Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day is this coming Sunday. I personally am very lucky to have a wonderful husband who is also a fantastic Dad to our children. I have no idea what to get him in honor of the day! I do, however, know that In the world of Maternal Mental Health, Dads are often overlooked. 

Thankfully, society has caught on, and this generation is really changing how we look at Dads.  In light of these thoughts. I want to quickly highlight some of the lesser known, important information about Fatherhood, Parenting, and Mental Health.




1. Dads are super important for childhood development. Check out these statistics at the National Fatherhood Initiative. It is easy to get the impression that Fathers are a bonus, but in reality, they are an essential part of a child's life and regardless of the relationship between the parents, if a healthy father/child relationship can be fostered, it should be. 

2. Dads are more involved than ever before.  This is great for kids, but can be hard on Dads.  Check out this blog that highlights how conflicts between the role models Dads had from previous generations and the expectations set today can increase distress for today's fathers. 

3. June 19, 2017 marks the 2nd International Father's Mental Health Day.  To learn more, visit here. Dads get postpartum depression. In fact it is estimated that 10% of dads will experience this. And if a woman has PPD, her partner's has a 50% risk of developing depression.

While we don't have the peer support resources to provide Dads, we will never turn away a Dad seeking help! So if you are a Dad or you know a Dad exhibiting symptoms of perinatal distress, we will do our best to connect them with the appropriate resources through our referral system. 

Additionally, here are two local resources that we know are helping Dads in their parenting journey.
Champions for Children, Inc. offers FRANC and REACHUP, INC. offers 24/7 Dads.  REACHUP, INC. is planning their 6th Annual Affirming Fatherhood Conference for September 21-22. Watch their website for details!

We hope you and/or the fathers in you life have a wonderful Father's Day!

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