Free Perinatal Mental Health 101 Training: Learn How to Support the Pregnant People in Your Workplace and Personal Life

Did you know that the number one complication of pregnancy and the postpartum period is depression and anxiety? In fact, one in four birthing people in Los Angeles County have experienced perinatal depression. These rates go up more than 60% in Black and Latinx communities.

The good news is that there is a new, free training about this topic, called Perinatal Mental Health 101, and we recommend that you and your colleagues take it.

The training begins with an overview of perinatal mental health. It then addresses the impact of perinatal mental health conditions; disparities in perinatal mental health care; the impact of stress and trauma during the perinatal period; perinatal screening, assessments, and referrals; and perinatal grief and loss. Maternal Mental Health NOW created the training with support from the California Health Care Foundation.

The training is web-based, interactive, and was created specifically for non-clinical audiences. It offers six free Continuing Education credits upon completion for LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, LMFTs, and psychologists. All learners also receive a Certificate of Completion after finishing the training.

During the training, you’ll have the opportunity to watch several people in L.A. County tell their very personal stories about perinatal mental health challenges, the impact this had on them and their families, and the type of help they ultimately received.

The training has six modules, each of which takes 15 – 45 minutes to complete. It is completely self-paced; the training can be taken all at once, or learners can move away from it as needed and then pick up where they left off.

Maternal Mental Health NOW designed the training to be anti-racist and inclusive of all, specifically including the LBGTQIA community and those of varying racial and ethnic identities.

Take the training by logging in or creating an account here. If you are creating a new account, please do so using your work email address. 

We hope that you, your colleagues, and even your friends and neighbors will take this training. Share it widely so that as many as possible across the county can learn from it and gain the important tools and knowledge needed to better support our pregnant and postpartum patients, clients, and friends.

Have questions? Need technical support? Want a presentation on this training for your organization? Please email Beccah Rothschild, consultant to Maternal Mental Health NOW. Are you or your organization already using the training? Please send an update so that they are aware of your efforts.