DBT for Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders

DBT for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) adapts Dr. Marsha Linehan’s DBT treatment model with research driven data surrounding Perinatal or postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), to guide women in their transformative era of new motherhood. PMADs do not discriminate amongst age, cultures, socioeconomic status nor ethnicity. 1 in 5 birthing women will experience a form of PMADs at some point during the perinatal period.

The goal of DBT-Perinatal is to teach relevant skills targeting grief, community building, asking for help, setting appropriate boundaries, thought distortions, and mood dysregulation during the stages of pre-conception, pregnancy and postpartum. During your initial intake appointment, you and your clinician will collaborate to determine what kind of care is most appropriate for the concerns that have brought you to seek therapy. Sometimes DBT may not be the most adequate or useful approach for the symptoms you are experiencing; your clinician will have referrals readily available should this be the case.

Types of perinatal mental health concerns:

• Postpartum Depression

• Dysthymia, Persistent Depressive Disorder

• Pregnancy and Postpartum General Anxiety

• Pregnancy and Postpartum OCD

• Birth-Related PTSD 

• Postpartum psychosis (clinical assessment, intervention, acute stabilization & proper disposition planning will be required, as this is a medical emergency).

Components of Treatment:

• 12 week DBT for PMADs skills training course (individual or group options available)

• Individual weekly or twice-weekly psychotherapy

• Phone coaching

• Collaborative ancillary care/case management (examples include: connecting clients with perinatal psychiatry, doula or midwife support, night nurse referrals, endocrinology and nutrition referrals)