The Karen Kleiman
Training Center, LLC
The Karen Kleiman Training Center, LLC is dedicated to the advancement of clinical expertise and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. All trainings are heavily influenced by The Art of Holding Perinatal Women in Distress™ model of intervention created by Karen Kleiman, author and owner of
The Postpartum Stress Center.
Why Train with Us?
Our Trainings
Our courses dive deep into the heart of perinatal suffering and simultaneously tune into the extraordinary relevance of the therapist’s own experiences and countertransference. Although theory and academic review are a vital part of the educational focus, significant attention is placed on deepening the clinicians understanding of the influences and dynamics that impact perinatal women, understanding and applying one’s own experiences or perceptions of motherhood and how best one can utilize oneself in the perinatal recovery process.
Our trainings provide a novel and individualized approach to conceptualizing and treating the specialized needs of perinatal women. Our belief that perinatal women require an active, involved therapist has led us to develop training methods that go beyond passive study or more traditional instruction styles.
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Instead, a significant component of our hands-on training involves modeling the relational, philosophical style we believe essential to a positive therapeutic outcome: This setting is rich with intimate energy enabling participants to tap into their own areas of strength and vulnerability they bring to this work. Intensive study and introspection on this level creates a deeper understanding toward the development of core expert skills.
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* The Postpartum Stress Center, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7461. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Postpartum Stress Center, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
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* Our 12 Hour Training (Virtual Program) is approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Approval # 886561965-3204) for 12 CE hrs.​​
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* Our 12 Hour and 6 Hour Trainings are PSI approved as meeting criteria for the PMH-C certification.
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Who We Train With
Our trainings are advanced, intensive experiences for maternal health care providers who hope to specialize in this field. All courses focus on professional development and the intricacies of treating perinatal women in distress.
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Participants should have a masters or doctoral level degree from an accredited graduate program in mental health related field. Participation exceptions may be made to include other perinatal providers when their interests and clinical practice aligns with the objectives of our training.
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We include both seasoned and therapists who are new in this field who are passionate about this work. We find this combination works best to maximize the learning potential for all participants. With evolving information and the abundance of personal experiences, we are never done learning and each participant has so much to teach and inspire others.
It is helpful, but not required, that participants have attended previous PMAD trainings. Some participants come with years of clinical experience and previous PMAD instruction. For others, who are motivated by our distinct therapeutic framework, our trainings may be their initial entry into PMAD professional training.
We truly believe participation in our specialized trainings will transform any clinicians work with perinatal women.
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We can also collaborate on customized training programs that both reflect our signature The Art of Holding foundational skills and are uniquely to designed to best meet your individual or organizational needs.
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Our History and Philosophy
In 1985 The Postpartum Stress Center first offered professional trainings where we focused on the fundamentals of postpartum depression and anxiety: What is postpartum depression and anxiety? How is it treated? How can we inform health care providers? How do we best meet the needs of new moms and families struggling with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders?
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Since that time, expanding educational opportunities have offered perinatal professionals a multitude of exceptional training options. As these professional trainings continue to evolve we have paid particular attention to a few crucial variables:
Clinicians learn best in small groups with an interactive format so they can process and problem solve in real time.
The knowledge and facts that need to be taught are best assimilated through experiential learning.
The nuances inherent in this special population are often lost in a large group instructional format.
The experiences and any personal reproductive journey of the treating therapist cannot be ignored as a critical component of the client’s recovery.
Clinicians are more likely to explore professional challenges in a small setting where they feel safe to examine personal vulnerabilities. We feel strongly that this is a core skill essential to this work
Our Cancellation Policy
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For our 12 Hour Trainings - any changes with registration must be made 30 days in advance of the training date with an administrative fee of $150.00; For our 6 Hour Trainings and all other Trainings and Workshops, changes must be made 7 days in advance of the training date with an administrative fee of $25.00.
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100% of your registration fee (minus the applicable admin fee) can be transferred to a future training.
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This credit will expire one (1) year from the date of the original training. Note that each participant is only entitled to one rescheduled registration.
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All registrations for the 12 Hour Trainings are final within 30 days of the scheduled training date. No refunds or transfers will be issued if cancellation occurs within that timeframe.
The Center
As the author of several groundbreaking books on postpartum depression and anxiety for clinicians and for families, Karen has developed premiere training opportunities for serious clinicians who hope to specialize in the treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Along with Hilary Waller and David Luk, the team has created The Karen Kleiman Training Center, LLC, which highlights The Art of Holding Perinatal Women in Distress™ model of intervention.
“In the context of treating perinatal women, wisdom is the balance between the knowledge we have and who we are.”
– Karen Kleiman
History of The Art of Holding Perinatal Women in Distress™ Model:
We ask that any trainee, after taking this course, who intends to teach, train, or write about Karen Kleiman's The Art of Holding Perinatal Women in Distress™ model, insert the following written account into their presentation/work:
"The Art of Holding Perinatal Women in Distress™ is a supportive psychotherapeutic approach developed in 2016 by Karen Kleiman, owner of The Postpartum Stress Center, The Karen Kleiman Training Center, and author of several groundbreaking books on postpartum depression and anxiety. After over three decades of clinical practice and writing, Kleiman created and continues to expand The Art of Holding approach in response to the complex and nuanced needs of perinatal women in distress.
Holding is a mindful, intentional intervention which enables the therapist to simultaneously attend to their client’s distress as well as their own response. Holding provides a framework with specific prompts for synchronized attunement to the client, the therapist, and the process.
This model was created to better understand the paradoxical presentation of perinatal distress distinguished by the contradiction between what a new mother feels and her disinclination to disclose it. This impressive incongruity, appearing as resistance or reluctance, is referred to as authentic suffering, Awareness and appreciation of authentic suffering and the skill to access it, is an essential key to her recovery."
Upcoming Training Courses
With Ashlee Adams and Noah Suzuki
Ended
60 US dollarsWith Karen Kleiman and Jessica Flint
Starts Oct 18
25 US dollarsIN-PERSON: Taught by Karen Kleiman and Ashlee Adams
Starts Oct 25
1,995 US dollarsTaught by Jessica Flint: Fundamentals of The Art of Holding Perinatal ...
Starts Dec 5
299 US dollarsWith Tanya Cotler, PhD
Starts Dec 6
60 US dollarsTaught by Karen Kleiman: The Art of Holding Perinatal Women in Distres...
Starts Mar 14, 2025
1,600 US dollarsExpert consultation for PPSC-trained holding therapists with Karen Kle...
50 US dollars