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Trauma-Informed Care and Suicidality

Program Date: 3 October 2019

Publication Date: 30 January 2020

Continuing Education Units: Nurse Contact: 1.0; Dietitian CPEU: 1.0

Course Description:

In this course, you’ll define Trauma-Informed Care and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs); identify 4 health outcomes linked to ACEs; discuss 3 Trauma-Informed Care techniques; and describe the risk of suicidality in the perinatal period.

Course Objectives:

•Define Trauma-Informed Care and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

•Identify 4 health outcomes linked to ACEs.

•Discuss 3 Trauma-Informed Care techniques in caring for Mother/infant and NICU families.

•Describe the risk of suicidality in the perinatal period.

CDR Level: 1
Suggested Learning Codes: 1130, 4130, 5320
Performance Indicators: 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.7, 4.1.5
Run Time: 41

Course Instructor Bio(s)

Lita Simanis, MSW, LCSW, PMH-C

Perinatal Mental Health Clinician

Alexian Brothers Hospital System

Hoffman Estates, IL, USA

Lita is the Coordinator of the Pregnancy and Postpartum Mood & Anxiety Disorder Program at AMITA Health/Alexian Brothers. She developed the first perinatal intensive outpatient program in the state of Illinois that opened its doors in August, 2015 and has now served over 500 patients. In addition to her current role at AMITA Health/Alexian Brothers she is a Perinatal Crisis Counselor for the Illinois Mom’s Line, Secretary on the Board of Directors for Postpartum Support International as well as a Board Member for the International Marce Society for Perinatal Mental Health. She is also the co-coordinator of the Postpartum Depression Illinois Alliance.

Lita has lectured on perinatal mood disorders in local, state and national settings. She started a quarterly Perinatal Mental Health Provider breakfast for local clinicians to learn and network. She is an active member of a quarterly Perinatal Mental Health Provider Clinical Consulting group and maintains memberships with Postpartum Support International, the National Association of Social Workers and the National Association of Perinatal Social Workers.

In 2017, Lita was involved in advocacy, providing expert testimony with Dr Susan Benjamin Feingold in support of Illinois House Bill 1764 (now PA 100-0574) that allows for perinatal mood disorders to be considered as mitigating factors for sentencing in crimes.

In 2018, Postpartum Support International created a certification exam for Perinatal Mental Health clinicians, and Lita was part of the team of experts that wrote the exam with Pearson-Vue. Lita is a member of the Illinois Department of Public Health Maternal Mortality Review Committee on Violent Deaths, a project to review maternal deaths caused by homicide, suicide and substance abuse to identify opportunities for intervention.