New parents can experience a spectrum of feelings that extend beyond the normal anxiety nearly everyone faces the first few months of their babies’ lives. In this continuing education series, our experts focus on some of the postpartum anxiety and behavioral disorders your patients may face as they adjust to early parenthood, including opioid use, perinatal depression, perinatal anxiety, trauma-informed behaviors and suicidality.
In this course, Barbara Parilla, MD, FACOG, FASAM, discusses the process for screening pregnant women with opioid use disorder; and identifies opioid use disorder interventions and patient resources. [FREE Continuing Education: 1.0 RN CE/1.0 RD CPEU]
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Dr. Parilla is board certified in both Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Addiction Medicine. She is part of the OB clinical leadership team for the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative's initiative "Mothers and Neonates affected by Opioids." She is a speaker for the Buprenorphine Waiver Course jointly sponsored by ACOG and ASAM. She also serves on the Illinois Morbidity and Mortality Review Committee, specifically the subcommittee that reviews homicides and overdoses. She was the recipient of the March of Dimes Physician Award in 2016 for her work in the area of opioid use disorders in pregnancy.
Dr. Parilla received her undergraduate and medical degree from Stony Brook University, and her fellowship training at Northwestern University, where stayed on as a full-time faculty member for 14 years. She then spent the next 14 years with Advocate Medical Group, where she served as the Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Lutheran General Hospital. She joined Rush Medical Group in April 2018.
In this course, Patrick McGrath, PhD, identifies the areas where we get stuck doing the same behaviors over and over; and discusses strategies to develop new ways of functioning in our environment. [FREE Continuing Education: 1.0 RN CE/1.0 RD CPEU]
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In this course, Patrick McGrath, PhD, identifies how anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder can have an impact on the perinatal experience; and describes basic behavioral skills to address anxiety and stress. [FREE Continuing Education: 1.0 RN CE/1.0 RD CPEU]
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In this course, Lita Simanis, MSW, LCSW, PMH-C, presents the signs and symptoms of perinatal depression and the importance of screening in the NICU; and discusses the effects of perinatal mood disorders on the offspring. [FREE Continuing Education: 1.0 RN CE/1.0 RD CPEU]
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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 this course, Lita Simanis, MSW, LCSW, PMH-C, defines trauma-informed care and adverse childhood experiences; identifies four health-linked outcomes; and describes the risk of suicidality in the perinatal period. [FREE Continuing Education: 1.0 RN CE/1.0 RD CPEU]
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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.
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continuing medical education courses
Earn CME credits at no cost to you.
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