What is PAI?
The Parental Action Institute (PAI) was created for anyone who is committed to confronting the stigma of mental illness in new parenthood. Led by Postpartum Support International (PSI) Founder Jane Honikman and internationally recognized maternal mental health expert Dr. Shoshana Bennett, PAI’s vision is to motivate every community to create a support network for new families through grassroots action.
The Institute is designed for professionals and advocates working to improve care for expectant and new parents during the transition to parenthood. PAI considers a “professional” to be any dedicated person committed to bettering his or her skills. Through innovative training methods over one and a half days, attendees will gain insights in a relaxed and personal environment. PAI has had participants from Canada, the United States, and Norway.
“PAI was an incredible weekend, filled with authentic support, witnessing, brain storming and relating. The weekend flowed beautifully with a balance of learning, sharing and self care. The group was small, intimate and provided space to explore each individual’s goals and means to attain them. There was beautiful chemistry and space to share experiences and differences. PAI was an incredible weekend, filled with authentic support, witnessing, brain-storming and relating. It is a rare opportunity to connect and evolve.” -Lisa H.
The PAI Experience
Learn all you need to know to effectively support pregnant and postpartum parents in an intimate and comfortable home environment. Participants enjoy discussions in a non-judgmental and open atmosphere about how to approach new parents – and what they want to avoid. You will gain new insights and ideas about bringing this knowledge home to your community. The Institute ends with action steps to bring these ideas into reality.
Ideally, PAI is held in person – in Jane’s living room in Santa Barbara, CA, in fact. Dr. Shoshana Bennett and other experts join the workshop virtually. You can contact the faculty to learn more about hosting PAI in person in your community.
“PAI was wonderful, informative, interesting, and fun! As a doula and postpartum educator preparing for an MSW, PAI was a perfect combination of relevant educational and motivational that helped me to put into action a more concise plan for my future! Highly recommended!” -Kimberly Zuleger, PPD group leader, doula, graduate student in social work
PAI Workshop Goals
The Institute workshops are appropriate for mental health professionals, community leaders, new parent group leaders, parent advocates, lactation consultants, neonatal care professionals, doulas, midwives, and more. Each workshop is limited to six people. Participants in PAI can expect to meet the following goals and more:
- Explore the fundamentals of postpartum depression
- Learn to empower parents to help themselves by creating personalized wellness plans
- Understand why traditional therapy guidelines often do not apply when working with new parents
- Learn out-of-the-box questions to ask new parents which can determine if they are depressed
- Know what to do/not do, say/not say to partners and other family and friends
- Gain insight into the self-talk of new parents
- Learn how to build a supportive community for new families
“To achieve early intervention or prevention of [perinatal] mental illness, everyone needs to be involved.” -Jane Honikman, PSI Founder, PAI co-founder