A Postpartum Adaptation Study of the Connecting and Reflecting Experience Parenting Program

Experiencing postpartum mood and/or anxiety disorders (like postpartum depression; PMADs) can make parenting challenging, but group therapy may help both these parents and their babies. This study will test whether postpartum parents with PMADs find a 12-session parenting group therapy to be likable, doable, and helpful for mental health, parenting stress, and relationship with their infant. The therapy that is being tested is called the Connecting and Reflecting Experience (CARE) parenting program, which has not yet been used specifically with postpartum parents with PMADs, but has been found to be appealing and helpful among parents/caregivers of older children with mental health conditions. CARE focuses on parents' ability to consider how their own and their children's thoughts, feelings, intentions, and other mental states shape behavior and parent-child relationships. Participants in the study will be asked to fill out surveys before, during, and after participating in the group therapy. Adults may be eligible to participate in the study if they gave birth to an infant who is now 3 to 12 months old, are receiving postpartum medical and/or mental health care at Montefiore Medical Center, and have experienced postpartum depression and/or anxiety.