Find Your Village, LLC

09/30/2025

I have taken the live version of the training mentioned in this post and it is wonderful.
I have given trainings on this topic and educated providers on how to engage parents/caregivers in the process of caring for their babies, how words matter and the phrasing and verbiage they use with parents is so important.
I have worked with parents who have lived through NICU experiences, those currently living through it, and parents who have been told a NICU stay is likely once they deliver. Helping them navigate systems that were not set up for them, advocate to be part of their baby's care, and find calm in the storm raging around and/or inside of them. All the while reminding them that they are enough. That they are doing the best they can do in a difficult situation and that is enough. That their baby knows they are loved no matter how they show up, but because they did show up.
September is NICU Awareness, as it comes to a close, try to reach out to someone you know who has had a NICU experience and let them know you see them, you hear them, and you are there for them, whether their time going through the NICU is present or has past.
https://www.touchstoneinstitute.org/post/not-geese-rethinking-bonding-attachment-and-identity-in-nicu-parenting?utm_campaign=cb995787-bc5f-4d27-ab1a-733835a67647&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=2c3be9d1-389e-4c55-9ccd-4d4677af756e

NICU parents often ask, “Did I miss my chance to bond with my baby?” In truth, bonding is not lost in a missed “golden hour.” As Mara Tesler Stein reminds us, “We’re not geese. We have a lot of time to bond.” For clinicians, understanding the distinctions between bonding, attachment, i...

09/29/2025

Well over a decade ago a friend of mine from high school stayed at my house and took care of my pets while I was out of the country on vacation. I came home to find Post-It Notes with lovely and positive statements on them stuck to the mirror in my bathroom (and one saying I needed to buy some new pens). I don't know if this person knows how much those sticky notes meant to me at the time...or that I have kept them, brought them when I moved, and they are still on my bathroom mirror today...slightly faded and curled around the edges, but I know what they said, the sentiment behind them, and the reminder they provide.
This idea has also become one of my first and favorite suggestions to clients that are struggling with depression and/or anxiety. You don't have to do them all at once, just write one positive statement a day-it can be something motivational, a positive mantra, a quote that sticks with you, or a reminder that you are amazing even when you don't feel like you are. Put them on your mirror, and look at them (even when you don't want to). Some days will be easier than others...other days we might need a couple sticky notes to remind us that things do (and will) feel better. You will feel better. You are not alone.

09/26/2025

In a conversation with a client about grief the other day, we spent some time processing 'should' thoughts and how at times we may feel pressure from others to feel a certain way, or grieve a certain way. The conversation started with her telling me that the upcoming anniversary of a loss she had experienced was this weekend and how she knew it would be a "bad day." We talked through, and around, and challenged, and questioned, and approached with curiosity this belief that the day would "be bad." In the end we agreed that it might be hard, and at times she might feel uncomfortable or experience higher levels of some emotions, but that it did not HAVE to be bad. We reviewed how feelings come and go, none being 'good' or 'bad,' and how it is important to sit with our feelings sometimes and experience the discomfort instead of constantly trying to run away from it...but that we also don't want to live in that discomfort forever. We also normalized sometimes getting to decide when we sit with those feelings and how we are allowed to give ourself a break from those feelings without guilt or shame.
The Seal of Feels below and I support your right to feel whatever you need to feel, and then to take a break. Feelings come and go, hurt will come and go. The key is to not get carried away when it comes, and remember that it doesn't stay forever, it will go, too.

09/25/2025

I am working on updating a training and revisiting some of my favorite resources for Early Childhood information. It got me wondering, what other 'go-to' sources for support and information related to early childhood are people using and referring people to?
Some of my favorites are:
-Zero to Three (zerotothree.org)
-Center on Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (csefel.vanderbilt.edu)
-Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ecmhc.org)
-Healthy Children-from the American Academy of Pediatrics (healthychildren.org)

What are yours??

09/04/2025

Just leaving this here in case anyone else needs to hear it...

09/02/2025

Cherished Mom is an amazing organization doing a wonderful job bringing awareness to difficult to talk about topics in the perinatal space. Check them out and support their 'Is Mom OK' campaign to raise awareness of maternal su***de: https://www.cherishedmom.org/ismomok

📣 Want to help raise awareness for maternal su***de prevention? It’s as easy as clicking share.

Every post you share spreads the message further, helping more moms feel seen, heard, and supported. 💞

👉 Hit that share button today—because awareness saves lives.

💞 http://www.givebutter.com/ismomok2025

08/28/2025

I attended a webinar yesterday, hosted by Spruce Health, with Patrick Casale, and found myself more inspired/motivated/affected than I thought I would have been. Using some time today to try some of the suggestions presented and noodle on ways I can use my own neurodivergence as a strength instead of using so much energy to try and hide it as a weakness...

07/25/2025

Two powerful trainings, one day. KyPQC is excited to offer this upcoming opportunity to deepen our collective commitment to maternal and infant health! Link to register in comments.

07/15/2025

The PSI-KY In-State Training scholarship application is officially OPEN! The first 100 applicants to complete the process will receive a scholarship to the 2-day Components of Care training this October in Louisville, KY. Applicants may also be considered for the 1-day Advanced Psychotherapy training that weekend if desired.

The application will remain open until July 30th. Please share with your friends and colleagues who may also be interested in advancing perinatal mental health in Kentucky! Feel free to distribute our informational flyer (attached below) on all social media and through your professional networks. The more people we can have trained in-state, the greater the outcomes for our perinatal population. Thank you so much for your ongoing commitment to PSI-KY, and a BIG Thanks to the PSI-KY Scholarship Committee!

APPLY HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfQa5cpRGNkFwUeUzKQFzk1BIj9Xzv5EdNeJHvKY979SUwvHQ/viewform

-KY

Hello, and thank you for your interest in the Postpartum Support International—Kentucky Chapter (PSI-KY) scholarship! Our organization is dedicated to promoting perinatal mental health in Kentucky. We are offering scholarships to attend Postpartum Support International’s (PSI) 2-Day Perinatal Me...

05/07/2025

Not my best time, but I got it done! How about you??
https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/180011/IndividualResult/TsJs?resultSetId=533438

The PSI KY’s Virtual 5K Run for Maternal Mental Health is on Monday May 5, 2025 to Sunday May 11, 2025.

04/10/2025

Not just mom's experience mental health struggles during pregnancy and following delivery!

💙 Did you know 10% of fathers experience postpartum depression (PPD)? 💙

New dads can struggle with feelings of anxiety, depression, or overwhelm too. The pressures of new parenthood, adjusting to a different role, and sleep deprivation can impact mental health—and it’s okay to ask for help.

If you’re struggling, The Climb and Postpartum Support International (PSI-KY) are here to provide resources, support, and guidance. You don’t have to navigate this alone. 🌿

Contact PSI for support:
📞 Helpline call or text: 1-800-944-4773
🌐 Website: www.postpartum.net

04/10/2025

Medicaid is a key source of funding for IDEA Part C (early intervention). The two programs work together to deliver early support for infants and toddlers with disabilities or developmental delays, helping them get what they need to grow and thrive.

Early intervention, through IDEA Part C, helps preterm infants, children with hearing loss, Down syndrome and babies and toddlers with other diagnoses or developmental delays, make meaningful progress in their development. Learn more: https://bit.ly/41MNR7U