Nolan Earns Perinatal Mental Health Certification

WVU Division of Occupational Therapy faculty member, Dr. Kayleigh Nolan, PhD, MOT, OTR/L, SCLV, PMH-C, is recognized for her work in perinatal mental health. 

According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) who work in maternal health are uniquely prepared to equip new parents with resources by evaluating, assessing, and intervening in basic and instrumental activities of daily living (Khan, 2023). OTPs address the physical, emotional, and psychosocial demands to help caregivers establish routines from pre-conception, antenatal, and intrapartum through the post-partum period.

Recently, Dr. Nolan became the first OTP in West Virginia to earn the Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) through Postpartum Support International (PSI). This certification recognizes perinatal mental health specialists who have met education, practice, and mental health training requirements and passed a standardized certification exam. Perinatal mental health specialists have training and expertise in perinatal mental health disorders, risk and protective factors, screening, assessment, and treatment management, and evidence-based interventions to address the spectrum of maternal and family health concerns across the perinatal period, or from conception through the postpartum period.