You are not alone
All mothers, fathers, and families deserve support during pregnancy and parenthood.
If you, or a loved one, is suffering with perinatal mood disorders, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you are searching for a therapist within your insurance network, a medication prescriber knowledgeable in prescribing during pregnancy and lactation, or looking for a local support group, we are here to help.
Contact one of our PSI Georgia Support Coordinators, who will help guide you through the process of finding a professional near you with expertise and experience.
North Georgia
Justine Piepgrass
Northern Georgia: Union, Towns, Rabun, Lumpkin, White, Habersham, Stephens, Hart, Franklin, Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Hall, Jackson, Madison, Elbert, Oglethorpe, Clarke, Oconee, Barrow, Walton Counties
503-396-3677 TEXT OR CALL
justine.psicoordinator@gmail.com
Shannon Weist
Northern Georgia: Dade, Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield, Murray, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Gordon, Chattooga, Floyd, Bartow, Cherokee, Paulding, Polk, Cobb, North Fulton
678-310-9216 TEXT OR CALL
Shannon.PSICoordinator@gmail.com
Heather Hastie
Athens Area: Oglethorpe, Madison, Clarke, Greene, Morgan, Oconee & Jackson Counties
706-424-3677 TEXT OR CALL
heatherhastie@gmail.com
PSI is seeking Coordinators to help provide information, support and local resource referrals to those struggling in Georgia. If you are interested in this volunteer role, please reach out to Melissa Bentley at coordinators@postpartum.net.
Metro Atlanta
Shelice Johnson
North of Atlanta: Braselton and Surrounding Areas
678-718-5990 TEXT OR CALL
PsiShelice@gmail.com
Hela Gandhi
North of Atlanta: Gwinnett, Cobb and north Fulton Counties
Hela can assist callers in English or Gujurati
706-998-2729 TEXT OR CALL
hela.gandhi@gmail.com
Molly Jobe
Metro Atlanta Area
678-322-7521 TEXT OR CALL
molly.PSI108@gmail.com
Keshia McClendon
Dekalb and Newton Counties
678-210-1542 TEXT OR CALL
keshia.psicoordinator@gmail.com
DeShelle Burrowes
South of Atlanta: Fayette, Coweta, Henry, Clayton, South Fulton, Rockdale and Butts Counties
770-871-1712 TEXT OR CALL
DeShelle@ThePathwaytoWellness.
Sylvia Mead
West of Atlanta: Carroll County
770-405-9509 TEXT OR CALL
sylviampsi@gmail.com
PSI is seeking Coordinators to help provide information, support and local resource referrals to those struggling in the Atlanta area. If you are interested in this volunteer role, please reach out to Melissa Bentley at coordinators@postpartum.net.
Central/Southwest Georgia
Amy Corn
Central Georgia: Macon and Surrounding Areas
678-902-4558 TEXT OR CALL
amycorn.psi@gmail.com
Keisha Wells
Central-West Georgia: Muscogee (including Fort Benning), Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, and Russell Counties
762-822-7856 TEXT OR CALL
keishawells.psi@gmail.com
Elizabeth A. Nicholson
Southwest Georgia
404-550-3015 TEXT OR CALL
Elizabeth@kout.com
PSI is seeking Coordinators to help provide information, support and local resource referrals to those struggling in Georgia. If you are interested in this volunteer role, please reach out to Melissa Bentley at coordinators@postpartum.net.
Southeast Georgia/Savannah
Bridget Cross
Greater Savannah Area: Chatham, Effingham, Bryan Counties
912-495-8549 TEXT OR CALL
bridget@bridgetcrossLCSW.com
Marissa Grace
Greater Savannah Area
912-662-6013 TEXT OR CALL
marissag.psicoordinator@gmail.com
Diamond Rashad
Greater Savannah Area
912-231-7291 TEXT OR CALL
drdiamond.ot@gmail.com
Harley Strickland
Counties Surrounding Savannah (low country area)
912-504-0866 TEXT OR CALL
key4changes@gmail.com
PSI is seeking Coordinators to help provide information, support and local resource referrals to those struggling in Georgia. If you are interested in this volunteer role, please reach out to Melissa Bentley at coordinators@postpartum.net.
