The Importance of Mental Health Training: Equipping Perinatal Professionals for Success

In today's fast-paced and demanding world, the importance of perinatal mental health cannot be overstated. Whether it's midwives, doctors, antenatal teachers or counsellors, professionals in every field can benefit from mental health training. Not only does this training equip individuals with the necessary tools to manage their own mental well-being, but it also enables them to support parents who may be struggling.

Mental health training can go beyond simply recognising the signs and symptoms of common mental health disorders. It can empower professionals to create a safe and supportive environment to hear parents, reduces stigma, and fosters a culture of mental well-being within organisations. By equipping professionals with the knowledge and skills to identify and address perinatal mental health issues, they can support parents back to health.

Furthermore, perinatal mental health training enhances job satisfaction, and can cultivate a sense of compassion and empathy. This is essential when supporting with parents who are experiencing mental health challenges.

In conclusion, perinatal mental health training plays a vital role in equipping professionals for success when supporting parents mental health. By investing in specialised perinatal mental health training professionals can make a big difference to parents and save them from more entrenched mental health problems.

Understanding Perinatal Mental Health Training

Perinatal mental health training with TBR College offers different structured programs designed to equip professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand, support, manage, and promote emotional and mental health and well-being. This type of training focuses on various aspects of perinatal mental health, including recognising the signs and symptoms of birth trauma, understanding the impact of the perinatal life stage on mental and emotional health, and learning strategies for recovery from trauma, management of anxiety and lifting depression. This often includes information about causes of mental health conditions, effective communication techniques, and how to create a supportive environment that encourages open discussions about mental health.

The significance of perinatal mental health training cannot be underestimated. With more perinatal professionals, midwives, HCP, and counsellors skilled in supporting parents mental health and wellbeing the incidence of more severe mental health problems is reduced.

By undertaking comprehensive training, organisations and individuals can help demystify mental health issues and encourage a culture of acceptance and support. This not only benefits the professionals directly involved but enhances the overall work environment, which can lead to improved morale and productivity.

Furthermore, mental health training can empower individuals to recognise when they or their colleagues might be struggling. By understanding the complexities of vicarious trauma in the workplace, trained professionals can intervene appropriately, whether through direct support, guiding someone to professional help, or simply providing a listening ear. The goal is to create a more informed and compassionate workforce that is better equipped to navigate the challenges posed by mental health issues.

The Benefits of Perinatal Mental Health Training

Investing in mental health training offers numerous benefits for perinatal professionals. One of the most significant advantages is the enhancement of professionals’ awareness and understanding of perinatal mental health issues. TBR training courses equip professionals with the necessary skills to support parents mental health after they have experienced any kind of perinatal trauma, whether that be pregnancy loss, birth trauma or even birth injury.

Another key benefit of TBR perinatal mental health training is that by increasing the number of  appropriately trained professionals, access to appropriate, specialised therapy is made more freely available to parents who are struggling and desperately seeking help.

When perinatal professional are able to openly discuss common mental health issues and support parents back to health, it is another victory against the stigma of this experience.

Parents are able to feel comfortable discussing their mental health concerns with trained perinatal professionals who can then help them. This cultural shift not only supports parents struggling with mental health issues but also promotes more open conversations about difficulty with mental health during the perinatal stage.

Perinatal mental health training with TBR College can significantly improve job satisfaction. Professionals who are able to really make a positive difference to parents’ mental health report feeling engaged and satisfied with their jobs.

Perinatal Mental Health Training Statistics

Statistics reveal the urgent need for mental health training in perinatal professional settings.

The World Health Organization recognizes that ‘10% of pregnant women and 13% of women who have just given birth experience a mental disorder, primarily depression. In developing countries this is even higher, i.e. 15.6% during pregnancy and 19.8% after child birth.’

Sadly, suicide remains the leading cause of death for mothers in the first year after childbirth.

Many parents struggle with their mental health during the perinatal stage, and yet there is a real lack of appropriately trained professionals who are able to offer the brief intervention therapy that can save lives. This is what TBR College is passionate about providing; quality training that enables professionals to support recovery from trauma symptoms, anxiety and depression.

The Role of TBR College in Providing Perinatal Mental Health Training

TBR College has played a crucial role in training over 600 perinatal professionals since 2016. Organisations such as the NHS, Home Start  and Nurture the Borders have all  successfully implemented perinatal mental health support after undergoing TBR College training programs. By prioritizing perinatal mental health within their organisations  the parents they serve have benefited enormously. This commitment to parents health and wellbeing can manifest in various ways, including stronger parent child bond, improved relationships between partners and increased resilience against more serious mental health disorders.

Key Components of Effective Perinatal Mental Health Training with TBR College

TBR College teaches mindfulness, hypnosis, and a solution focused approach to support parents who are struggling with perinatal trauma symptoms.

This combination of mental health modalities can bring rapid relief and a brief intervention for mild to moderate trauma symptoms, anxiety and depression.

