6hr Art of Holding Training

Taught by Rachel Brabec, MS, LIMHP 3/6/2026, 9am-4pm EST (8am-3pm CST) This core course introduces a relational, holding-informed approach to working with perinatal clients experiencing emotional distress. Participants will examine the varied and often nuanced presentation of perinatal suffering, including experiences that are frequently misunderstood, minimized, or inadequately captured within traditional diagnostic frameworks. Grounded in The Art of Holding clinical framework, the course emphasizes the development of therapeutic presence, attunement, and emotional containment in response to perinatal distress. Particular attention is given to symptoms and experiences that are unspoken, indirect, or difficult for clients to articulate. Participants will learn how to remain engaged with both expressed and unexpressed distress, fostering safety and trust while resisting premature reassurance, problem-solving, or symptom-driven intervention. The course also attends to the therapist’s internal experience, including vulnerability, emotional reactivity, and countertransference, as integral to effective and ethical perinatal work. Participants will strengthen skills in co-regulation, emotional steadiness, and reflective awareness. Participants will learn how to: - Distinguish perinatal distress from general mood disorders by recognizing unique features like ego-dystonic intrusive thoughts and postpartum identity shifts. - Apply the principles of The Art of Holding to build attunement, containment, and therapeutic trust with distressed perinatal clients. - Utilize Holding Points as a clinical framework for navigating PMADs. - Attune to hidden or unspoken suffering without defaulting to reassurance or solutions. - Deepen self-awareness of therapist vulnerability and countertransference to stay emotionally present and effective. - Integrate psychoeducation and normalizing language to reduce shame and support symptom–self separation. - Practice co-regulation through intentional presence and emotional steadiness to help clients feel safe, seen, and empowered. 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. This course is approved to meet Advanced Criteria for the Postpartum Support International PMH-C certification.