With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and its wide-ranging applications across industries like finance, transportation, manufacturing, and healthcare, there is great potential to revolutionize the way we think about mental health care. AI offers a promising pathway towards supporting the mental health needs of clients, through its ability to analyze vast amounts of data, personalize interventions, and provide accessible support. AI has emerged as a powerful tool in the field of maternal mental health, an area of healthcare often under-resourced and overlooked, by offering innovative solutions and transformative potential to support and enhance the well-being of mothers and their babies. What does this look like for therapists and the clients that we serve?

Infertility, or the inability to conceive after trying to do so, impacts individuals, couples, and families in many different ways. It increases stress and is associated with mental health concerns, particularly anxiety and depression. One of the scariest things about infertility is not knowing whether or not a pregnancy will be possible even with a variety of treatments available. Those trying to get pregnant may have increasingly invasive or long-term treatments. With each menstrual cycle, there is another opportunity for disappointment, anger, or despair.

It is difficult to convince a postpartum woman to go to therapy. Whether or not she is depressed, a new mom is exhausted, overwhelmed and preoccupied with her new baby. Understandably, early motherhood is not the best time to introduce a therapeutic-relationship or impose a healing process that is time-intensive and costly. However, if her symptoms become worse after the baby is born, if she is experiencing intrusive or distorted thoughts, or if she is suffering enough, then she needs help and there may be no choice, but to get help right away. But how do you encourage her to engage in therapy?

As a new mother, you are prepared for tons of dirty diapers, multiple loads of laundry, middle of the night feedings, and many new responsibilities that come with parenting. But are you prepared for the possibility of depression and anxiety?

March is social work month. While the month celebrates the contributions and hard work of social workers across the nation, it also provides the opportunity to clarify what it means to be a social worker. There is often a misconception about what social workers do. Why is there such a misunderstanding about social workers?

Sadness is a normal human emotion that we experience in response to painful or upsetting events. Different then depression, sadness is temporary and goes away with time. 

Depression is a long-term mental state that impairs social, occupational or other important areas of functioning. It affects 1 out of 20 adults yearly. If left untreated, symptoms of depression can last for months or even years. 

Individuals suffering from anxiety describe it as a constant burden they are forced to carry with them. Anxiety can feel like an invasion of intrusive thoughts and a  racing heart. Anxiety disorders, including panic attacks, chronic worry, social phobia, postpartum anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder, are difficult to overcome. Therapy can help reduce anxiety symptoms by identifying anxiety-based triggers and increasing coping skills.