PSI GA has a wide offering of online support group meetings. Led by trained facilitators (moms or therapists) our FREE support groups will connect you with other parents and provide helpful tools and resources. Whether you are going through stress, adjustment to parenting, Baby Blues, or pregnancy or postpartum depression/anxiety, our groups are here for you. Meetings held daytime & evening, weekdays and weekends.
We do not offer crisis management services. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911. For additional safety information, call the toll-free Georgia Crisis & Access Line at 1-800-715-4225 or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
Learn about empowering birth experiences, facing preconception stressors, and navigating the workplace in postpartum.
The first 100 parents/caregivers who register from Georgia will receive a wellness swag bag mailed to them before the event with tons of information & goodies! Gift cards and other prizes will be raffled to attendees during the event!
PSI-GA relies on members and contributions from the community to promote awareness, prevention, and treatment of maternal mental health issues related to childbearing in Georgia.
You may also wish to join PSI for full membership benefits. Contact us if you have any questions about membership. All memberships are tax-deductible.
We work collaboratively to advocate for key policy changes that advance perinatal mental health in Georgia. Please see our 2022 Legislative & Policy Agenda below. Want to get involved? Email us at advocacy@psiga.org.
PSI-GA also publishes a bi-weekly bulletin, the Georgia Maternal Mental Health Policy Report! The Report will provide updates about the legislative session, including policy and budget items that will impact maternal mental health in Georgia.
Sign up below to receive this update every other week during the legislative session!
PSI-GA hosts two events each year that raise awareness and empower parents and families to get the care and support they need:
We have opportunities for organizations to partner with us as we expand access to perinatal mental health support and treatment throughout Georgia. For more information, download the sponsorship guides.
For more information, contact Kim Harris at kim.harris@psiga.org
PEACE for Moms is a psychiatric program providing consultation to prescribing clinicians in Georgia. It can save you, your staff, and your patient time by connecting your patient with mental health services. PEACE for Moms is free, removing the financial barrier many patients face when seeking mental health assistance. The program is staffed five days per week with physicians specifically trained in women’s mental healthcare who are current faculty members at the Emory University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Initiate consults by calling 470-977-3223 (470-97-PEACE) or registering on the website.
PSI-GA now offers Perinatal Mental Health trainings to providers who work with pregnant and postpartum women. Choose from 3 presentations:
If you are a therapist, OB/GYN, pediatrician, midwife, or other professional who works with pregnant women, new mothers, and their families, consider increasing your professional knowledge and awareness.
Help patients and families learn more about perinatal mental health. Use these handouts and posters in your facility. Click on each link to download and print. If you don’t have a color printer, these files can be used to order from your favorite printer. Or, you may order pre-printed copies of some of our materials for your organization, by requesting through our online request form. Orders are free, but optional donations are appreciated.
The mission of Postpartum Support International, Georgia Chapter (PSI-GA) is to promote awareness, prevention, and treatment of maternal mental health issues related to childbearing in Georgia.
On a local level, it is the vision of PSI-GA that every woman and family throughout the state will have access to information, social support, and informed professional care to deal with mental health issues related to childbearing.
PSI-GA is an all-volunteer organization and a State Chapter of Postpartum Support International, a 501(c)(3) organization. The Tax ID number of Postpartum Support International and PSI-GA is 77-0196208.
Connect with PSI-GA:
Meet our Board of Directors
“I humbly serve on the PSI-GA Board of Directors because I have a lifelong commitment of being a catalyst for change in maternal mental health as a survivor, advocate, and perinatal mental health professional. After experiencing the loss of my daughter, I turned my pain into passion and purpose to help mothers and families who have experienced loss, PMADs, birth trauma, infertlity, and are impacted by maternal mortality in the state of Georgia.”
