Preparing Clients to Thrive in the Fourth Trimester: Identification of Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders and Postpartum Preparation
Preparing Clients for the Fourth Trimester: Identification of PMADs and Prevention Planning
A live perinatal mental health CE workshop for therapists, social workers, and counselors
The fourth trimester — the first twelve weeks after birth — is when new parents are most vulnerable to postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), yet it’s the window we spend the least time preparing them for. In this live, interactive continuing education workshop, I’ll show you how to help expectant parents plan before baby arrives, so they walk into postpartum with a real support system and a plan that fits their lives.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1995158641204?aff=oddtdtcreator
Workshop details
- Date: September 18, 2026
- Time: 1:00–2:30 PM EST
- Format: Live on Zoom — fully interactive, with Q&A and instructor-led discussion throughout
- Credits: 1.5 clinical CE hours — approved for PMH-C renewal, ASWB (ACE), and NBCC
- Level: Beginning
- Investment: $55
What you’ll be able to do by the end
- Explain the physical, emotional, and mental shifts expectant parents face during the fourth trimester
- Identify and assess which clients would benefit from additional postpartum planning
- Apply a clear, step-by-step framework to help parents build a fourth trimester plan
- Screen and assess for the criteria of postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs)
About this training
Most parents prepare intensely for birth and almost not at all for what comes after. This course gives you practical tools to close that gap.
I’ll walk you through how to help clients anticipate their physical, emotional, and hormonal changes, identify their unique risk factors, and put those needs into words their partner and support system can actually act on. Together we’ll cover how to build a client’s “village,” how to educate parents on the mental-health red flags to watch for, and how to create a personalized postpartum plan that increases the odds they’ll reach for help when they need it.
You’ll leave with a repeatable framework — risk assessment, prevention planning, and support-system building — that you can use with pregnant and postpartum clients right away to help reduce the frequency, severity, and duration of PMADs.
Who should attend
This continuing education workshop is designed for therapists, LCSWs, social workers, counselors, case workers, supervisors and supervisees, students, and educators who work with pregnant or postpartum clients. No prior perinatal specialization is required.
Your presenter
I’m Jerusha Hull, MSW, LCSW, PMH-C — a perinatal mental health specialist and postpartum subject matter expert, and the author of the postpartum workbook There’s a Fourth Trimester?! I’ve spent my career helping parents and the clinicians who serve them navigate the perinatal period, and this workshop distills that work into something you can put to use immediately.
Agenda (1.5 hours)
- Introduction, agenda, and scope (10 min) — framing the fourth trimester and why proactive planning reduces PMADs
- Understanding the fourth trimester (25 min) — the physical, emotional, hormonal, and psychological changes of the first twelve weeks, the “baby blues,” a brief review of PMADs, and the return-to-work transition, with a case-study application
- Special populations (10 min) — recognizing clients at higher risk for PMADs who especially benefit from a plan
- Building the postpartum plan (35 min) — purpose, red-flag education, involving the support system and partner, and what a plan looks like in practice
- Helpful tips and resources (5 min)
- Questions and discussion (5–10 min)
Credits and approvals
This training has been approved by Postpartum Support International for use in renewal of the Perinatal Mental Health – Clinician (PMH-C).
Virtue Counseling, #2180, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: April 3, 2025 – April 3, 2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1.5 clinical continuing education credits.
“Preparing Clients for the Fourth Trimester: Identification of PMADs and Prevention Planning has been approved by NBCC for NBCC credit. Virtue Counseling is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. NBCC Approval No. SP-5279.”
What past attendees say
“I’m a PMH-C and this was a great training — I’d highly recommend it to any clinician, even if they already hold the perinatal certification. Well done!”
“Jerusha is very knowledgeable and you can see she’s passionate about what she does. The training was engaging, and anyone — regardless of their experience with the perinatal population — can benefit from learning from her.”
“My organization had the pleasure of having Jerusha present at our inaugural mental health conference. Her professionalism, expertise, and commitment to her craft were impressive. I would highly recommend her to clients and organizations as a whole.” — Dr. Ashley Shepard, Access 304
Ready to join us? Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1995158641204?aff=oddtdtcreator
