Perinatal Mental Health
Training for Providers

Strengthen Your Skills Supporting Birthing Families

Maternal mental health impacts 1 in 5 birthing people, yet many providers across healthcare, mental health, and community settings receive limited training on how to recognize and respond to perinatal mental health concerns.

This culturally responsive Perinatal Mental Health Training equips providers with the knowledge, screening tools, and clinical strategies needed to support birthing people during pregnancy and postpartum.

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200+ Birth workers trained
15+ States represented
9 Training completed
65% Increase in confidence

Who This Perinatal Mental Health Training Is For

Perinatal Mental Health Training for the Entire Maternal Care Workforce

Maternal mental health is not the responsibility of one profession alone. Birthing families interact with multiple providers throughout pregnancy and postpartum. Every professional in the perinatal ecosystem plays a role in recognizing mental health concerns and supporting early intervention.

This training prepares providers across disciplines to work with shared language, screening practices, and referral pathways that improve maternal mental health outcomes.

  • A woman in maternity leggings and a sports bra is experiencing labor pains while sitting on a chair. A man is holding her head and comforting her. A woman standing next to them is leaning forward, supporting her.

    Birthworkers

    Doulas, lactation consultants, midwives, childbirth educators, and birth support professionals working closely with families during pregnancy and postpartum.

  • A woman with curly hair smiling and talking to another person in a professional setting.

    Mental Health Clinicians

    LCSWs, LMFTs, psychologists, psychiatrists, and licensed or associate mental health professionals providing therapy and mental health care.

  • A pregnant woman sitting on a bed with a medical professional, a doctor, examining her pregnant belly in a clinical setting, both smiling.

    Medical Providers

    OB/GYNs, nurses, pediatricians, midwives, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and primary care providers supporting maternal health.

  • Two women talking indoors, one holding a young child, with a framed picture on the wall behind them.

    Community & Social Service Providers

    Home visitors, case managers, public health professionals, early childhood specialists, and community health workers supporting families in community settings.

Is This Training Right for You?

This training is designed for professionals who support pregnant and postpartum individuals and want to strengthen their ability to recognize and respond to maternal mental health concerns. If your work places you in contact with birthing families, this training provides practical tools, screening strategies, and culturally responsive approaches that can be applied directly in your care setting.

You Work Directly with Birthing Families

You work directly with pregnant or postpartum individuals across clinical, medical, or community settings.

You Want to Recognize PMADs Earlier

You want to strengthen your ability to recognize perinatal mood and anxiety disorders before symptoms escalate.

You're Seeking CEUs Toward PSI PMH-C

You are seeking continuing education units toward PSI PMH-C certification or recertification requirements.

You Need Practical Screening and Referral Tools

You want practical tools for screening, referral, and interdisciplinary collaboration you can apply immediately in your work.

You Serve Diverse and Underserved Populations

You serve diverse populations and want to deepen culturally responsive care practices especially for Black birthing families.

You Will Benefit from This Training If:

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The Training Gap

The Perinatal Mental Health Skills Many Providers Never Learned

Perinatal mental health training for healthcare providers

  • Many providers are familiar with postpartum depression, but fewer receive training on the broader range like anxiety, OCD symptoms, trauma responses, and intrusive thoughts.

  • Perinatal mental health screening often happens inconsistently across medical, mental health, and community settings.

  • Providers learn how systemic racism, stigma, and historical trauma shape how Black birthing individuals experience and express mental health distress.

  • Participants learn strategies for creating safe conversations that encourage honest disclosure.

  • Providers strengthen collaboration between clinicians, medical providers, birth workers, and community programs.

  • When providers understand how maternal mental health concerns appear across different care settings, they can identify symptoms earlier and connect families with appropriate care.

Most clinicians, medical providers, and birth workers receive little formal training in maternal mental health during their professional education. Graduate programs often focus on general mental health, medical care, or childbirth support but rarely address the unique emotional, cultural, and systemic factors that shape the perinatal period.

As a result, many providers enter maternal health settings without the specialized tools needed to recognize and respond to perinatal mental health concerns.

