Prince George doula working to improve postpartum depression care in northern B.C.

A Prince George doula wants to improve treatment of postpartum depression in northern B.C.

Charla Anderson has startedan ongoing group therapy session for women experiencing depression after the birth of a child, and shewants to expand that work into a larger peer support network.

B.C.'s Northern Health authority confirmed it does not offer group therapy for postpartum depression but Anderson said she has seen it work.

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"The women who come to the group find that having women who are going through the same experiences, they can draw strength from their stories. They can draw hope and non-judgemental support," she told Radio West host Alya Ramadan.

"A lot of them have said, 'I just wish I could talk to other women who are going through what I'm going through' They can find it very healing to share their experiences out loud."

Anderson saidwhile only women are allowed to attend sessions so far, she hopes to develop a support group for men, who also sometimes experience symptoms of postpartum depression.

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Focused on one-on-one care

Northern Health spokesperson Andrea Palmer saidwhile group therapy is not provided by the health authority for postpartum depression, treating those women is "a strong priority."

Palmer said the authority's Community Acute Stabilization Team, which deals with mental health crises, can have a woman exhibiting postpartum symptoms seen by a clinician immediately and then booked in for further appointments usually within two weeks.

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"Depending on the situation, ongoing crisis support is available to bridge the time between when someone is waiting for a booked appointment and when it actually happens," she said.

One-on-one care can be provided daily to someone experiencing postpartum depression.

She saidgroup therapy was available several years ago, but growing demand for mental health servicespushed Northern Health to focus on one-on-one care.

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With files from CBC Radio One's Radio West