Parents and Mental Health: The Negative Impact of Expectations (Ep. 477)

About this episode

This episode discusses the negative impact of societal expectations on perinatal mental health and features Olivia Scobie, who shares her insights on supporting new parents.

Guilt, shame, and unreasonable expectations should not be the words that describe parenthood, but for many new parents, they are. This conversation focuses on the impact of social systems on perinatal mental health and what professionals should know about how to support people with perinatal mental health conditions. We still have a long way to go to fully understand how our social systems impact parents. Join us to learn more! Olivia Scobie is a queer social worker whose own chaotic transition into motherhood inspired her dedication to supporting new parents. She holds a Master of Social Work and a Master of Arts in Sociology with a focus on gender and family, and she is completing a Ph.D. in Health Policy and Equity, researching the reproductive trauma experience of LGBT+ birthers. Olivia works one-on-one with parents and is the co-founder of Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Trainings, where she mentors and trains mental health and allied professionals to navigate the unique challenges of the perinatal period. She is the author of Impossible Parenting: Creating a New Culture of Mental Health for Parents, a bold call to rethink the impossible standards parents are expected to…

People in this episode

Host: Katayune Kaeni

Guest: Olivia Scobie

Topics covered

• perinatal mental health
• parenting expectations
• social systems impact
• support for new parents
• reproductive trauma
• equity in parenting

Keywords

• parenthood
• guilt
• shame
• mental health
• LGBT+ birthers
• provider burnout
• parental support

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Trainings

Books & works: Impossible Parenting: Creating a New Culture of Mental Health for Parents

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