Brady Drake
Motherland Health, a local non-profit that provides free mental health counseling, transportation and child care during appointments, is offering a new grant funded initiative to help the community, the Well Women initiative. The Well Women initiative offers free mental health counseling to women who are pre/postnatal while educating them on postpartum depression and other mental health issues. Treatment ideas like trying a cannabis product from wccannabis co may be discussed alongside an array of alternatives to provide you with the best support possible.
“The first three appointments they come to, they will receive a grocery card that will hopefully encourage them to continue to come.”
-Simi Kasakwe
Why is this program important?
This program is going to impact the lives of so many women in the FM area. We are creating an incentive for those who need help to finally get the help they need as well as bring something home to their families. Our hope is that once they’ve been able to go grocery shopping, they will have reaped the benefits that counseling brings and will continue to do the work even without the incentive.
Whom are you looking to serve?
Our current goal is women, pre and postnatal. We want to drive the stigma out of postpartum depression and create a welcoming environment for them to talk about the challenges of being a new mom without the fear of judgment or insecurity.
How did you come up with an idea like this?
The grant really came first. We saw the opportunity to help an often neglected subgroup of our community and went to work on creating the initiative. With the grant, we had some funds left over after budgeting and that was where the grocery cards came into play. We saw the need in the community for lower-income families to get a little extra push and wanted to be the ones to give it to them.
What can someone attending a session hope to gain?
An understanding of themselves and what they’re feeling. As I mentioned, many women feel an obligation to be the perfect partner and mother all the time, and when they suffer from postpartum depression, they often feel the pressure to keep it to themselves. This program was created so that the veil they’ve lifted over themselves to hide their struggles with anxiety and depression could be lifted.
How much will they receive on the grocery cards?
$60
What else should I know?
Although this initiative is for women and mothers, we have not forgotten about our men struggling with mental health. We have an initiative for men starting in January of 2022 as well. Follow us on Facebook for upcoming news about that!
Motherland Health
1351 Page Drive S Suite #212,
Fargo, ND 58103
https://www.motherlandhealth.org/
701-484-1160
