Midtown Community Services Launches
Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby
Mental Health Initiative in Response to COVID-19

Partnership With Thoughts Out Loud Counseling Provides Free Therapy to Moms in Need

ST. LOUIS, MO. (August 17, 2020) – Even if an individual is never infected with COVID-19, the impact of the virus on their mental health can be devastating, especially if they are already struggling with postpartum depression or maternal anxiety. To address the needs of new moms in the African American community during the pandemic, Midtown Community Services has partnered with Thoughts Out Loud Counseling to offer free virtual group therapy and individual counseling to moms in its Family PRIDE healthy baby program.

For the past 27 years, Midtown’s Family PRIDE program has provided families with free parenting classes, well-baby education and workshops to help reduce the maternal and infant mortality rates in St. Louis and give babies their healthiest start to life. In June 2020, Midtown’s parent educators observed a significant increase in general anxiety, postpartum depression, financial stress, and intimate partner violence among the 50 families they served. Many mothers were also experiencing overwhelming grief after losing loved ones to COVID-19 and anxiety related to social injustice in the U.S.

Thanks to recent grants from the NISA Charitable Fund through NISA Investment Advisors and FLOURISH St. Louis, Midtown was able to partner with counselors at Thoughts Out Loud Counseling to provide free online group therapy sessions to Family PRIDE moms once a month and virtual, one-hour individual counseling sessions twice a month to those parents most at risk.

Said Charlan Williams-Moore, Family PRIDE coordinator, “Many moms who are struggling can’t find counseling related to their needs, and if they can, they can’t afford it due to a lack of insurance and other financial constraints. By partnering with Black therapists who are attuned to the culturally-sensitive issues our parents are facing, we can address past and current trauma, work with them to develop successful coping mechanisms, and help them build stronger, more secure attachments with their children moving forward.”

According to researchers, postpartum depression disproportionately affects Black women more than other groups, but they are less likely to receive treatment. Because of biases in the medical field, social isolation due to COVID-19 and financial insecurity, the need for affordable, accessible treatment has skyrocketed, leaving many women without the care they require.

“Research shows a strong support system is essential to easing the effects of postpartum depression,” Williams-Moore remarked. “Because of the generosity of NISA and FLOURISH St. Louis, Midtown can continue to offer the programs our moms need to connect with one another and counseling to help address the challenges they face day after day.”

About Midtown Community Services – Midtown Community Services provides a wholesome, peaceful center where individuals, families and especially children from across St. Louis can be nurtured, supported and build community together. Midtown offers people access to connections and resources for realizing their value and full potential. To learn more, visit www.midtowncs.org.

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