This training helps close that gap.

The Urgent Need

Black Birthing People Are Being Failed by the System

Black birthing individuals face significant disparities in both maternal health outcomes and access to mental health care driven by systemic racism, bias in healthcare systems, and barriers to treatment. These are not gaps that resolve on their own. They require trained providers.

3 - 4x Higher Maternal Mortality Risk Black women experience maternal mortality rates three to four times higher than white women in the United States.
87% Trauma Exposure 87% of Black women report exposure to traumatic events during the perinatal period, increasing risk for birth trauma, postpartum depression, and PTSD.
2× More Likely to Experience Perinatal Depression Black women are twice as likely to experience perinatal depression and yet significantly less likely to receive diagnosis or treatment.
~40% Report MMH Symptoms Nearly 40% of Black mothers report experiencing maternal mental health symptoms like depression, anxiety, and trauma during pregnancy or postpartum.
Clinicians learning PMAD screening tools

Maternal mental health conditions affect 1 in 5 birthing people, yet more than 600,000 mothers in the United States experience these disorders each year, and up to 75% never receive treatment due to lack of screening, stigma, or barriers to care. Mental health conditions, including suicide, substance use, and untreated depression, are among the leading causes of pregnancy-related death in the United States, and the gap in trained providers makes this worse.

“Mental health conditions like suicide, substance use, and untreated depression are among the leading causes of pregnancy-related death in the United States. Black women carry this burden disproportionately.”

(Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, 2023)

What Providers Learn in This Perinatal Mental Health Training

Practical Skills You Can Apply Immediately

  • A black and white drawing of a whale with the words "Save the whales" written above it.

    Recognize Early Warning Signs

    Identify perinatal mood and anxiety disorders before symptoms escalate.

  • A stick figure with a cross and a circle on its head, holding a sphere in hands, with a smaller stick figure beside it, a circle, and a sharp-edged object, all in black silhouette.

    Strengthen Screening and Assessment

    Use validated screening tools and interpret results effectively.

  • Illustration of a musical note with a heart shape on top, black silhouette on a white background.

    Deliver Culturally Responsive Care

    Understand how systemic racism, bias, and historical trauma influence maternal mental health experiences.

  • A logo with the text 'NFT' in white and 'GANG' in red, surrounded by a circular black border.

    Improve Care Coordination

    Build effective referral pathways between clinicians, medical providers, and community programs.

  • A silhouette of a person standing with arms raised against a cloudy sky, with the sun setting or rising in the background.

    Support Families with Confidence

    Provide informed, compassionate support during one of the most vulnerable seasons of a family's life.

  • Close-up of a person's hand holding a pair of black sunglasses over a blurred background.

    Navigate Difficult Conversations

    Open conversations about mental health concerns in ways that reduce shame, encourage honest disclosure, and keep families engaged in care.

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What Providers Are Saying

Heard from Providers Who've Been in the Room

  • ★★★★★

    "This program helped me better support my community and build partnerships where patients feel truly safe and not judged."

    — Nurse

  • ★★★★★

    "Understanding how a birthing parent might experience stress or trauma deepened my clinical awareness in a meaningful way."

    — Mental Health Professional

  • ★★★★★

    "Learning about the screenings used for this population gave me practical tools I can implement in my patient interactions."

    — Healthcare Provider

Customizable Perinatal Mental Health Training Tracks

Organizations often employ providers across multiple roles in the maternal care ecosystem. Tracks can be delivered individually or combined to train entire maternal care teams together.