“After I had my daughter, I struggled with birth trauma based on our delivery experience, and Georgia PSI’s resources helped me to understand that I wasn’t alone, and that there were specialized resources to help me. I am very eager and grateful for the opportunity to give back to other mothers and birthing parents who need support, nurturing, and healing for their mental health after childbirth.”
amanda@findingyourvillagepod.com
“I am thankful and honored to have the opportunity to be of service to birthing people and their families in Georgia. As a survivor of postpartum depression and anxiety, I know personally that the work that PSI GA does saves lives. I also acknowledge and lament that there is a large disparity in infant and maternal mortality rates and the rates of perinatal mood disorders affecting the BIPOC community, particularly in Georgia. I feel strongly about advocating for structural, institutional and personal changes to reduce those disparities and to save the lives of birthing people and children in our state.”
“I am very excited to learn and grow in this role on the PSI-GA Board. Mental health is a real stigma in the Asian community and getting help is not an easy task. I hope to be an advocate and let women know there is support for women who feel isolated.”
“I am deeply honored to utilize my public health background and passion for helping families struggling with postpartum depression or anxiety. I am especially proud of our extensive work training and building the capacity of health care professionals to recognize the symptoms, screen, and diagnose so that families can get the help they need. The work we are doing through PSI-GA is literally changing lives — and it is extraordinary!”
“I am thrilled to work with the Board and volunteers of PSI to make a Georgia where there’s no stigma for women living with PMADs and where they can access the services and resources they need.”
Laytrina.Clemons-Brown@northside.com
“It is humbling to be a part of a community of leaders that puts advocacy, for those who cannot always stand for themselves, first. To take care of others is integral to our survival as humans.”
“PSI has been a lifeline to me both personally and professionally since I became a mom. I became a maternal mental health clinician to offer that support outward in the Savannah community, where moms and families struggle profoundly. I’m so honored to join the PSI-GA board and to advocate for our coastal Georgia mamas and for improved maternal health across the state.”
“Over my many years in nursing, I have seen the devastating effects health inequities play on a community’s mental and physical health. As a Labor & Delivery nurse, I have seen how those issues directly affect prenatal and postpartum health. I want to be an advocate & mentor for those communities.”
“My reason for serving on the board is to be a resource for moms with postpartum. I want to be able to collaborate with other agencies to bring a wealth of resources to moms and their families.”
“Advocating for better care for birthing families is a necessity. By bringing awareness to the intersection of infant and perinatal mental health, we can change the futures of families within our state. I’m honored to be a part of an organization that puts families first from the very beginning.”
“Black maternal mental health is a huge passion of mine and I wanted to be a part of an organization whose mission is to educate our community about the postpartum experience for mothers. PSI does incredible work to help the entire family and also connect them with resources. I believe in the work that PSI does and I’m excited to be a part to assist in driving the mission of helping mothers.”
“All children need available parents in all sense of the word, especially the first 1000 days of life when children are most sensitive and parents are at most risk”
“I am passionate about maternal mental health and helping individuals to understand the changes that take place in the brain during and after pregnancy. Sometimes, these changes, along with the often-turbulent transition to motherhood, lead to PMADS. I am honored and excited to serve on this board with other passionate and talented individuals to work towards a community where families are supported during this time.”
“I am ecstatic about the opportunity to represent, serve, and advocate for the many families of Georgia impacted by perinatal mood and anxiety disorders with PSI-GA. With our collective voices, expertise, and networks, I have high expectations that we can contribute to the improved well-being of Georgia’s families.”
“It is an incredible honor to join in PSI-GA’s enduring commitment to Georgia’s childbearing families and to promote its capacities as Program Coordinator. Supporting perinatal mental health is essential to fostering individual, family, and community well-being, and every parent deserves to know that their experiences matter and that support and resources are within reach. PSI-GA stands for this, and I am proud to stand for it as well.”
For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please contact us using the form below and we’ll be in touch soon.