Happy Summer!

In this newsletter, we are highlighting resources related to women’s mental health and maternal mental health more generally, as well as resources specifically tailored for refugee and immigrant populations. Mental health is an essential aspect of overall well-being, and it is our responsibility to address the unique challenges and experiences faced by different communities.

This month, we aim to shed light on the importance of supporting women's mental health, recognizing the specific needs and circumstances they encounter. We are also committed to addressing the needs of women within the refugee and immigrant communities, who often face additional barriers in accessing mental health services.

By highlighting resources tailored for these communities, we strive to foster inclusivity, understanding, and support.

Training & Certificate Opportunities

USCRI Training Offerings

The Intersection of Culture and Trauma in the Care of Diverse Populations: Would you like to learn more about culturally informed care, trauma informed care, or refugee mental health? USCRI currently offers two trainings to organizations throughout Missouri.

These interactive trainings give attendees the chance to participate by asking questions and sharing experiences during open discussions. The trainings are free, 2 hours in length, and can be offered virtually or in person.

Interested in scheduling or attending an already scheduled training? Please reach out to Ramya Gruneisen ([email protected]). Feel free to also let us know how we can help meet your organization’s training needs in other ways.

Can’t make a training, but would still like to learn more? USCRI maintains a Google Drive of resettlement and refugee-related resources that can be accessed here: USCRI Missouri’s Refugee Health Promotion Google Drive.

Other trainings: On the specific topics of women’s health and maternal health, below are several intensive courses offered by other organizations USCRI wanted to highlight.

On Maternal Mental Health

For professionals: Postpartum Support International offers a Perinatal Mental Health Certification Program as well as other Certificate Trainings on topics such as Cultural Humility in Perinatal Mental Health.

For the public they don’t have any specific courses, but their website includes a wealth of information and links for further reading, as well as resources for getting needed help for moms, dads, partners & families, queer and trans parents, military families, adoptive and birth mothers, and more.

On Women's Mental Health

For professionals: Monsah University, based in Australia, offers a 5-hour online course on Women’s Mental Health which aims to upskill clinicians to work sensitively and effectively with women of all ages experiencing mental ill-health. Massachusetts General Hospital’s Psychiatry Academy also has a number of courses on Women’s Mental Health designed to promote high quality clinical care in women with psychiatric disorders across the reproductive lifespan.

On Refugee Women's Mental and Maternal Health

Training resources and information are limited on refugee women’s mental and maternal health, but Switchboard TA does have published evidence summaries on the topics below. USCRI encourages you to read and learn more about research that has been done.

You can also check out their online courses on mental health and wellness subjects including, Psychological First Aid in Resettlement, Asylum, and Integration Settings and the Fundamentals of Providing Services to Survivors of Torture.

Resources

On Maternal Mental Health

For professionals: Recognizing that over 50% of psychiatric patients are women, that over 80% will have at least one pregnancy with 50% of them being unplanned, The National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry has an interactive curriculum designed to teach reproductive psychiatry to mental health professionals. There are 13 topic areas with more than 75 hours of teaching material.

Learn more

For everyone: The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline provides 24/7, free, confidential support before, during, and after pregnancy. Call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262). TTY users can use a preferred relay service or dial 711 and then 1-833-852-6262. Licensed health care providers, mental health clinicians, certified doulas, childbirth educators, and peer support specialists staff answer the hotline and counselors have access to interpreter services in more than 60 languages.

Learn more

On Women's Mental Health

Recognizing that more than 1 in 5 women in the United States experienced a mental health condition each year, the federal Office on Women’s Health has a helpful link of resources for women on topics such as good mental health, body image and mental health, and more. There is also a specific page dedicated to addressing the health and mental health needs of girls.

In May 2022, the federal government (HRSA and SAMHSA) hosted a webinar on Women’s Mental Health highlighting best practices and developments in this space.

On Refugee Women's Mental and Maternal Health

EthnoMed provides information about cultural beliefs, medical issues and other topics related to the health care of immigrants to the US, many of whom are refugees. Their clinical topics section includes information on a number of topics including mental health, domestic violence, and reproductive health where resources are available for both providers and patients. External resources are also shared. Their cultures section provides information on different groups and may include population specific information on women’s mental and maternal health.

Learn more

In 2019, the Canadian National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health hosted a webinar titled the “Intersections of refugee women’s health” where the challenges faced by refugee women, including mental health needs are discussed.

Learn more