About the Event

Date/Time: Friday December 11, 2026 1pm-3pm

Instructor: Kara Kushnir, LCSW, PMH-C

Delivery Method: Online via Zoom meeting *Participants will have access to their camera/microphone for participation

Interactivity Type: Live Interactive Webinar

Cost: $45

Level: Intermediate

Credit Hours: A Work of Heart Counseling (Provider #2264), is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 10/21/26-10/21/27. Social workers completing this course receive 2 clinical continuing education credits. 

PMH-Cs will receive 2 renewal credits.

Kara Kushnir, LCSW, PMH-C, is the founder of A Work of Heart Counseling & Wellness and serves as the Training & Partnerships Manager for Postpartum Support International – NJ. An EMDR-certified clinician and perinatal mental health specialist, she develops and delivers professional training for healthcare providers on birth trauma, trauma-informed care, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. She has been recognized as a NJBiz Healthcare Hero and NJ Kids Top Doc.

About 1 in 3 birthing people experience birth as psychologically traumatic, yet many healthcare settings still miss it. This training gives providers practical tools to recognize birth trauma, respond to it, and help prevent it. Topics include postpartum PTSD and subclinical presentations, trauma-informed and culturally responsive care for diverse families, and how to protect yourself from vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. You’ll also practice somatic grounding techniques you can use with patients

Sample Timed Agenda

Birth Trauma: Identification, Prevention, and Provider Wellbeing

2-hour training · 1:00–3:00 PM

1:00–1:10 | Welcome and Orientation (10 min)

Introductions, training overview, and learning objectives

Trauma-informed group agreements: content notice, permission to step out, self-care options

Brief opening grounding exercise

1:10–1:35 | Understanding Birth Trauma (25 min) — Objective 1

Birth trauma as an underrecognized public health concern

Prevalence:

1 in 3 birthing individuals experience psychological birth trauma

About 9% meet full DSM-5 criteria for postpartum PTSD

Physical birth injury or trauma affects 2 in every 1,000 neonates

The SAMHSA framework and the Three E’s of Trauma: Event, Experience, Effect

Why trauma is subjective: what the person perceived vs. what objectively happened

DSM-5 PTSD criteria applied to the perinatal period

Postpartum PTSD vs. subclinical psychological birth trauma

Who is affected:

LGBTQ+ birthing people

Black mothers and fathers

Survivors of traumatic loss

People with histories of medical trauma

Partners and support people who witnessed the birth

1:35–2:00 | Clinical Presentations and Downstream Effects (25 min) — Objective 1

Symptom clusters: intrusions, avoidance, hyperarousal, negative changes in mood and thinking

How birth trauma overlaps with and contributes to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs)

Effects on parent-infant attachment and bonding

Effects on the couple relationship and the family system

Effects on future pregnancies, fear of childbirth, and avoiding healthcare

Effects on caregiver and patient wellbeing

How it gets missed in healthcare settings: common barriers to identification

2:00–2:35 | Trauma-Informed Care Across the Perinatal Continuum (35 min) — Objective 2

The provider’s central role in preventing and mitigating birth trauma

SAMHSA’s trauma-informed care principles applied to prenatal care, labor and delivery, postpartum, and NICU settings

Common negative perinatal cognitions (e.g., “My body failed,” “I should have done something differently,” “I’m not a good mother”)

Culturally responsive and affirming care:

Racial disparities in maternal health and their impact on Black families

Affirming language and practices for LGBTQ+ families

Supporting survivors of loss and medical trauma

Collaborative care: consent, choice, and shared decision-making

Best practices for supporting families: validation, debriefing, and referral pathways

Case vignette and small-group discussion

2:35–2:55 | Provider Wellbeing and Somatic Regulation (20 min) — Objective 3

Vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout: definitions and how they differ

Occupational risk factors for perinatal providers

Evidence-informed mitigation strategies at the individual and organizational levels

Experiential practice of somatic grounding techniques for patients and providers:

Bilateral movement

Tapping

Butterfly Hug

Havening Touch

2:55–3:00 | Wrap-Up (5 min)

Key takeaways and resources

Q&A

Post-test and course evaluation

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify the prevalence, presentations, and downstream effects of psychological birth trauma, including how postpartum PTSD differs from subclinical birth trauma

• Apply trauma-informed care principles in perinatal settings with culturally responsive, affirming, and collaborative approaches

• Recognize vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue as occupational risks for perinatal providers

• Use at least two evidence-informed strategies to reduce provider burnout and support patient regulation

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Accommodation Information: Our webinars are available to anyone who is able to access the internet. For those that require it, please contact us at kara@aworkofheartcounseling.com for more information on and/or to request accomodations.

Refund Policy:

PURCHASE OF THIS COURSE IS NON-REFUNDABLE/NON-TRANSFERABLE. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. REFUNDS WILL NOT BE ISSUED FOR ANY REASON OTHER THAN THE EVENT’S CANCELLATION BY A WORK OF HEART COUNSELING

Process for Receiving Continuing Education Credit:

• Register
• Attend the Entire Training
• Complete the Evaluation Survey
• Receive Continuing Education Certificate within 2 weeks of survey completion via Email