GOLD Learning Speakers
Catharine McDonald, MS, NCC, CFLE, LPC
- Speaker Type: GOLD Perinatal 2019
- Country: United States
Biography:
Catharine McDonald is a National Certified Counselor, CT Licensed Professional Counselor, and Certified Family Life Educator. She owns Growing Well Counseling in Glastonbury, CT where she specializes exclusively in integrative perinatal wellness, fertility and loss, birth trauma, and maternal work-life balance. A founding member of Postpartum Support International-Connecticut Chapter, she has served on the board of directors and now volunteers with the professional development committee. In addition to perinatal psychotherapy, Catharine also offers clinical consultation in perinatal wellness and enjoys teaching about perinatal mental health, pregnancy and infant loss, sleep education for growing families, and birth-trauma.
CE Library Presentation(s) Available Online:
This Presentation is Currently Offline
Intersections of Trauma & Birth: An Overview
Over 1/3 of women characterize their birth experience as traumatic, and 9% of mothers meet criteria for PSTD in the postpartum period. Certain vulnerable populations are even more at risk of trauma in various forms and cultural factors can strongly influence likelihood of lasting trauma. This presentation will differentiate avoidable, unavoidable and reactivated traumas as well as develop clinician understanding of abstract losses around trauma in the peripartum period.
After this program, clinicians will be able to identify antenatal women at risk for traumatic birth, how trauma history can impact their psychosocial development as it relates to being a pregnant woman in need of prenatal medical care, and how psychoeducation and counseling can prepare them for a positive birth experience in turn reducing likelihood of lingering post-traumatic symptoms. Clinicians will be able to implement informed and relevant psychotherapy interventions to help traumatized postpartum clients and their partners process their experience, reduce traumatic stress symptoms and reduce impact on the mother-baby attachment process.
Hours / CE Credits: 1 (details) | Categories:
(IBCLC) Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology, Trauma-Informed Care
