Brought to you by the Virginia Mental Health Counselors Association
Brief description:
In our society, there are myths about mother(parent)hood and what is supposed to be like. For example, it is supposed to be a joyful and happy time in person’s life and that parents want to spend every moment with their babies. However, when they don’t feel this way, they feel guilty, ashamed, and alone in their struggle and believe that something is wrong with them. This is a common struggle that pregnant and postpartum people experience. Up 20% of pregnant and postpartum people will develop Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) during the perinatal period. This workshop will focus on understanding the symptoms and signs of Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) and resources available to support this population.
Learning Objectives:
1. Distinguish the difference between Baby Blues, Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs), and Psychosis
2. Identify the risk factors of PMADs
3. Recognize the impact of untreated PMADs
4. Identify resources for parents struggling with PMADs
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About the Speaker
Sultana Karim is a Licensed Therapist and the Owner of Karim Counseling Services, where she specializes in reproductive/ perinatal mental health and trauma. With over 15 years of clinical experience, she has worked in a wide range of settings including hospitals, domestic violence shelters, adoption agencies, and outpatient clinics. She is a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C), a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), a Certified EMDR Therapist, an Internal Family Systems (IFS) Level 1 Therapist, and a certified yoga teacher with specialized training in perinatal yoga.
Sultana is deeply committed to supporting families through life’s most challenging transitions, including pregnancy, postpartum, infertility, medical and birth trauma, perinatal loss, attachment trauma, and career-related trauma affecting military families and first responders. Her approach integrates evidence-based trauma therapies with compassionate care, helping clients heal and reclaim their stories.
In addition to her clinical practice, Sultana provides clinical supervision to LG’s and residents in counseling, and serves as the Director of Mental Health at Villa Advocacy Group. She is also a founding member of the Virginia Maternal Quality Care Alliance, where she contributes her expertise to advancing perinatal mental health initiatives statewide. Through these leadership and advocacy roles, she works to expand access to quality mental health care and reshape the narratives families carry around reproductive and perinatal experiences.
As a sought-after presenter and trainer, Sultana has spoken on topics including racial and ethnic disparities in perinatal mental health, understanding perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), integrating parts through IFS, infertility, cultural humility, mindfulness, parenting, the impact of domestic violence on children, child sexual abuse, play therapy, perceptions of seeking counseling, bullying and cyberbullying, and the intersection of race and gender.