Perinatal Population Peer Consultation Group
A virtual peer consultation group for licensed counselors and social workers working with the perinatal population.
Perinatal clients bring unique clinical questions into the therapy room.
A client may be trying to conceive while managing anxiety and uncertainty. A pregnant client may be experiencing depression, trauma, or intrusive thoughts. A postpartum client may be struggling with identity, relationships, adjustment, or symptoms that feel very different from anything they've experienced before.
And sometimes, the hardest part isn't recognizing that a client needs support. It's knowing how to think through the situation clinically.
What are you missing? What would another experienced clinician notice? When is consultation warranted? What resources or treatment approaches might you consider?
The Perinatal Population Peer Consultation Group provides a structured space for licensed mental health professionals to bring those questions to a community of clinicians interested in the same area of practice.
This is an opportunity to discuss cases, exchange perspectives, expand your clinical knowledge, and develop greater confidence working with perinatal clients, all while earning Category II/B continuing education credits.
[JOIN THE CONSULTATION GROUP] (button w/ Link to application & payment section)
Perinatal mental health requires specialized clinical consideration.
The perinatal period encompasses some of the most significant physical, emotional, relational, and identity changes a person may experience.
For therapists, that can create clinical situations that don't always fit neatly into familiar treatment frameworks.
You may encounter:
Anxiety related to pregnancy, fertility, or becoming a parent
Perinatal depression
Postpartum anxiety
Intrusive thoughts
Infertility and reproductive challenges
Pregnancy loss and grief
Birth trauma
Relationship changes
Changes in identity and self-concept
Adjustment to parenthood
Complex family dynamics
Concerns related to attachment and bonding
Questions about risk, referrals, and level of care
You may also find yourself wondering whether a particular symptom is part of a client's adjustment, an indication of a more significant mental health concern, or something that warrants additional assessment or collaboration with another provider.
These are the kinds of clinical questions that benefit from thoughtful consultation.
Meet Your Consultation Group Facilitator
Meet Your Consultation Group Facilitator
Ashley Swift, LCPC
Clinical Supervisor | Perinatal Consultation Group Facilitator
Ashley Swift, LCPC, is a Clinical Supervisor at LifeSpring Counseling Services who has completed specialized training in perinatal mental health. She is passionate about supporting clinicians as they develop their skills and confidence in working with the perinatal population.
Ashley brings a collaborative approach to consultation, creating space for clinicians to explore clinical questions, share perspectives, and learn from one another.
When your caseload includes perinatal clients, consultation can strengthen your practice.
A good consultation group isn't simply a place to talk about difficult cases.
It's a place to think more carefully about your work.
The Perinatal Population Peer Consultation Group gives you an ongoing opportunity to:
Think through complex cases
Bring clinical questions and challenging cases to a group of professionals who share an interest in perinatal mental health.
Discussion may help you consider additional perspectives, treatment considerations, resources, referrals, and questions for further assessment.
Develop your clinical confidence
You don't need to have every answer before you work with a perinatal client.
Consultation allows you to learn from other clinicians' experiences, consider different approaches, and build your knowledge over time.
Expand your understanding
of perinatal mental health
Perinatal mental health is a broad area of practice. Ongoing discussion can expose you to clinical situations, perspectives, and resources you may not encounter in your own caseload.
Meet your ethical responsibilities
around consultation
Seeking consultation isn't an indication that you aren't competent.
It's one way clinicians responsibly recognize the limits of their knowledge and seek additional perspectives when doing so can benefit their clients.
Invest in your own professional well-being
Clinical work can involve significant emotional responsibility, particularly when working with clients experiencing major life transitions, trauma, grief, or significant mental health symptoms.
A regular professional space to discuss the work can help clinicians reflect on difficult cases, consider boundaries, and remain thoughtful about their own experience as practitioners.
Earn continuing education credits
Perinatal mental health is a broad area of practice. Ongoing discussion can expose you to clinical situations, perspectives, and resources you may not encounter in your own caseload.
Participation in the group provides an opportunity to earn Category II/B continuing education credits while engaging in clinically relevant peer consultation.
Who is this perinatal consultation group for?
