State Certified Peer Support Specialist – Maternal Mental Health Add-On Training

The maternal mental health ‘add-on’ virtual training for peer support specialists is now available to peers who have completed their state certification in peer support (or are enrolled in a forthcoming state-certified peer support training and, therefore, on the path to becoming certified).

Who Can Participate?

Enrollees must complete an application and be in recovery from their maternal mental health complications for at least 12 months. Participants will have already become state certified peer support specialists, submit documentation of enrollment in an upcoming state certified peer support training, or submit a letter from a reference that they will be enrolling in the future.

We require a minimum number of ten (10) fully registered participants to run this training. Please click the button below to let us know you would like to take this training and we will contact you to schedule a training date when we have enough participants to fill the training. At that time you will complete the registration and payment of $395 to enroll in the training.

I’m interested

Background

The training is hosted by the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health and presented by the POEM perinatal mental health of Mental Health America of Ohio.

The POEM Program of Mental Health America of Ohio
Perinatal Mental Health Peer Support Training

This course is complementary to the standard peer support training. Much of the content is similar to the education maternal mental health clinicians receive but has been adapted to meet the needs of people delivering peer support in the perinatal time period. Perinatal mental health complications in pregnancy and postpartum look different than at any other time in a person’s life. While clinicians receive this training to diagnose and potentially treat or refer people in pregnancy and postpartum, peers need a full understanding of perinatal mental health conditions to provide support, address myths and stigma, and connect people to appropriate treatment services.

The course includes:

Inclusive Care and Language
Understanding the Spectrum of Maternal Mental Health Complications
Barriers to Care
Screening and Referral
Components of Care and Recovery

Why do we need specialized perinatal mental health peer supporters (PMH peers) as part of the continuum of care? Decisions that profoundly affect mothers* lives shouldn’t be made without mothers at the decision-making table. Moms and birthing persons with perinatal mental health conditions benefit from the kind of support that accounts for their individual needs and fits within the framework of their life experience. A specialized PMH peer should strive to develop an ongoing perspective on their own personal experiences and qualities in order to determine in what ways those factors help them to serve as an effective and balanced supporter. One of the aims of quality support is to encourage moms and birthing persons to pursue treatment/care options and make decisions that make sense for them rather than shaping which choices are appropriate.

*Mothering is a gender-neutral term that describes a certain type of care. Any person can provide the care of a mother, regardless of gender identity.

Perinatal Outreach and Encouragement for Moms (POEM) at Mental Health America of Ohio bridges mental health gaps by acting as a touchpoint, advocate, and resource for mothers and birthing persons. Through care navigation layered with certified peer support, POEM works to provide mental and emotional support through the perinatal period.

Those who complete the training receive a certificate of completion for this 9-hour course.

The training is a culmination of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health and our partner organizations’ research, which illustrated that the use of state-certified peer support training, in addition to maternal mental health training in peer mental health recovery support, is a beneficial model to increase availability services for pregnant and postpartum mothers/people and provide those who have experienced maternal distress/MMH disorders have professional pathways for providing services.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q 1: Will there be other trainings?
A: We are working toward offering two training cohorts annually.

Q 2: Will I be provided with assistance in finding employment after I complete the training?
A: This program does not provide career placement services; however, the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health will share the contact information of any state certified peer who has also completed this training with our national network twice annually to help promote peer professionals' use and job placement.