  • Perinatal Mental Health Training for Birth Workers

    TRACK 1

    • Recognize early signs of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders

    • Support emotional well-being during pregnancy and postpartum

    • Navigate trauma-informed care and medical racism in birth settings

    • Identify mental health referral pathways

    • Integrate emotional support strategies into birth work

  • Perinatal Mental Health Training for Clinicians

    TRACK 2

    • Assess and treat perinatal depression, anxiety, and trauma

    • Apply evidence-based therapeutic interventions

    • Understand systemic barriers affecting Black maternal mental health

    • Deliver culturally responsive therapy for perinatal clients

    • Navigate ethical considerations in maternal mental health care

  • Perinatal Mental Health Training for Medical Providers

    TRACK 3

    • Identify mental health concerns during prenatal and postpartum care

    • Integrate screening tools into routine medical visits

    • Reduce bias and strengthen patient-provider trust

    • Support culturally affirming maternal health care

    • Build collaborative care pathways with mental health providers

  • Perinatal Mental Health Training for Community Providers

    TRACK 4

    • Recognize early warning signs of maternal mental health concerns

    • Support families through home visits and community care

    • Apply trauma-informed communication strategies

    • Connect families to culturally responsive mental health resources

    • Strengthen referral networks across service systems

Maternal Mental Health Experts Leading the Training

Meet the Trainers

  • Smiling woman with curly hair wearing a yellow blazer and black t-shirt, seated with arms crossed.

    Breea Wainwright

    Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, IFMHS, PMH-C

    A nationally recognized leader in maternal mental health training focused on expanding culturally responsive care for Black women.

    MEET BREEA
  • A woman with long dark hair, smiling, wearing a blue blazer and black t-shirt with white text, seated with hands clasped in her lap.

    Dr. Chyna Hill

    Licensed Clinical Social Worker, PMH-C, EMDR Certified

    Perinatal mental health specialist and educator with expertise in trauma-informed maternal health care and interdisciplinary collaboration across medical and behavioral health systems.

    MEET DR. HILL
  • Close-up of a smiling African American woman with braided hair, wearing hoop earrings and layered gold necklaces, dressed in a black blazer.

    Ebony Staten

    Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, APCC, PMH-Trained

    Associate Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in therapeutic support for perinatal clients and culturally affirming maternal mental health care.

    MEET WITH EBONY
Maternal mental health training session for clinicians

Building on the Foundation of PSI Perinatal Mental Health Training

Postpartum Support International (PSI) has played a critical role in expanding awareness and education around perinatal mood and anxiety disorders through its PMH-C certification pathway. This program builds on that foundation by focusing on clinical application and culturally responsive care in real practice settings.

Participants deepen their ability to:

  • apply perinatal mental health knowledge in clinical and community settings

  • recognize culturally nuanced presentations of PMADs

  • address systemic barriers impacting Black maternal mental health

  • implement trauma-informed care across disciplines

  • strengthen referral pathways between providers

CEUs and Certification

CEUs earned through this training may be applied toward PSI certification or recertification requirements. This training is not a replacement for PSI certification. It focuses on clinical application and culturally responsive care in real practice settings.

Bring Perinatal Mental Health Training to Your Organization

Perinatal mental health training workshop for healthcare providers

Hospitals, clinics, public health departments, and community organizations can bring this training directly to their teams. Tracks can be combined to train entire maternal care teams together, improving collaboration and referral systems.

For organizational training inquiries: admin@blackgirlsmhc.org

  • Perinatal mental health training prepares providers to recognize and respond to mental health challenges that occur during pregnancy and the postpartum period, including depression, anxiety, trauma, and perinatal mood disorders.

  • This training is designed for clinicians, therapists, doulas, nurses, midwives, social workers, and community professionals who support pregnant or postpartum individuals.

  • No prior specialization is required.

  • No. This training complements PSI certification by focusing on clinical application and culturally responsive care.

  • Yes. CEUs may be applied toward PSI certification or recertification requirements.

  • Yes. Trainings can be delivered virtually or in person for interdisciplinary teams.

  • Yes. The training is delivered virtually so providers across the country can participate.

  • Individual registration is $500 per participant.

  • You can register directly through our scheduling page here to reserve your spot in the next training session.

Perinatal Mental Health Training
Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions?

Our team is happy to talk through anything before you book.

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Join the Providers Raising the Standard of
Maternal Mental Health Care

A growing community of clinicians, birth workers, and medical providers are choosing to show up differently for birthing families. This is your invitation to be one of them.

Virtual Training  ·  CEUs Eligible Toward PSI Certification

$500 PER PARTICIPANT

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