The Essentials of Perinatal Mental Health: What Every Therapist Needs to Know
As therapists, we pour so much into our education and training. By the time you’ve graduated, completed your internship, and started your practice, you might think, "Okay, I’ve got the foundations down; I'm ready!" And then, a mom walks into your office.
You arrive with the best intentions and goals for this client. She's clearly doing too much; no wonder she's overwhelmed. But here's the kicker: it’s incredibly hard to figure out what can genuinely come off her plate. Suddenly, you genuinely grasp how impossible it feels for her, and you'sre stuck.
This, my friends, is where specialized training comes in.
We could shout from the rooftops about the critical importance of perinatal mental health and how imperative it is for us as a collective to ensure everyone gets training in this area—because who doesn't know a mom? But let's get right to our most basic pitch about what you need to know now and why we believe you should delve deeper into understanding and acquiring the knowledge to support parents in the specific ways they need.
Why Perinatal Mental Health Training Isn't Just "Nice to Have"—It's Essential
Here are some key insights that highlight the unique landscape of perinatal mental health:
Perinatal mental health isn't just about postpartum. It's about the well-being of the family from the moment they start thinking about babies, extending through pregnancy, birth, and up to 3-5 years after. In truth, this period of life continues to show up and affect life ongoing, making the transition to parenthood a lifelong journey with evolving mental health needs.
These transitions aren't just physical; they're profound. We're talking about hormonal shifts, physiological changes, and literal brain matter re-wiring. The "mom brain" isn't a myth; it's a real, neurobiological adaptation. Understanding these biological underpinnings is crucial for effective support.
Perinatal psychosis is rare, despite media hype. While often sensationalized in the media, postpartum psychosis is thankfully not common. The excessive focus on these rare, extreme cases can be fear-mongering and distracts from the far more prevalent and impactful mental health struggles that parents face daily.
We've moved way past just postpartum depression (PPD). While PPD is widely recognized, the general public often doesn't realize the breadth of perinatal mental health challenges. We see perinatal anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. Our diagnostic lens needs to be much wider. We also need to really consider the profound impact of isolation and loneliness that families often feel due to a lack of understanding and support. We need to question when, how, if these struggles are a diagnosis or undeniable systemic problems.
The support often disappears just when it's needed most. Families often receive significant support from conception through birth, and maybe for the first six weeks postpartum. But then, it evaporates. This is often the biggest change for so many people—taking on the immense responsibility for another human life—and the support seems to vanish unless it's clung to desperately. And don't even get us started on the unique struggles of families navigating infertility, loss, IVF, adoption, or surrogacy (more blogs on those complex topics coming soon!).
Perinatal mental health isn't just about moms; it's about families. Dads, co-parents, and all partners experience their own unique challenges during this period. There are so many different types of families, with diverse structures and journeys, each encountering specific struggles, difficulties, and immense joys. We owe it to our clients to do the work to understand these nuances. While clients may sometimes teach us their unique experiences, it's our responsibility to come to the table with a foundational understanding of the diverse perinatal experience.
Patriarchal implications profoundly impact parents. Society feeds us a constant stream of narratives and expectations about how we're "supposed" to show up as parents. When we don't meet these rigid ideals or trying to step away from them—if we look or appear different, or if our families don't fit the mold—we're often met with judgment and criticism. This deeply impacts moms, dads, and families, making it exponentially harder, especially when responsible for a child while simultaneously navigating their own personal challenges.
The Nuance of Perinatal Support
What it all comes down to is this: the perinatal population has so much nuance and so many specific needs. Yes, they struggle with many of the same issues as anyone else seeking therapy. But the fact remains that families are carrying an immense weight, often with limited understanding, validation, or space to acknowledge the seeming impossibilities they face. They need therapists who can validate how systemic issues often fail them, hold the grief of never-ending change and loss, and truly challenge societal expectations to help them let go of what isn't serving them. Without this specialized understanding, we simply aren't giving them the comprehensive care they desperately need.
Ready to deepen your understanding and truly make a difference for perinatal clients? Explore our specialized training options at The Motherload Collective.