THANK YOU

A sincere thank you to each person who joined us in our No Parent Alone campaign - either by sharing your story, or joining a PSI Giving Circle, YOU made a difference.  Because of YOU, our #NoParentAlone messages reached close to 1 Million people.  Because of YOU, PSI surpassed our goal of adding 500 Giving Circle members - adding 626 members. Because of YOU, we quickly reached our matching fund's donation of $7,777.  Thank you for all YOU did to make #NoParentAlone a success!

Keep an on our social media and newsletter for more information on #NoParentAlone and what PSI has planned for 2020 and beyond!

33RD ANNUAL PSI CONFERENCE: SCHEDULE & SUSAN HICKMAN RESEARCH AWARD
 

Conference Schedule

The annual PSI conference provides an opportunity to meet, learn together, and share ideas with others involved in the field of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMDs). This professional event is a unique training and networking opportunity, last year attracting more than 700 participants. The purpose of the conference is to bring together and inform medical and mental health providers, childbirth professionals, support and resource providers, caregivers, policy-makers, researchers, volunteers, families, and educators who want to improve their understanding of PMDs and improve their ability to serve pregnant, postpartum, and post pregnancy-loss families.

• July 8-9: PSI 2-Day Pre-Conference Certificate Course, “Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Components of Care”.
• July 10-12: Main PSI Conference, expert keynotes and breakouts
• July 10 Lunch: Hickman Research Award
• July 10 Evening: Poster Session, Member Reception
• July 10 Evening: Friday Night Banquet
• Sunday morning, July 12: 3-hour in-depth expert workshops (includes 3-hour workshop for Advanced Psychopharmacology training)
• Sunday Training: PSI Advanced PMH psychotherapy (6-hour) training for Certification

Conference registration to open February 2020.  

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 research award is $5000, and also includes conference registration and a stipend for travel to attend the annual PSI Conference. The 2020 award will be presented at the conference in New Orleans on July 10, 2020.

Visit here for more info on the Hickman Award
Create an account and apply here  
Deadline: April 1st, 2020

ANNOUNCING PSI'S PEER MENTOR PROGRAM 

PSI has a new resource for parents struggling with perinatal mental health challenges—the Peer Mentor Program.  This program pairs moms, as well as dads, in need of support with a trained volunteer who has also experienced and fully recovered from a Perinatal Mood Disorder (PMD). Establishing a one-to-one connection with someone who has journeyed through a PMD offers invaluable insight, encouragement, and hope.

Through weekly communication over the course of six-months, Peers and Mentors build a strong relationship that removes isolation, provides education, and breaks down stigma. Peers and Mentors are thoughtfully matched. Location, PMD experiences, and other individual nuances are all considered to create a safe peer-to-peer environment that fosters trust.  We hope you’ll join us.

If you are struggling with a PMD and want to be paired with a Mentor, please fill out our: Peer Application

If you’ve fully recovered from your PMD (recovered for at least one year) and would like to join us as a Mentor, please fill out our: Mentor Application

If you have any questions about the program, please reach out to Amanda Koenigsberg at peermentor@postpartum.net.

This program is not for people who have suicidal ideation, if you need immediate help, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text the word HOME to 741741 to reach the National Crisis Text Line.

MEMBERSHIP CORNER

Early 2020 gift: If you choose the auto-renew option between now and the end of March when you join or renew as a PSI member, I’d be glad to send you a PSI keyring or notebook/pen set. Just type in “keyring” or “notebook” in the Comment section of the enrollment form or renewal form and be sure to select the checkbox “Renew this membership automatically each year with the provided credit card” and you’ll get a bit of extra cheer in the mail.

For current members, I look forward to hearing more about what you would like from your membership in 2020. Look for a survey soon, but you can also email me at any time with questions or suggestions.

 More about PSI membership is here.

 - Edith Casterline, Membership & CRM Managermembership@postpartum.net

UPCOMING PSI TRAININGS

NEW! Maternal Mental Health Certificate Webinar

Hosted by PSI and 2020 Mom
February 24 - June 1, 2010
Register HERE
Deadline for registration: Wednesday, February 19, 9pm Pacific Time

PSI Certificate Trainings

2-Day Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder: Components of Care Training 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.

PSI's Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy Training is an evidence-based curriculum designed for mental health and psychotherapy providers who have previously completed at least 14 hours of perinatal mental health training.  This advanced training covers differential diagnosis, evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches, and advanced therapeutic issues.  It combines expert presentation with case studies, group discussion, and practical examples of treatment approaches.

PSI's Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychopharmacology Training, provided by perinatal psychiatric experts, is an evidence-based training on psychiatric prescribing during pregnancy and lactation.  It is designed for psychiatric prescribers who have previously completed at least fourteen hours of perinatal mental health training.  This advanced training combines expert presentations with case studies, group discussions, and practical examples.  It is an interactive, case-based advanced seminar, covering differential diagnosis, medication challenges, and your questions.  This course is an approved prerequisite for the perinatal mental health certification in the psychopharmacology specialty.

