The PSI Board of Directors is accepting applications for the following two volunteer PSI Board Positions. If you have an interest in serving on the PSI Board in these roles, we would love to hear from you!

Treasurer-Elect: The term for our new treasurer starts August 2013. We would like to have our treasurer-elect begin this Spring and work with current Treasurer Carin Ezal, PhD, to facilitate transition. The Treasurer works with the PSI Board, staff, bookkeeper, and accounting firm to coordinate PSI financial records and budget, reports, and returns. Duties include: working with Board to create annual budget; distributing monthly summary of activity and budget to the Board; coordinating with PSI office admin staff to maintain financial recording; reviewing online banking activity, statements and pay invoices; transferring PayPal deposits and creating summaries; reviewing time-cards for our one empolyee; and using QuickBooks to create invoices and review transactions for proper classification of revenue and expenses.

Public Relations/Marketing Chair: We send a huge thank you to Cathy Doré, MA, LMFT, who  is passing the torch of PR Chair this Spring. The PR/Marketing Chair works with the Board, Executive Director, and Office Administrator to promote the PSI message, mission, programs and write press releases, announcements, and website postings; field media inquiries; develop collaborative associations and links with other like-minded organizations; and seek promotional opportunities through media and other partnerships.

Contact us if you have any questions or would like an application  Please write to Board Secretary Robin Harpster at robinsharpster@gmail.com for more information and an application form. We would love to hear from you!

Leslie Lowell Stoutenburg, RNC, MS, PSI President




Wendy N. Davis, PhD, PSI Executive Director

This month, Agnieszka Grabowski, MA, LSW, Program Coordinator and Staff Therapist at the Women's Reproductive Mental Health Program at Insight Behavior Health Centers in Chicago, Illinois, USA, shares recommendations for optimizing the effectiveness of current mental health practices with the perinatal population through the development of the integrated outpatient programs (IOP):

"... Currently, we tend to perceive only two options for perinatal women: outpatient treatment or hospitalization. Often, outpatient treatment is sufficient. However, many times clinicians treat the patient until it becomes clear that she can no longer be managed at the outpatient level, at which point she is hospitalized—an invariably problematic experience given that most psychiatric inpatient units are not equipped to handle perinatal women. Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP's) level of treatment bridges this gap. Ideally, a decompensating woman should be referred to a more intensive program to prevent hospitalization. This level of care is also appropriate as a step-down from hospitalization. In a model IOP, patients attend groups specifically designed for pregnant or postpartum women, see a perinatal psychiatrist, and obtain individual therapy if they are not already receiving it in the community. ..."

As Grabowski states in her full article, LINKED HERE, IOPs are still largely unknown by both the public and the medical community, and are few in number. PSI is excited about the development of new IOPs, and we facilitate their connection with other potential and current programs. Currently we know of five Intensive Outpatient or Partial Hospitalization Programs in the US, and a few more on the way! Please write to us at psioffice@postpartum.net if we have missed any, if you have some in another country, or if you're interested in connecting for more information.  

• Brown/Women & Infants: Postpartum Depression Day Hospital Providence RI
• El Camino Hospital Maternal Outreach Mood Services (MOMS)  Mountain View CA
• Pine Rest Mother and Baby Program Grand Rapids, MI
• Hennepin Mother-Baby Day Hospital Minneapolis MN
• Women's Reproductive Mental Health Program at Insight Behavioral Health Centers Chicago IL

May 2013 PSI Blog Hop
Spreads the Word:
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