mental health training Archives - Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies: the Montana Coalition

Written by Adriana Reyes de Merkle, MT PSI Chapter Chair

While the world is becoming more aware of maternal mental health, fathers are often overlooked in the perinatal period. Yet, 1 in 10 fathers will experience depression or anxiety during pregnancy or the first year postpartum [1,2,3]. These challenges can deeply affect the entire family, including the emotional and developmental well-being of their children.

That’s why Postpartum Support International (PSI) is proud to offer a comprehensive 2-day training dedicated to Paternal Mental Health. This interactive and evidence-based training is designed for anyone working with fathers during the perinatal period.

What to Expect from the Training

This two-day immersive experience will dive deep into the unique mental health needs and experiences of fathers. Topics covered include:

• Bias in Paternal, Perinatal Mental Health
• Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health
• The Psychology of Early Fatherhood
• Screening and Assessment
• Dads and PMADs (Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders)

In addition to lectures and case-based learning, the training includes:

• Networking opportunities with peers and experts
• A powerful Fathers Panel

Why This Training Matters

The statistics speak for themselves:

• Depression and anxiety are twice as common in expecting and new fathers compared to global estimates in men. [1,4]
• Fathers may show different symptoms than mothers—men are more likely to report physical symptoms like sleep disturbances, headaches, fatigue, and psychomotor changes such as restlessness or muscle tension. [10,11]
• Emotional symptoms may also present differently—many fathers exhibit irritability, anger, aggression, or withdraw from relationships. This can lead to isolation, avoidance behaviors, risk-taking, and substance use. [12,13]

Most importantly, untreated paternal mental health issues can have long-term negative consequences on child development, increasing the risk of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and their health multiple domains. [2,8,9]

 Why You Should Attend

By attending this PSI training, you’ll gain the skills and knowledge to better serve fathers during the perinatal period, reduce stigma, and support stronger family systems. Whether you’re a clinician, advocate, researcher, or community worker, this training will equip you to recognize and respond to the mental health needs of dads with greater confidence and compassion.

Let’s break the silence around paternal mental health and create systems that support all parents.

Be part of the change and register today at: https://postpartum.net/training/paternal-perinatal-mental-health/

  CITATIONS:

1. Paulson, J. F., & Bazemore, S. D. (2010). Prenatal and Postpartum Depression in Fathers and Its Association With Maternal Depression. JAMA, 303(19), 1961. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2010.605
2. Ansari, N. S., Shah, J., Dennis, C., & Shah, P. S. (2021). Risk factors for postpartum depressive symptoms among fathers: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 100(7), 1186–1199. https://doi.org/10.1111/aogs.14109
3. Leach, L. S., Poyser, C., Cooklin, A. R., & Giallo, R. (2016). Prevalence and course of anxiety disorders (and symptom levels) in men across the perinatal period: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 190, 675–686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.09.063
4. Leiferman, J. A., Farewell, C. V., Jewell, J., Rachael Lacy, Walls, J., Harnke, B., & Paulson, J. F. (2021). Anxiety among fathers during the prenatal and postpartum period: a meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 42(2), 152–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/0167482X.2021.1885025
5. Fisher, S. D., & Garfield, C. (2016). Opportunities to Detect and Manage Perinatal Depression in Men. American Family Physician, 93(10), 824–825. www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2016/0515/p824.html
6. Matthey, S., Barnett, B., Kavanagh, D. J., & Howie, P. (2001). Validation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for men, and comparison of item endorsement with their partners. Journal of Affective Disorders, 64(2–3), 175–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-0327(00)00236-6
7. Edmondson, O. J. H., Psychogiou, L., Vlachos, H., Netsi, E., & Ramchandani, P. G. (2010). Depression in fathers in the postnatal period: Assessment of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale as a screening measure. Journal of Affective Disorders, 125(1–3), 365–368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2010.01.069
8. Singley, D. B., Cole, B. P., Hammer, J. H., Molloy, S., Rowell, A., & Isacco, A. (2018). Development and psychometric evaluation of the Paternal Involvement With Infants Scale. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 19(2), 167–183. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000094
9. Pedersen, S. C., Maindal, H. T., & Ryom, K. (2021). “I Wanted to Be There as a Father, but I Couldn’t”: A Qualitative Study of Fathers’ Experiences of Postpartum Depression and Their Help-Seeking Behavior. American Journal of Men’s Health, 15(3), 15579883211024376. https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883211024375
10. Rabinowitz, F. E., & Cochran, S. V. (2008). Men and Therapy: A Case of Masked Male Depression. Clinical Case Studies, 7(6), 575591. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534650108319917
11. Dziurkowska, E., & Wesolowski, M. (2021). Cortisol as a Biomarker of Mental Disorder Severity. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(21), 5204. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10215204
12. Eddy, B., Poll, V., Whiting, J., & Clevesy, M. (2019). Forgotten Fathers: Postpartum Depression in Men. Journal of Family Issues, 40(8), 1001–1017. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X19833111
13. Molloy, S., Singley, D. B., Ingram, P. B., Cole, B. P., & Dye, A. R. (2021). ¡Qué Padre! Measuring Latino Fathers’ Involvement with Infants. Family Relations, 70(5), 1449–1464. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12543