Upcoming PMAD Certificate & Advanced Trainings

• January 23-25, 2020, Nashville, Tennessee, Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care, Advanced Psychotherapy and Psychopharmacology. Registration Closed.  Please contact Orrin Banta at orrinbanta@postpartum.net for more information.

• February 5-7 2020, Arlington, Texas

  • February 5-6: Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care  

  • February 7: Advanced PMH Psychotherapy

• February 26-28, 2020, Los Angeles, California

  • Feb 26-27: Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care 

  • Feb 28: Advanced PMH Psychotherapy and Advanced PMH Psychopharmacology

• March 4-5, 2020, Bishop, CA Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care

• May 7-8, 2020, Lakeport, CA Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care

Coming Soon! These events are not open for registration yet, but they will be soon.  Keep an eye on our event page for more information.  

• May 20-21, 2020 Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care, Kingston, Ontario (Canada)
• May 22, 2020 Advanced PMH Psychotherapy Training, Kingston, Ontario (Canada)
• June 15-16, 2020 Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (USA)
• June 17, 2020 Advanced PMH Psychotherapy Training, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (USA)

* PMAD Certificate Training (OR an approved equivalent): is a pre-requisite training for the Advanced training and the PMH-C Certification 
* Advanced Psychotherapy Trainings: The advanced course, or an equivalent six-hour advanced course, is a prerequisite for the PMH-C Certification, Psychotherapy or Affiliate Track.
* Advanced Psychopharmacology: This Advanced course, or an equivalent six-hour advanced course, is a prerequisite for the PMH-C Certification, Psychopharmacology Track.
* You can see alternative courses approved as prerequisites here.​​​

THE CLIMB IS COMING TO THE PSI CONFERENCE 

The Climb Out of the Darkness is coming to the PSI conference in New Orleans!  To participate in this event, whether by fundraising or by attending the event, you will need to sign up for the event through CauseVox. If you choose to fundraise, the money raised by the PSI Conference Climb Team will go towards PSI Conference scholarships for folks in New Orleans and the surrounding areas.  Help us bring more support to new families by joining us today!  

If you can't join us in New Orleans, plan a Climb in your area! We are still recruiting new climb leaders and March 1st is the deadline to register a Climb Out of the Darkness event in your city. Contact Emily for more information on how to start a Climb in your area.

JOIN THE PSI PROVIDER DIRECTORY

Postpartum Support International now offers an online directory of qualified perinatal mental health professionals in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Join the registry and share your listing as a mental health provider, a healthcare provider, childbirth professional, or support group. 

Moms, families, and providers can now quickly and easily identify trained perinatal mental health providers in their area. As a specialized provider, you can tailor your directory listing to reach out to potential clients. Keep your profile up-to-date with practice announcements, new programs and groups, and more! 

While adding your information to the directory is free, we do require that you are a professional provider in good standing with state or province standards, and that you have completed specialized training in perinatal mental health, such as the PSI PMD certificate course, the PSI/2020 Mom Certificate webinar series, or other specialized perinatal mental health trainings.  Join for free here.

Looking for a provider in your area? Visit the directory for more information.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Name: LaShae Black
Location: Dania Beach, FL
Role: PSI Support Coordinator and a Group Facilitator

I am a mother of two beautiful kids, Jonathan (8 years old) and Ameera (1 year old). I have been working as a billing and collection specialist for the past 11 years. At PSI, I volunteer as a support coordinator and a group facilitator.  I am also the founder of Lashae‘s heart, which is an organization that provides support to NICU moms and families.

With my role as a PSI support coordinator and group facilitator, I hope to bring awareness to postpartum depression, to help mothers know that they are not alone and to direct them to resources that will help. My wish is that everyone, especially those in my culture, understands that postpartum depression is real, that there is help available, and PSI has the help and resources you need.

I help facilitate the PSI NICU Parents support group, which is available every Thursday at 3:30 PM PST/6:30 PM EST.   It is such an awesome group to attend and is not just for moms, but for families.  All newcomers are welcome - those currently in the NICU and alums.   

Click here to learn about the NICU support groups, and other PSI support groups available.

PSI HELPLINE
Our helpline volunteers logged a total of 1207 calls and 325 texts in December.  

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.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEWEST CERTIFIED PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS (PMH-C)

Congratulations to the newest Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professionals (PMH-C)! The following PMH-C applicants became certified in December 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.  

We are now offering the option to have a professionally printed version of your PMH-C Certificate.  The certificate is for those providers who have already passed the PMH-C exam, and are PMH-C Certified.  Visit the store to order!

Do you have questions about the PMH-C? PSI is now hosting a monthly call where we can answer your questions!  This is the time to have questions answered about qualifications, exam preparation, etc.  Join us on Zoom the first Friday of the month at 1pm PST/4EST.  Find all the information on the PSI certification page. (Under Questions near the bottom of the page)

New PMH-C Recipients from December 2019​​