May 5, 2023
Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2023
Monday, May, 1 – Sunday, May 7, 2023
What is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week?
Sunday, May 7, marks the conclusion of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week. The campaign is focused on raising awareness for maternal mental health disorders and combating the stigma and shame surrounding them. While social media campaigns are a great tool for raising awareness, there’s still a lot more work to be done to address perinatal mood disorders.
Mental Health & Midwifery
Research confirms what we already know – pregnancy and the transition period to parenthood are times of great vulnerability, and a time when people are at increased risk for mood disorders. Screening for Postpartum Anxiety (PPA) and Postpartum Depression (PPD) have long been a part of our care model. And mental health services – like individualized therapy – is oftentimes the next best step.
One in five new parents will suffer from a postpartum mental health disorder and finding help has been historically difficult. We felt the need to do more, especially in recent years when the demand for mental health services has skyrocketed.
Mental Health Services at Lifecycle
In December 2022, we officially launched our search for a mental health clinician to join our team. We are thrilled to announce that Stef Poulos-Hopkins, PhD will be providing much needed behavioral healthcare to Lifecycle clients, greatly expanding our services.
Stef received her PhD in clinical psychology from Bryn Mawr College, where she studied child development and families, specifically the transition to parenthood. Stef is no stranger to Lifecycle and The Birth Center, having had one of her four children here!
In the coming weeks, we will be ramping up our mental health services to support our clients and their families in a safe, confidential, and familiar space. As we expand our behavioral healthcare offerings, our goals are to ensure therapy at Lifecycle remains:
- Strengths-Based
- Trauma-Informed
- LGBTQIA+ Affirming
- Equity-Centered
Emotional stress and perinatal mental health concerns such as PPA, PPD are clinically defined and treatable. Early identification is key to improving outcomes for parents and babies. We believe that with the proper support, education, and appropriate interventions, we can help clients successfully manage this transition.
Our expanded services will be made available to all LWC clients, at any stage of their Lifecycle. As our program grows, we promise to keep you in the loop about our mental health services and appointment availability.
