Helena Vissing, Licensed Psychologist, PMH-C
Brentwood, 94513
Over the last decade, public understanding of perinatal mental health has expanded dramatically. Parents now enter therapy informed about birth trauma, perinatal OCD, suicide risk, and persistent disparities, these are no longer niche topics. Yet the training of licensed mental health providers has not kept pace. Most graduate programs still require little to no education in perinatal mental health, even as they mandate coursework in areas many clinicians never practice. As a result, new parents often encounter providers who lack the knowledge to assess risk, recognize warning signs, or refer appropriately. The widening gap between public awareness and professional preparedness is especially dangerous given that suicide prevention is central to perinatal mental health and already a required competency. Into this gap has stepped a parallel, largely unregulated workforce offering services that resemble mental health care without adequate safeguards. When licensed providers are unprepared, vulnerable parents turn to unsafe alternatives. We need licensed clinicians to meet this moment with standardized, required training. Perinatal mental health is not optional, it is foundational.
