Highlights from the Postpartum Support International’s Conference

I had the honor of attending the Postpartum Support International (PSI) 27th Annual Conference at the University of North Carolina (UNC) campus at Chapel Hill.

The theme that year was:

“Creating Connections between Communities: Practitioners and Science: Innovative Care for Perinatal Mental Health.”

Researchers, clinicians, advocates, and survivors gathered to share both professional insight and personal experience. It was, at that time, the best-attended conference in PSI’s history — a reflection of the growing awareness around maternal mental health.

PSI Memorial Quilt

On of the most moving aspects of the conference is the PSI Memorial Quilt, which has the names of women who lost their lives due to perinatal mental illness. The quilt is a traveling quilt and requests by PSI members are considered for use at maternal mental health presentations and events.

Standing before it is a sobering reminder:

Perinatal mental health is not a niche issue.It is life-and-death healthcare.

And it deserves serious, coordinated, compassionate attention.

Voices from Research, Advocacy, and Clinical Practice

The conference brought together leaders in the field, including:

• Wendy Davis, PhD, Executive Director of PSI

• David Rubinow, MD, University of North Carolina

• Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, University of North Carolina

• Marguerite Morgan, Arbor Circle Early Childhood Services

• Joy Buckner, California’s 20/20 Moms Project

• Susan Benjamin Feingold

• Katherine Stone, founder of Postpartum Progress

  
  

The blend of science, advocacy, and lived experience reflected something I deeply value in my own work: integration. Clinical research matters. Survivor stories matter. Policy matters. Community matters.

Perinatal mental health is inherently interdisciplinary.

Perinatal Mental Health Community and Connections

I had the pleasure of reconnecting with colleagues and meeting new professionals dedicated to maternal mental health — including Kathleen Kendall-Tackett and Maggie Muir, who presented on the intersection of breastfeeding and maternal mental health.

Maggie also shared her nature photography, reminding us that restoration matters for clinicians too. Her hummingbird and garden images were a gentle counterbalance to the intensity of the work.

There is something powerful about being in a room full of people who understand that maternal mental health is not secondary care — it is foundational. Wendy Davis, PhD, Executive Director and Lianne Swanson, PSI Office Manager, are shown here manning the book store!

Here I am with Katherine Stone at the banquet! She is sure tall and she had high heels on! I’m 5′ 1″ and had flats on so I could run around and chat with everyone!

And here I am socializing with Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, founder of Precarlus Press and Maggie Muir, LMFT and IBLC , nature photographer extraordinaire!

More socializing and networking with Andrea Bates, LCSW and founder of Good Girl Gone Redneck!

Please enjoy the beautiful nature photography of Maggie Muir, LCSW of California, a lactation consultant, family therapist and a longtime member of PSI. She presented a talk at the conference about the inter-section of maternal mental health and breastfeeding. Enjoy her hummingbird photo presented here.

She says: “Spending time in the garden and photographing nature is what fills me with peace; I love to give these cards and was so happy to be able to donate them to the PSI bookstore. PSI is such an amazing organization and does such profound good around the world!”

I want to share another of Maggie Muir’s hummingbird photograph!

And some of her flowers here!

Community and Support

Attending gatherings like this reminds me that perinatal mental health is both intimate and collective work. Each mother’s story is deeply personal, unfolding within her body, her family, her history — and yet it is also shaped by community, research, and systems of care.

When clinicians, researchers, advocates, and survivors sit in the same room, something larger forms: a shared commitment to protecting mothers during one of the most vulnerable and transformative seasons of life. That commitment continues long after the conference ends — in exam rooms, therapy offices, homes, and quiet conversations where healing begins

A Message to Mothers

PSI’s message remains clear and steady:

You are not alone.You are not to blame.With help, you will be well.

If you or someone you love needs support, Postpartum Support International offers resources, provider referrals, and a Warmline

(call or text in the U.S.):1-800-944-4773 (EN/ES)