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Course Description
Very often when families learn that the newest member of their family needs time in the NICU, panic strikes. Research shows that infant medical severity has no influence over family mental health during a NICU stay or a complicated pregnancy, labor, and/or delivery. That means, whether an infant simply needs more time to grow and feed in the NICU or extra monitoring, or if the birthing person has a high-risk pregnancy, family members may experience diagnosable conditions, such as acute stress disorder, anxiety (or postpartum anxiety), major depressive disorder, or even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to their infant’s hospitalization or the birthing person’s condition leading up to and following birth. These diagnoses have been shown to negatively impact infant outcomes, resulting in longer NICU stays, limited skin-to-skin contact, even later developmental delays, and parenting challenges. In this course, attendees will improve their ability to accurately refer families for behavioral health services through training the why behind screening. Parental mental health, infant–parent bonding, and developmental care practices will be discussed so that you can help families gain positive health outcomes during their time in perinatal and neonatal medical settings. Racial, cultural, and linguistic considerations are reviewed. This course is appropriate for mental health graduate students, provisionally and independently licensed mental health providers including but not limited to counselors, psychologists, and social workers. This course qualifies for PMH-C holders from Postpartum Support International (PSI) seeking CEs for renewal purposes only. A certificate is provided after passing the post test. Asynchronous courses do not meet Step 2 requirements to obtain the initial PMH-C status through PSI. All courses at PlayfulLeigh Psyched that are eligible for continuing education credits are clearly labeled. Registration is final. No refunds.