Hamilton-made therapy programs helping parents with postpartum around the world
Mac psychiatrist Ryan Van Lieshout has been working with local parents for more than a decade
A pair of Hamilton-made treatment programs for parents living with postpartum depression are being used to help people across North America — and the world.
The programs, which use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), were developed by a team of researchers led by McMaster University psychiatrist Ryan Van Lieshout, who has been working with parents in the city for well over a decade.
Local research headed up by Van Lieshout has found that the earlier the talk therapy is provided to those struggling with postpartum depression, the more benefits it has for both them and their baby.
And now, that help is being offered far beyond the walls of the Women’s Health Concerns Clinic (WHCC) at St. Joe’s.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Van Lieshout, in an interview. “We’re just trying to get more birth parents the help that they need.”
Van Lieshout told The Spectator that his one-day program, Coping After Baby, is being used by Kaiser Permanente, a medical consortium with facilities across the United States, Charite Hospital in Berlin and the Solomiya Project in Ukraine.
Here in Ontario, its being used by nearby public agencies in Niagara and Renfrew and there has been interest from countries such as Jordan and Vietnam as well as from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
That program consists of a sixhour-long, online workshop that brings together 30 parents at a time. It focuses on cognitive skills to help the parents work through negative thoughts as well as behavioural-focused techniques to help them with their mood.
There are also role-playing activities, group discussions, goal setting and action planning. It can be delivered by therapists and those who have recovered from postpartum depression.
Van Lieshout said that program was developed to not only remove the barrier of slim resources, but to also ensure they could get the treatment “to as many people as (they) could.”
And even at just one day, the workshops have been found to be effective at reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as helpful with parent-infant relationships, Van Lieshout said.
“There is a lot of excitement about it,” added Van Lieshout, pointing to its growth across the world.
The other group program, Steps To Wellness After Baby, spans nine weeks and is being offered by public health agencies across Ontario, including in Niagara, Durham, York, Hastings Prince Edward and Ottawa.
That program has also been adapted for use with inner city Black parents in the Washington, D.C. area by researchers at Georgetown and George Washington University, as well as for parents facing socioeconomic disparities in Tennessee by researchers at Vanderbilt University.
Van Lieshout said that program sees birth parents come together as a group, either in-person or online, with a pair of peers or trained nurses leading the sessions.
They check-in on their moods of the previous week, look at homework and focus on developing a “healthier balance” in their lives.
Van Lieshout said the program aims to help people identify the negative thoughts and actions they may be coping with, and replacing them with things they enjoy.
The second half of the session often involves a discussion, which offers the parents the chance to talk about their experiences in a “nonjudgmental environment,” added Van Lieshout.
“They’re supported not only by the therapist, but also by the other parents who are going through it,” he said.
Van Lieshout said by the end of the program, most patients not only show improvement in their depression and anxiety, but also in the way they interact with their babies.
With the treatment programs making gains with public health agencies across the province and beyond, Van Lieshout said more and more people will be able to access the specialized perinatal psychiatric care they need.
That growth has also been a delight to watch, noted Van Lieshout.
“It’s a privilege enough to do this work, but for it to be scaled, it’s just wonderful,” he said. “The reason that you do this work is to try and make a difference for people.”