Description

The National Partnership for Women and Families recently published a bulletin on the Maternal Mental Health Crisis in the United States which stated, “Our maternity care system often fails to provide equitable, respectful, culturally centered, safe, effective, and affordable care. It spectacularly fails communities struggling with the burden of structural racism and other forms of inequity, including: Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC); rural communities; and people with low incomes. The multiple crises of the COVID pandemic, economic downturn, and national reckoning on racism have underscored the need to address the social influencers of health.” In this podcast, Cummings Graduate Institute Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH) student Allison Earl and I will discuss ways to improve maternal and infant health by tackling some of these factors through the lenses of trauma informed care and integrated primary and maternity care.

Original air date:  May 5, 2022

Presenter

Allison Earl, DBH-C

Allison Earl joined the Hands 2 Guide You team in 2018. To learn more about Hands 2 Guide You, visit the site here https://www.h2gy.com/

Ms. Earl is a candidate at Cummings Graduate Institute in the Doctor of Behavioral Health program. She is currently a Behavioral Health Consultant providing patient care across the lifespan. She graduated from Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City with her bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science and Ethics. She continued her education and received a Master’s degree with a focus in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma.  Ms. Earl believes in helping patients strive to be the best version of themselves by setting and meeting appropriate treatment goals. She is passionate about helping others using evidence-based strategies and patient-centered care. She has experience working with patients with a variety of needs from a variety of backgrounds.  To learn more about Allison, visit her bio here: https://www.h2gy.com/about-us/allison-earl/

Links and Resources:

https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/health/moms-and-babies/the-maternal-mental-health-crisis-undermines-moms-and-babies-health.html

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-YCyZu4ql796jnQUAyZpDQ/videos - Allison talking about maternal mental health series - bonding and postpartum depression

Learning Objectives 

1. Define maternal mental health conditions
2. Recognize the common symptoms in pregnant and postpartum people.
3. Recognize the long-term impacts on the family and society of failing to properly identify and treat maternal mental health disorders.