The Perinatal Population Peer Consultation Group is designed for licensed counselors and social workers who work with clients in the perinatal period.
That includes clinicians who:
Already specialize in perinatal mental health
See perinatal clients as part of a broader caseload
Are beginning to work with more clients who are pregnant or postpartum
Work with clients experiencing infertility or reproductive challenges
Want to develop greater competence in perinatal mental health
Have an interest in expanding their clinical focus
Want consistent peer consultation around perinatal cases
Value continued professional learning and collaboration
Who is this perinatal consultation group for?
No.
You simply need to be a clinician who works with the perinatal population and/or is interested in learning and growing in this area.
You can join whether you're relatively new to perinatal work or have been working with this population for years.
The goal isn't to create a room where everyone has the same level of expertise.
It's to create a room where clinicians can learn from one another.
A consistent professional space throughout the year
Consistency matters in professional development.
Rather than looking for consultation only when a challenging case arises, participants can make peer consultation a regular part of their professional practice.
The Perinatal Population Peer Consultation Group meets virtually on the fourth Friday of each month for 10 months, January through October 2027.
Peer Consultation Logistics:
When: Fourth Friday of each month from 10:00–11:30 AM EST, Starting January 22, 2027
The first meeting will take place on Friday, January 22, 2027.
Where: Virtual meeting (meeting link will be sent in January)
Investment: $50 per 1.5-hour (virtual) peer consultation group when paid in full (Total $500) or $55 per group when paying monthly
The group includes 10 monthly virtual consultation sessions from January through October 2027.
Our ask: This group is for individuals who are committed to consistent attendance and participation. This consultation group is not refundable, so please mark your calendar as soon as your registration has been completed.
[RESERVE YOUR SPOT] button to sign up and make payment.
Perinatal mental health is receiving more attention. Clinicians need opportunities to keep developing their skills.
There has been growing public and professional attention to maternal and perinatal mental health, including increased awareness of conditions such as postpartum depression and anxiety and the importance of identifying and treating mental health concerns during pregnancy and after birth.
High-profile cases involving severe postpartum mental health concerns have also generated public discussion about perinatal mental illness, risk, treatment, and the role of mental health professionals.
For clinicians, these conversations reinforce an important point:
Perinatal mental health deserves thoughtful, informed clinical care.
That doesn't mean every clinician needs to become a perinatal specialist.
It does mean that clinicians serving this population benefit from opportunities to continue developing their knowledge, consult appropriately, recognize when additional support is needed, and reflect on the complexities that can arise in this work.
That's the purpose of this group.
Is this the right consultation group for you?
If perinatal clients are part of your caseload, or if you want them to become a larger part of your practice, you may benefit from having a consistent place to ask questions, exchange ideas, and continue developing your clinical skills.
You don't need to consider yourself an expert.
You don't need to have a highly specialized practice.
You don't need to know exactly what you want to learn before you join.
You need an interest in serving the perinatal population and a willingness to participate in the consultation process.
Ready to make peer consultation part of your regular professional practice?
Join LifeSpring Counseling Services' Perinatal Population Peer Consultation Group.
[RESERVE YOUR SPOT]
Frequently Asked Questions
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Group participants are expected to mark their calendars to ensure that they are able to attend the group consistently. Group members will not disclose clients’ protected health information (PHI) in the group, and group members will keep information shared by other clinicians’ confidential. Group members are expected to provide a supportive, judgment free space where fellow clinicians are free to learn, grow, be curious, and ask questions. The idea is that we all have something to teach, and we all have something to learn. -
No refunds are provided. At sign up, we are expecting clinicians to check their calendar to ensure that there are no conflicts and to mark their calendars after registration. Space for the group is limited, and we rely on completed sign-ups to help us determine when our group has been filled.
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We understand. That happens. We will look forward to seeing you next month.
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No. This is a peer consultation group, not clinical supervision.
Participants can discuss clinical questions, cases, treatment considerations, and professional experiences. Participation does not replace required clinical supervision, and each clinician remains responsible for their own clinical decisions and professional obligations.
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You don't need to bring a case to every meeting.
Listening to other clinicians' cases, participating in discussion, asking questions, sharing resources, and considering different clinical perspectives can all be valuable parts of peer consultation.