PSI ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Conference early bird deadline is May 10 - Register Today
Our annual conference planning is in full swing and we are so excited! Sign up soon and remember to book your hotel!

Here are some highlights for you:

• Three Fabulous Keynote Speakers

• 2.5 Days of Expert Breakouts + Sunday Seminars
• PSI PMD 2-Day Pre-Conference Certificate Training
• Susan Hickman Research Award - NEW Deadline is April 15

• June 26-27: 2-day pre-conference Certificate Course, Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Components of Care
• June 28-30: Main conference, in Portland, Oregon for 2019
• June 30: 1-day Advanced Psychotherapy Training

Visit our website for more detailed information on the conference.

SUSAN HICKMAN RESEARCH AWARD
The Susan A. Hickman Memorial Research Award is given by PSI each year to an individual involved in a scholarly research project that contributes to the field of perinatal mental health. The recipient is selected by the PSI Research Committee among qualified applicants. The full award is $5000, which includes a stipend for travel to attend the annual PSI Conference. The 2019 award will be presented at the conference in Portland Oregon on June 28, 2019.

• Visit our website for more info on the Hickman Award

• Create an account and apply HERE. 

Deadline: April 15th, 2019

PSI CERTIFICATE TRAININGS
2-Day PSI PMD Certificate Trainings and 1-Day Advanced Trainings

The 2-day PSI Certificate of Completion Course, taught by experienced and engaging faculty, is a thorough and evidence-based curriculum designed for nurses, physicians, social workers, mental health providers, childbirth professionals, social support providers, or anyone interested in learning skills and knowledge for assessment and treatment of perinatal mood disorders. Registration includes training binder, handouts, breakfast and lunch, and continuing education credits. Approved for 14.5 CMEs, CNEs, CEs. Write to training@postpartum.net for more information, and visit HERE for the newest training dates and locations

Upcoming PMD Certificate Trainings

• April 11-12, Johnson City, Tennessee (plus 4/13 Advanced*)
• May 8-9, Barrie, Ontario (plus 5/10 Advanced*)
• May 16-17, Macon, Georgia (plus 5/18 Advanced*)
• May 29-30, Greenville, North Carolina (plus 5/31 Advanced*)
• June 26-27, Portland, Oregon (plus 6/30 Advanced*)
• October 23-24, Orlando, Florida (plus 10/25 Advanced*)

* Day 3 - Advanced Psychotherapy Trainings: The advanced psychotherapy course or an equivalent six-hour advanced psychotherapy course that includes perinatal mental health, is a prerequisite for the Perinatal Mental Health Certification in the mental health/psychotherapy specialty. You can see approved alternative pre-requisites courses here.

MOM CONGRESS MAY 5-7 IN WASHINGTON, DC

PSI is a proud partner of Mom Congress, being held in Washington DC May 5-7. As a partnering organization, PSI members receive a discount. (PSI members will receive an email this week with the discount code.) If you’re not a member yet, JOIN PSI HERE.

Join Mom Congress to meet other like-minded moms and partners, and push for maternal child health policy change (in 2019 surrounding birth and postpartum support). Moms who attend will be inspired, trained on how to effect policy change, and will meet with members of Congress. 

Speakers:

• Jennifer Porter, Director of Women's Health, DC Mayor's Office
• Judge Glenda Hatchett
• Christy Turlington Burns of Every Mother Counts
• Liz Tenety, Co-Founder of www.Mother.ly
• Tammy Murphy, First Lady of NJ

Early bird registration ends Saturday, April 8.  

www.Mom-Congress.com
#ItsTimeToSupportMoms
#UseYourMomVoice
#MomCongress2019

FEATURED PSI MEMBER: Stephanie Greunke

Our featured member this month is dietitian Stephanie Greunke, recently certified PMH-C through PSI’s certification program. Because of her personal experience with postpartum anxiety, Stephanie says “I'm extremely passionate about helping moms navigate this often under-discussed area by creating a postpartum program, supportive community and free resources like blogs and podcasts to help new moms. It also pushed me to study the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry to provide the best care within my scope as a dietitian.” For her full interview, click here.

PSI HELPLINE
Our helpline volunteers logged a total of 891 calls and 285 texts in March!

