New Parents, Their Babies, and Scary Thoughts

---

I imagined throwing my baby across the room. I think my baby will die. What if I push my baby under the bath water? If a postpartum client disclosed these thoughts to you, how would you respond? The perinatal period is often rife with unsettling distress and disturbing thoughts that are never shared with providers. While research shows that these thoughts are common and nonthreatening, many therapists understandably find these symptoms alarming. In this session, you'll learn to assess the nature of scary thoughts, create strategies for intervention, and initiate conversations with new parents that pave the way for critical postpartum care. You’ll also explore how to:

• Normalize perinatal distress and use psychoeducation to provide immediate relief for perinatal clients
• Differentiate between “normal” anxious thoughts in the perinatal period and symptoms of a mood disorder, including perinatal OCD or perinatal psychosis
• Apply strategies for treating anxiety in the perinatal period and reducing panic when caring for an infant alone