Perinatal Pro

Home

Who is Perinatal Pro?

Blue Skye Consulting, LLC

Contact

Postpartum Therapy

PPD Therapy Approaches

Find a PPD therapist NOW!

Common provider questions

Common client questions

Today's Blog

Brooke Shields Speaks

Common PPD Questions

Photo Gallery

For Mom's Only

Training and Education

PMAD books and articles

PMAD Media Library

Recursos en Espanol

PPD Legislation

Read the bill S 324

Advocacy Team

Senator contact info

Congressman contact info

National & State Support

Listing of supporters

Perinatal Pro.Com

Effective, empathic therapy to support recovery from perinatal or postpartum mood disorders

Perinatal Pro's Advocacy Team
Sylvia Lasalandra
Mary Jo Codey
Katherine Stone
Susan Dowd Stone, MSW, LCSW, owner/author Perinatal Pro
Sylvia Lasalandra Frodella is a survivor of PPD was a passionate advocate for The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.  She has lent her voice to efforts in DC and across the country to raise awareness of these issues and promote this critical legislation, helping to pass this legislation!

She is the author of 
A Daughter's Touch a riveting story of her postpartum experiences which has been made into an award winning film and may soon become a feature length presentation. She is a current member and past chair of Postpartum Support International's President's Advisory Council.

Sylvia's role with Perinatal Pro is coordination of legislative efforts and community outreach. Now that ppd legislation is law, Sylvia will continue to work on bringing the message of the importance of early assessment, effective treatment and family education to the community through her compelling story of suffering and survival. Sylvia knows first hand the value of family and social support to recovery from these illnesses. Sylvia co-presents at Perinatal Pro's
community lectures on PPD, helping to raise awareness among family members whose loved one may be experiencing a perinatal mood disorder.

But most importantly, Sylvia is the mother of Melina who inspires her daily to keep spreading the message of hope!


Mary Jo Codey is the Fomer First Lady of New Jersey and a PPD Survivor. With her husband's support, NJ State Senate President Richard Codey, she spearheaded efforts in New Jersey and across the country to raise awareness about postpartum depression, resulting in a nationally known campaign  "Speak Up When You're Down". 

On April 13, 2006, her efforts were rewarded as New Jersey became the first state in the union to pass postpartum depression legislation. The bill encourages the screening of new mothers by  health care providers, calls for public awareness campaigns, and offers an educational website, 800 HELP number and other educational and consumer resources.

Mrs. Codey has appeared in many public service announcements proclaiming her struggle and belief in the need of additional attention and support to this critical public health crisis. Mary Jo Codey is beloved around the state and the country for her tireless efforts to advocate for mothers, infants and families on this issue. She encourages you to join the state by state listings at
www.perinatalpro.com to support the bill's funding and to let your name be among those  your legislators see when the The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act comes up for appropriations/funding soon!

Here is her letter to you!!

Dear Supporters,

In 2004, when my husband was appointed acting governor for the state of  New Jersey, I  didn’t have to talk my husband into introducing legislation that would not only help women, but save the lives of women , babies and families suffering with this unforgiving illness called postpartum depression. Richard lived the pain with me. He saw the destruction this illness caused the entire family.

The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS ACT, once funded will ensure that ALL women and their families are educated about postpartum depression. It would also provide research into the causes, diagnoses and treatments for postpartum depression. This bill will tell ALL women that they no longer have to suffer in shame or silence if they are confronted with feelings of depression during and after the birth of their newborn.

Now is the time to join me and encourage funding of this historic and critical legislation. Please show your support and sensitivity towards an issue that is so dear to my heart by adding your name today.

 
Warmly,

 
Mary Jo Codey
Former First Lady, State of New Jersey

Katherine Stone is the author/originator of  Postpartum Progress, the most widely-read blog in the United States on perinatal mood disorders. In 2001, Stone suffered postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder after the birth of her first child.  The feeling of isolation and shame she suffered inspired her to speak out through her blog to try and help others.  Because of this work, she was chosen by WebMD as one of its four 2008 Health Heroes. The Health Heroes Awards is an annual, national program to recognize individuals who overcome challenges and help transform healthcare

 Stone has served as guest editor on the topic of postpartum depression at BlogHer,  the Chair of Public Relations for Postpartum Support International and serves on the advisory board of the Georgia Postpartum Support Network.