Call the PSI HelpLine at 1-800-944-4773(4PPD) or send a text message to our helpline at 503-894-9453. Our helpline is available in English and Spanish and helpline messages are returned every day of the week.

                                     Helpline calls in March 2019

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Hi, my name is Nicole Bauer. I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor working in private practice in Goldsboro, NC right outside of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. I am the wife of 22 years to recently retired Senior Master Sergeant Scott Bauer. We have 4 amazing children named Jayden (20), Jaxon (18), Emmalyn (13) and our surprise little guy, Jacob (3). 

Over the course of 5 pregnancies, I experienced various degrees of postpartum anxiety and depression. I know what a necessity and a blessing it can be to have support from someone that is knowledgeable and truly cares. As a mental health professional and a mother, I am honored to be able to help women and their families navigate this precious time in their lives. 

Bringing a new little one into the world can be a challenging time for many families. Being a military family presents another layer of unique challenges that few can relate to. I am honored to support PSI and the military community as one of the facilitators for the military moms support group                      

Visit our website for more information on PSI's Military Support Services.

MEMBERSHIP CORNER

It happens to most of us: We intend to bring the book back to the library on time, but then we’re late, and we get dinged with a late fee. At PSI we don’t have late fees, of course, for members who forgot to renew. Instead, through the end of April, we are sending out a lovely PSI notebook and pen set to lapsed members who come back and choose the auto-renew option. Our online portal makes it easier than ever to access member benefits and check your membership status. Feel free to email Edith at membership@postpartum.net if you need help with your login or have any membership questions.

In 2018 we updated our membership categories: We still have group rates for your workplace, in addition to our Professional Provider level, our new Community Champion level (for community-based workers or volunteers not earning at a professional level or just getting started in the field), Friend of PSI level, and Student level. Membership information and enrollment is here.

APRIL IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY MONTH! 

OTs are becoming a more frequent and important part of perinatal mental health care. PSI is proud to announce that we have been approved by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) as an Approved Provider of continuing education, and can assign AOTA CEUs in live, webinar, or independent distance learning formats. We are proud of what AOTA wrote in their approval letter to PSI: “Your decision to become an Approved Provider is a demonstration of your commitment to meet the professional development needs of occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants by offering quality continuing education programming that is meaningful and relevant to the profession." We would like to acknowledge Apple Sepulveda, 2020 Mom Board Chair, for helping us with the application and articulating the relevance of maternal mental health to occupational therapy practice.  

CLIMB OUT OF THE DARKNESS

We are currently recruiting Climb Leaders to host events and Climbers to participate in events across the globe.  Leaders will go through a training program and they will have the support of other leaders and program manager, Emily Newton, in planning and executing the event.  A Climb can be as simple as a play-date in a park. Gathering families together who have the shared experience of living in the darkness is a powerful way to build community, increase awareness and remind survivors that they are not alone.

Last year COTD gave over $50,000 to local programs and nearly $90,000 to PSI state chapters.  To learn more about leading a Climb where you live, contact Emily Newton cotd@postpartum.net.  You can also visit our website HERE.

Click on the map below to see if a climb is happening near you! If you don’t see one in your area, feel free to contact our climb manager Emily at cotd@postpartum.net to create a group in your area or join solo!

NATIONAL PROVIDER DIRECTORY
Visit the directory HERE

The National Perinatal Mental Health Provider Directory is now available in the US and Canada. PMH Providers can apply to be part of the directory, at no charge. We have categories for healthcare providers, mental health professionals, support groups, and affiliated professions. Applicants are reviewed before approval, and need to meet the following criteria:

• A professional perinatal mental health provider in good standing with state licensing standards.

• Completed specialized training in perinatal mental health, such as PSI’s 2-day Certificate training, the 2020 Mom/PSI Webinar Certificate Course, or other specialized perinatal mental health trainings.  

Our current goal is to collect a comprehensive list of providers and we will be sharing this resource publicly very soon! You can sign up on the directory HERE.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEWEST PMH-C RECIPIENTS!
Congratulations to the newest Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professionals (PMH-C)! The following PMH-C applicants became certified in March 2019. You can find the full list of PMH-C recipients HERE. To learn how to become a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional, visit our website.