatient program and later medically assisted treatment with the Stillaguamish Tribe, where she supported Indigenous families through culturally affirming care. She also worked in community mental health and school-based services for children and adolescents before her own experience with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders shifted her path. Facing the lack of rural PMAD support firsthand inspired her to focus on perinatal mental health, community advocacy, and building stronger systems of care. Today, she is especially passionate about supporting families with young children and developmental differences. Alongside her work with PS-WA, Addelle maintains a private therapy practice specializing in the reproductive journey and in supporting parents of children ages 0–5.
Her leadership is rooted in empathy, humility, and lived experience. Growing up and raising her family in rural North Sound communities has given her a deep understanding of the gaps families face, particularly those in underserved groups. As a neurodivergent individual supporting a neurodivergent household, she is committed to bridging divides and creating meaningful change through culturally relevant care and advocacy.
Outside of work, Addelle enjoys the lively chaos of raising three kids, staying grounded in her spiritual community, and spending time with friends. She loves live music, co-creating fantasy role-playing worlds with her family, and serves on the board of Skagit Preschool and Resource Center, supporting children with developmental differences and their families.
addelle.diedesch (at) perinatalsupport (dot) org
Crystal Kombol, Skagit Peer Support Specialist
Crystal Kombol (she/her), Parent Resilience Specialist
Crystal has supported youth within the educational system and housing displaced families in Skagit County for the last 8 years. Equitable access to educational opportunities and behavioral health have been a cornerstone of Crystal’s 15 years of social service work.
Crystal experienced unexpected pregnancy complications leading to the premature birth of her child. Art journaling, mindfulness coaching and healing in community helped Crystal endure the highs and lows of both infertility and NICU parenting. Crystal’s lived experience led her to become passionate about advocating for systemic practices that promote perinatal wellness within the whole community.
