Free counseling for Mothers

One of the biggest draws for me personally to the work being done at Hopeful Beginnings is the amazing service of free counseling for mothers experiencing post-partum depression and difficulty transitioning to motherhood. Those that know me undoubtedly know that I am a mother to three very active young boys and the road to achieving some sort of balance between my life as a mother, Director, wife, woman… has not been easy. I remember very clearly sitting in my doctor’s office after the birth of my second son and doing my Edinburgh screening. with a doctor who had already prefaced the screening by saying “I know you’re not depressed – you’re always smiling!” After such a statement, how could I possibly tell my doctor that I was in fact struggling with all the demand’s life was placing on me?

In fact, many of the mothers that I have worked with over the years have almost worn as a badge of honor their ability to multi-task, to make any, no matter how impossible, situation work. It can be very difficult to admit that it is not possible to do it all, that we as mothers do in fact need help! Daily stressors for mothers inevitably impact the mother-baby ability to bond and create attachment. I say not this to guilt my fellow exhausted mothers, but to acknowledge that tools for stress management are absolutely necessary for both the health of mother and baby.

This year at Hopeful Beginnings, our counseling staff is adapting a maternal stress management curriculum for our pregnant and parenting clients called Mothers and Babies. This curriculum is researched based and developed by Northwestern University. It can be delivered both to clients individually and in groups. Hopeful Beginnings staff is excited to have another tool in their expansive toolkit to help support women during the period where they need help the most.
I am asking that all of you readers help us help mothers and children reaching out to those whose are in your community – your circles of support, whether it be parish or with your friends – and let others know about the amazing services that Hopeful Beginnings offers. For those who can offer financial support, I encourage you to consider donating to Hopeful Beginnings so we can continue to offer free, quality services.

*The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale EPDS is a set of 10 screening questions that can indicate if a parent has symptoms common in women with depression and anxiety during and in the year after the birth of a child.

If you or someone you know is in need of counseling, please contact Hopeful Beginnings at 847-870-8181

For services available at Hopeful Beginnings please visit:  https://www.hopefulbeginning.org/maternity-services/