Diagnosis of a fetal anomaly in pregnancy increases the risk for perinatal mental health difficulties, including anxiety, depression, and traumatic stress among expectant parents. Common emotional ...challenges include uncertainty about the diagnosis/prognosis, anticipated neonatal course, fears of fetal or neonatal demise, loss of a typical, uncomplicated pregnancy and postpartum course, and disruption of family roles due to medical care-related activities and restrictions. Psychologists in multidisciplinary fetal care centers are uniquely positioned to assess mental health risks and address the needs of expectant parents. