Postpartum Support International

You are not alone, you are not to blame, and with help you will be well!
PO Box 803, Youngsville, NC 27596
https://psichapters.com/nc
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Our Mission Statement & Core Values

Postpartum Support International of North Carolina promotes awareness, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues related to childbearing. Our vision is for every birthing person and family in North Carolina to have access to information, social support, and informed professional care to address perinatal mental health issues related to childbearing. PSI North Carolina promotes this vision through advocacy and collaboration, and by educating and training the professional community and the public.

The North Carolina Board of Directors is currently made up of 15 members spanning across the state. The professional backgrounds of members include clinicians, mental health providers, doulas, and nurses. Many of our members bring lived experiences of perinatal mental health, fueling our passion to make sure others don’t experience what we did.

Our History & Background

Postpartum Support International (PSI) was founded in 1987 by Jane Hickman. The purpose of PSI is to increase awareness among public and professional communities about the emotional changes that birthing people experience during pregnancy and postpartum. Postpartum Support International’s goal is to provide current information, resources, and education about perinatal mental health. Postpartum Support International’s North Carolina chapter was formed in 2016. During this time, our chapter has trained over 500 providers on perinatal mental health, has held 60 climbs and raised over $65,000, and utilized one of the first PSI Community Engagement grants to provide postpartum doula support, medication management, and therapy for underinsured and uninsured birthing people.

Our Current Projects & Mental Health Initiatives

PSI North Carolina believes that in order to support perinatal families, we must work together. One goal of our Legislative Action Plan is to create a statewide maternal mental health task force that will help us to find solutions in eliminating disparities in perinatal mental health care. In 2024 and beyond, our chapter is focused on understanding the needs of childbearing families across the state, helping to connect professionals within the perinatal health space, and continuing to serve underinsured and uninsured birthing people. In addition, we are designing new methods to continue raising awareness about PSI programs and perinatal mental health with both providers and communities. Finally, our new Regional Liaison program is designed to help our chapter connect with diverse communities across the state in order to understand the available resources and what supports are needed for perinatal families.

This is a picture of the 2023 Raleigh Climb. The Climb, formally known as Climb out of the Darkness, is an annual event held in communities across the globe to raise awareness for perinatal mental health conditions. The Climb helps to bring communities together to shine a light on a darkness that we don’t often speak about.