Pregnancy and Postpartum Mental Health: What Psychotherapists Should Know

The perinatal period is a time of significant upheaval and transition.  A new baby transforms every aspect of a person’s life––from their relationship with family, friends, partner, and body, to their routines, values, and ways of thinking about the present and future. As many as 1 in 5 birthing people are affected by a mood or anxiety disorder while pregnant and/or in the first postpartum year. Given that the majority of clients seen in psychotherapy are of reproductive age, it is important for psychotherapists to develop a foundational understanding of how to provide competent, culturally sensitive and trauma-informed mental health care to this client population.

In this presentation, we will briefly discuss the major biological, psychological, social, relational, spiritual and sexual themes of the transition to parenthood. Participants will learn about factors that contribute to vulnerability to mental illness during this time. An overview of perinatal mental health disorders will follow. We will also introduce the key principles of effective psychotherapy with birthing people and their families. The presentation will end with a Q & A session.  

Presenter Aga Grabowski

Objectives

Upon completion, participants will be able to: 

1. Understand the complex landscape of the transition to parenthood, with attention to how biological, psychological, cultural and other dimensions impact individual mental health  
2. List common mental health conditions experienced in the perinatal period 
3. Name at least 3 best practices/clinical interventions that are key to effective mental health treatment of perinatal clients    
4. Understand how to effectively build a therapeutic alliance with perinatal clients