Applications now being accepted for MHAM’s Maternal Mental Health Fellowship!
Indiana ranks 44th in the United States for mental health workforce availability, with a staggering ratio of 530 residents per mental health professional (Access to Care Data 2024 | Mental Health America). This shortfall is especially concerning in maternal mental health, where complications are both common and highly treatable.
Between 15% and 20% of pregnant and postpartum women experience diagnosable mental health conditions, yet too few providers are trained to address these perinatal mood disorders. Women from historically marginalized groups often face additional barriers to accessing effective mental health care, leading to inequities in treatment and outcomes.
For the past four years, Mental Health Awareness of Michiana has been on a mission to close these gaps. By bringing expert trainers to Michiana, MHAM has worked to raise awareness of perinatal mental health and build local capacity. To tackle the growing demand for trained clinicians, MHAM launched the Maternal Mental Health Fellowship. This comprehensive training program is designed for early-career social work and counseling professionals seeking a perinatal specialization.
“This is a unique opportunity for clinicians in Michiana who are passionate about working with pregnant and postpartum women and families,” says Lisa Kelly, herself a perinatal clinician and MHAM’s Executive Director. “This work has the potential for generational impact. Parents who are struggling need effective counseling that will help them through a stressful time. Our Fellows receive training and supervision valued at over $4000. The community benefits when we grow the number of clinicians serving the local community in the short and long term leading to healthy and happy families.”
Each cohort lasts 6 months. Fellows receive 3-5 hours per week of extensive training, perinatal clinical experience, and weekly clinical supervision. Fellows provide counseling to pregnant or postpartum community members facing financial and other barriers to care.
“Thank you so much for this opportunity!” says prior cohort participant Olivia Morris. “Truly, it has really helped me build confidence in my skills as a clinician. When I started my MSW I didn’t think I’d want to (provide) therapy, but this experience helped me realize how much I love doing 1:1 counseling. Over the course of this fellowship, I’ve become a lot more comfortable providing therapy and I feel confident that I’ll be able to work with a wide range of perinatal clients.”
Join us for a general information session to see if our upcoming cohort is right for you!
Email us at info@mhamichiana.org to sign up for a general (virtual) information session:
- Wednesday, 7/16/2025
- 12:00 – 12:45 p.m.
