wHO WE ARE
OUR HISTORY
It all started in 2009 when Dr. Barbara Byers and Dr. Aimee Danielson were working together in the Women’s Mental Health Program at Georgetown, caring for women through their pregnancies through the first postpartum year. They experienced a high demand for mental health services from mothers and families in the DC Metro area and began to develop a small group of eight mental health providers and support group leaders to whom they could refer. This group began to share more than referrals. They shared ideas, community resources for mothers, and news of training opportunities. Barb and Aimee had the idea to expand the group to form a community, a community that could support each other through this work with mothers, which can be challenging, meaningful, difficult and fulfilling. They envisioned a community where providers could lean on each other, ask questions, brainstorm ideas, and enjoy the shared passion and commitment to helping women through one of the most complex times in their lives: the transition to motherhood. When they began reaching out to other local perinatal mental health providers, they quickly learned that many of these experts practiced in isolation, unaware of colleagues nearby who treat patients with similar concerns. In the Fall of 2010, they held the first Salon, an intimate gathering of perinatal mental health providers, at a provider’s home. It was at that gathering, that a group of about twelve mental health providers and advocates decided to join forces in order learn from each other, educate others about women’s mental health needs, and better serve their patients.
Today, this group, now called the DC Metro Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative, has over 100 members drawing from Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and as far North as Baltimore, Maryland. Salons have continued to be held bringing together providers to learn and connect. We share a strengthened commitment to a connected, informed and empowered community that supports women and their families to achieve strong and enduring mental health during pregnancy and the year following birth.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the DC Metro Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative is three-fold. We aim to advocate for women and their families to achieve strong and enduring mental health wellness during pregnancy and in the year following birth. We endeavor to provide education, support and networking opportunities to the clinicians, researchers, and advocates who support and treat women during the perinatal period. We strive to provide a centralized resource where women can find specialized mental health providers, support groups, advocacy organizations, and other relevant clinical resources to assist providers, patients, and their families in obtaining expert perinatal mental health care.
We are committed to:
Raising awareness and understanding of perinatal mental health so that conditions can be identified early
Combating stigma and misconceptions about perinatal mental health conditions
Supporting each other as a community of professionals who have a shared belief that new mothers and families deserve support