 Her media appearances have included Time Inc.'s Health.com in the PPD area of its Depression section,  a featured voice on "BORN", a documentary about the postpartum experience in America, Newsweek magazine, WebMD the Magazine, and on www.womenshealth.gov, a U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website.  Stone also speaks widely on the topic of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Prior
to becoming a full time advocate and stay-at-home mom, Stone spent 7 years in corporate marketing at The Coca-Cola Company. 

Stone encourages you to sign the petition in support of the bill's funding by adding your name, state and any credential (including that of mother) today!


Susan Dowd Stone on Capitol Hill

Susan Dowd Stone, MSW, LCSW is an award winning psychotherapist, author, advocate and mental health expert who was president of Postpartum Support International, (2006 - 2008), the organization’s vice-president and Conference Chair (2005 - 2006) and currently chairs PSI’s President’s Advisory Council (2008 - 2010). She is also a National Board Member of the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition.

The author/owner of Perinatal Pro, a leading international website devoted to providing expert and comprehensive information about these disorders, continues to host the state by state petition that helped raise awareness for passage of this legislation and now encourages the bill's funding.

She was a consultant in the development of the first national postpartum depression public service announcement campaign with
CBS Cares. She is a NJHSS Certified Perinatal Mood Disorders Instructor, and an Adjunct Lecturer in the MSW program at the Silver School of Social Work, New York University, where she presents on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Interpersonal Psychotherapy.

Ms. Stone received her MSW from New York University where she was the recipient of a President’s Service Award.  Additional and recent awards include The Mental Health Association Golden Bell Award (May, 2009)  the Logan Leadership Award (August, 2009), and the Hudson Perinatal Consortium Community Partner Award (November 2009). On Veterans Day, November, 2009,
she was invited to join First Lady Michelle Obama, Second Lady Jill Biden and Alma Powell on stage at George Washington University as national partners in Mission: Serve were announced.

While working at Hackensack University Medical Center in the Department of Psychiatry, she helped form and facilitate the Postpartum Psychotherapy program which helped assess, identify and treat women at risk or diagnosed with perinatal mood disorders. She also offered socialization groups for new mothers and their babies, as well as individual and group therapy specifically supportive to recovery from perinatal mood disorders. Ms. Stone has received numerous other awards for her initiation and implementation of other programs supportive to mental health, including animal assisted therapy. 

Ms. Stone was a contributor to the NJ Governor’s Task Force Educational Webinar on postpartum depression and is a frequent author and cited resource on the topic of perinatal mental health; recent writings include
Perinatal and Postpartum Mood Disorders: Perspectives and Treatment Guide for the Healthcare Practitioner (Stone & Menken, eds, Springer, 2008), an article in the NJ Psychological Association’s journal Empowering PPD Recovery with Dialectical Behavior Therapy and a chapter on the treatment of perinatal mood disorders in a graduate textbook entitled Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Clinical Social Work Practice, the first of its kind for social workers with a foreword by Aaron Beck. (Ronen & Freeman, Springer, 2006). Her Powerpoint presentation, “Telling the Birth Story”, has been widely resourced around the world by healthcare facilities, agencies and mental health professionals as a guide for those interested in implementing PPD programs.

She regularly presents on women’s reproductive mental health issues at educational conferences, seminars and in the media; national television appearances have included the
CBS Early Show, ABC News, NJN News, NBC News, The New Morning Show (Hallmark), A Place of Our Own (PBS), the Morning Show (FOX) and many others including Washing DC based radio host Jonathan Emord's show Health, Law and Politics.

At the invitation of congressional leaders, she has presented at Capitol Hill Press Conference with Brooke Shields and other notable advocates on this issue, spoken at Congressional briefings and is frequently invited to contribute viewpoint or review pending legislation, media content or commentary relevant to PPD issues and emerging research. She is a nationally recognized advocate for the credentialing, promotion and adoption of evidenced based treatments in clinical programs for all licensed mental health professionals. She is a public reviewer for the National Institute of Mental Health.

Ms. Stone also offers audio posts and commentary for 
EmpowHer.com  In addition, she performs legal case review in which perinatal mental health issues may be a cause of action.

Ms. Stone maintains a private practice in Englewood Cliffs, NJ called Blue Skye Consulting LLC, specializing in women’s reproductive mental health across the life cycle, trauma treatment, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, DBT and EMDR.


 
Watch a video clip of Mary Jo Codey and Sylvia Lasalandra advocating for support of The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act on NJN News

http://dev.winningstrat.net/dhss/ppd_wwor-051009.html

Perinatal Pro.com © is the website presence of Blue Skye Consulting, LLC
560 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
201-567-5596