"The availability of services provided by psychologists in perinatal care is a relatively recent event. It remains uncommon for a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to have a psychologist as a dedicated staff member, although the number of NICU psychologists is increasing. This volume is primarily concerned with perinatal services provided by psychologists. I do, however, want to make note at the beginning of the valuable role of social workers as a complement to the care offered by psychologists. Social workers have been available in NICUs since the mid-1960s. The National Association of Perinatal Social Workers (NAPSW) was founded in 1980 to help standardize training and services. The initial focus of perinatal social workers was service delivery in the NICU, but social work services soon spread to antepartum care and follow-up. NAPSW has published an excellent set of standards for a variety of activities including fertility counseling, bereavement, obstetric settings, adoptions, field education, and surrogacy. Some activities of social workers overlap with those of psychologists, but each discipline has its own set of unique skills. Social workers are often involved in case and crisis management, bedside family support, and discharge planning in the NICU"--
There are relatively high rates of complications in the fetal and neonatal periods (1 in 33 fetuses born with birth defects and 1 in 10 preterm births in the US). With advances in maternal-fetal care and growing services and life-extending medical innovations in the neonatal period, more families are presenting to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) and often for longer lengths of time. The growing recognition of mental health needs of families and providers in fetal care centers, NICUs, and neonatal follow-up programs has led to a quickly increasing presence of behavioral health providers in these settings.
Behavioral Health Services with High-Risk Infants & Families is a practical guide for mental health clinicians working in fetal care, NICU, and neonatal follow-up care. The book provides a broad overview of common medical conditions in fetal and NICU settings (e.g., congenital anomalies, premature birth, hypoxic injury in the perinatal period), prevalence, and symptoms of behavioral health challenges, specific considerations for assessment and intervention, and cross-cutting issues to assist the clinician with optimizing behavioral health care integration with mothers, partners, babies, and families. Additionally, information about the provision of psychosocial support and education to staff is also included. The text represents a comprehensive, practical resource for behavioral health clinicians working with pregnant women, partners, infants, families, and providers in perinatal and neonatal intensive care settings. The book features de-identified case examples, trauma-informed care
prompts/scripts, specific questions for assessment and intakes, key medical terms, resource guides, and reference lists.