Advancing Psychological Interventions for Prenatal Anxiety and Depression by Diversifying our Evidence Base
Carolyn Ponting, PhD

Black women and Latinas have more symptoms of depression and anxiety during pregnancy and are less likely to receive adequate treatment compared to their non-Latina white counterparts. Although effective psychological interventions targeting internalizing disorders in pregnancy are available, they are primarily tested with white women. In this talk I will review treatment outcome data from systematic reviews, efficacy trials and qualitative studies I have conducted with Latinx and Black pregnant women with depression and anxiety. I will also discuss recommendations for enhancing the mental health outcomes of minoritized groups, including promising integrative health approaches.

Dr. Carolyn Ponting is a licensed clinical psychologist and NIMH funded postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychiatry at UCSF. She studies contributors to perinatal mental health and culturally responsive psychological interventions in Latinx communities and other marginalized groups using quantitative and qualitative methods. Dr. Ponting has obtained advanced clinical training treating trauma exposed Spanish and English-speaking pregnant people. She is a former member of the Perinatal Health Task Force at Stanford’s California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, where she provided recommendations to the California Surgeon General regarding best practices for perinatal mental health screening.

Register here: https://ucsf.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAvcOmrrTgsHdOPUeozC8d9HFWaxWcAWLDt

For information on Research Seminars at the Osher Center for Integrative Health, visit our website: https://osher.ucsf.edu/research/research-seminars