Introduction
Postpatum Depression: How Can We Care for a Depressed Mother? is an overview of a major perinatal mood disorder with the purpose of introducing students to the identification, assessment and treatment of women with postpartum depression.
This course is meant to be an introductory course, to inform and prepare students to begin to evaluate and address the needs of women struggling with this reproductive-related mood disorder. Students are not expected to have expertise in addressing this issue upon completion of this course. However, this course would be a good starting point in providing an overview of a specialized practice in the treatment of this specific women's reproductive-related mood disorder.
Students will learn to identify this emotional disorder to help distinguish it among the different types of mood and anxiety disorders surrounding childbirth that includes postpartum blues, pregnancy and postpartum adjustment disorders, pregnancy and postpartum anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression, as well as postpartum psychosis.
Students will learn to set up a short-term treatment plan and to identify 3 or more interventions for a course of brief psychotherapy with postpartum women. Class size is limited in order to facilitate active participation and discussion of cases. There will be opportunities to work in small groups and to practice therapist-client interactions in role-playing.
Students are expected to read the required textbook, as well as to be familiar with other resources available in this specialized area of study. The instructor will provide students with a bibliography of current literature in the field for further study. Students are expected to bring in relevant case examples of clients for role-plays or they may use actual cases provided by the instructor.