Interactive and engaging training methods are also essential for fostering a positive learning experience. Live workshops over Zoom allow for practice and confidence building with key listening skills, and role-playing, and group discussions can encourage participants to actively engage with the material and apply their learning to practical scenarios. This participatory approach can enhance retention and understanding.

Moreover, ongoing support and online resources are vital for sustaining the benefits of perinatal mental health training and at TBR College we provide both of these. This ongoing support reinforces the concepts learned during training and encourages employees to continue prioritizing their mental well-being. All TBR students and practitioners are encourage to continue their professional development by regularly attending our small group supervision sessions.

Tips for Choosing the Right Perinatal Mental Health Training Program

When investing the time and money in perinatal mental health training it’s a good idea to start with your end in mind and ask yourself the following questions:

What do you want to be able to do with this training?

Do you want to feel confident about providing a safe and trauma informed listening service?

Do you want to take you perinatal career further down a therapeutic route?

Do you want to have the skills, framework and confidence to support parents’ recovery from perinatal trauma, anxiety and depression?

Is it important for you to have access to ongoing support as your practice and hone your new skills?

Is it important for your training provide to be accredited by an Ofqual regulated body?

Is it important for you to be able to attain insurance as a result your training?

Do you like to learn via self-study, or practical application or both?

At TBR College we pride ourselves on providing a range of different training options for perinatal professionals wanting to do more to support their client mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

All our courses are accredited by an Ofqual regulated body that ensure a high level of training. All of our courses have assessments at the end that aim to build confidence and

We have several ways of supporting students as they learn, including online chat function where questions are answered within 24 hours by one of our tutors, secure online support groups and regular small group supervision that happens every month over Zoom.

TBR College training is a mix of online self study that students have lifetime access to and in person live training that allows time for practice of the skills. This dual learning opportunity is safe, robust and effective. Students can refer to the online materials as they practice with their first few clients and also find in person support through supervision. This supports students as the practice with their first few clients.

TBR College even supports qualified Practitioners (students who have successfully completed their assessments) by listing them on its sister website for parents. This directory is a well-used resource for parents actively seeking support.

Resources for Perinatal Mental Health Training

TBR College has lots of free resources to support perinatal professionals.

Those professionals interested in supporting their client mental and emotional health may wish to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

There is also a FREE RESOURCES page for professionals that can be access here.

For those looking to refer their clients on for specialist, perinatal trauma therapy they can use the web directory here.

For parents who struggle to access therapy because of financial or geographical barriers the Community Interest Company; The Birth Republic CIC, maybe able to help. You can find out more about their free resources here.

Perinatal Mental Health Training for Different Professions

Perinatal Mental health training is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Depending on the context of how a professional is supporting parents with determine what their training need is.

Different professions have unique challenges and requirements when it comes supporting their clients mental health. For instance, antenatal teachers often support parents who are pregnant again after a previous traumatic birth. For these teachers having the skills to lift trauma symptoms is really useful because they are often supporting parents who are re-triggered and pregnant again.

Midwives and breastfeeding counsellors however may want to ensure that their listening services are trauma informed, and can be a positive opportunity for healing to begin.

Other professionals may wish to take their career down the route of perinatal therapy and coaching and so a long course, such as the TBR Certificate course would be more appropriate.

In the healthcare sector, professionals deal with high-stress situations and emotionally demanding every day. Training for healthcare workers should emphasize coping strategies, self-care, and managing vicarious trauma.

Providing healthcare professionals with mental health training can lead to improved patient care, as providers who prioritize their mental well-being are more likely to engage positively with patients.

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Conclusion: Investing in Perinatal Mental Health Training for the Benefit of Parents Wellbeing

In conclusion, the importance and value of perinatal mental health training cannot be overstated. As well as professionals benefitting from having the tools that can support their own mental health – parents also benefit hugely too.

The biggest threat to parent’s mental and emotional health and wellbeing during this life stage is the lack of access to appropriate, perinatal trauma focused therapy.

The only solution to this crisis is to train more professionals to be able to use the right tools for resolving trauma symptoms and supporting recovery from anxiety and depression.

At TBR College we teach the modalities of hypnosis, relaxation, mindfulness and a solution focused approach to restore whole health to parents.

Investing in mental health training is not just a moral imperative; it is a strategic decision that benefits the whole of society. Having healthy well parents who are able to feed, bond and thrive with their new families is essential for our societies overall health.

A mentally healthy parent is more resilient, engaged, and positive ultimately leading to better outcomes for parent and child. As we continue to recognise the importance of  good perinatal mental health, we can work towards becoming a more supportive and compassionate society for all.

By committing to perinatal mental health training, professionals take a significant step towards creating a healthier society, ensuring that parents feel valued, supported, and empowered to thrive in with their families. The journey towards a mentally healthy parenthood begins with investment in specialised perinatal mental health training—an investment that pays dividends in the form of enhanced well-being and success for parents and professionals.