384: Anti-Oppressive Counseling in Infant and Perinatal Mental Health with Meyleen Velasquez, DSW, LICSW, RPT-S, PMH-C

This episode covers an important topic geared toward therapists, perinatal mental health providers, and play therapists who want to have cultural humility with an anti-oppressive stance. You’ll learn what this means and how this viewpoint benefits the families affected by our work. Join us! Meyleen Velasquez is an immigrant Latinx psychotherapist specializing in perinatal and infant mental health. She has a doctorate in social work and focused her research on anti-racist and anti-oppressive mental health services. Her practice supports birthing people and clinicians working from an anti-oppressive framework. Meyleen is a Brown woman living with vitiligo and is the author of What Therapists Need to Know About Perinatal and Early Relational Health: A Guide to Anti-Oppressive Counseling with Caregivers, Babies, and Young Children.  Meyleen sits on the board of the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health and has served as the Chair for the Florida Chapter of Postpartum Support International and as the past president of the FL Association for Play Therapy. She enjoys training, speaking, and writing, and believes that the more we can support each other, the better for our communities.  Show Highlights: Understanding the field of infant mental health  Spoiling your child vs. “toughening up” your child The challenge in having healthy relationships Anti-oppression and an Indigenous worldview of the past and present Self-awareness, reflective consultations, and how we sit with clients We need to break free of our system of being on autopilot through life. Bigger, stronger, wiser, and kinder—even to ourselves What Meyleen would love to see change in our culture of mental health care The “Hollywood” perception of therapy is inaccurate. Meyleen’s thoughts on who would benefit most from her book A description of an anti-oppressive practitioner The immense responsibility to do this work to help families Resources: Connect with Meyleen Velasquez: Website, YouTube, Instagram, and What Therapists Need to Know About Perinatal and Early Relational Health: A Guide to Anti-Oppressive Counseling with Caregivers, Babies, and Young Children Call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA or visit cdph.ca.gov Please find resources in English and Spanish at Postpartum Support International, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773. There are many free resources, like online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to be more supportive in offering services.  You can also follow PSI on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and most other platforms Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/ for information on the grief course.   Visit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today! If you are a California resident looking for a therapist in perinatal mental health, email me about openings for private pay clients!