Perinatal Mental Health Conditions

ACT stands for Ask, Collaborate, Teach. The goal of these learning sessions are to help you think further about the Perinatal Mental Health Conditions patient safety bundle. UWNQC hopes you will ask questions, collaborate with us, and teach your team about what you’ve learned.

ACT Sessions are listed in order of newest to oldest.

Register for future ACT sessions here

April 15, 2025. What happens when you call 988 and other mental health resources?

April 22, 2025. Respectful maternity care with speaker Hillary Maxwell, BSN, RNC-EFM.

May 13, 2025. Infant loss, grief, and support resources.

June 10, 2025. How pediatricians can influence maternal mental health. Speaker TBD.

July 1, 2025. Paternal mental health with speaker Daniel Singley, Ph.D.

Postpartum PTSD. 
Sara Webb, DNP, a nurse practitioner at University of Utah Health and instructor in the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program at the University of Utah, presents on birth trauma and postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She discusses the risk factors for developing postpartum PTSD, the impacts of PTSD on the family, and the steps healthcare providers can take to prevent PTSD during pregnancy and childbirth.

Doulas in pregnancy. 
Destiny Lake, a certified birth and postpartum doula and founder of SHAUNTEA, a company focused on individual health and wellness around the childbearing and raising years, discusses how doulas impact pregnancy health outcomes. Destiny presents a doula's scope of practice, how to access doulas, and the impact of doulas on continuity of care and life phase transitions during pregnancy and postpartum.

Therapeutic approaches for perinatal mental health.
Jamie Hales, LCSW, program manager and perinatal mental health specialist at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, discusses the importance of screening and treating perinatal mental health conditions (PMHC) and provides an overview of different therapeutic approaches to treat patients experiencing PMHC.

Bipolar disorder in pregnancy. 
Alyssa Hickert, MD, a consult psychiatrist with University of Utah Health, presents a deep-dive into diagnosing and treating bipolar disorder during the perinatal period. Dr. Hickert describes how to differentiate between bipolar affective disorder 1 and 2 and provides various diagnostic and treatment options for those experiencing the disorder both generally and during pregnancy. Furthermore, she discusses the impact of mood stabilizers in pregnancy and bipolar disorder management during postpartum.

Social determinants of health (SDOH) and mental health in pregnancy panel. 
Hailee Hernandez, MACL, a program administrator with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services Office of Substance Use and Mental Health, opens this conversation with an introduction to SDOH. Then, Annie Hatch with Central Valley Medical Center, Brenda Luther with University of Utah Health, Sabrina Harmon with Davis County Health Department, and Sussy Rupper with the Association for Utah Community Health discuss how to help patients with SDOH needs.

Substance use disorder in pregnancy. 
Theresa Kurtz, MD, an addiction medicine and OBGYN physician with the University of Utah and Intermountain Healthcare, discusses substance use disorder during pregnancy. Dr. Kurtz presents the definition, prevalence, and impact of substance use disorder in pregnancy, along with screening tools and intervention strategies.

Perinatal anxiety. 
Rosa Speranza, MD, a Maternal Fetal Medicine fellow with the University of Utah, presents a deep-dive on perinatal anxiety. Dr. Speranza discusses symptoms and risk factors of perinatal anxiety, screening tools, and treatment options and discusses a system-level approach to care for patients with perinatal mental health conditions.

Birth and postpartum trauma and trauma informed care. 
Tracey Vogel, MD, an obstetric anesthesiologist, sexual assault counselor, and director of the Allegheny Health Network’s Perinatal Trauma-informed Care Clinic in Pennsylvania, presents on the importance of being a trauma-informed healthcare professional. Dr. Vogel discusses signs, symptoms, and consequences of unresolved trauma, and how to utilize basic trauma-informed care principles to improve communication and trust among patients.

Perinatal bipolar disorder, psychosis, and suicidality. 
Amy-Rose White, LCSW, founder of Postpartum Support International Utah and WellMama Maternal Mental Health Services, presents on bipolar disorder, perinatal psychosis, and suicidality during pregnancy and the postpartum period. She discusses the prevalence, symptoms, and treatment options for these pregnancy-related mental health conditions.

Implementing the patient safety bundle: Lessons learned from the University of Utah. 
Dr. Lauren Gimbel, an OB-GYN with University of Utah Health, and Brenda Gulliver, the Director of Nursing for Ambulatory Women’s Health with University of Utah Health, share their experiences with implementing the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Perinatal Mental Health Conditions patient safety bundle.

An overview of perinatal mental health conditions, screening tools, and resources. 
Dr. Joni Lybbert, a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Felicity Women’s Center, provides an overview of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). She discusses the prevalence of those who experience PMADs, risks of untreated PMADs, PMADs symptoms, PMAD risk factors, treatment options, and resources.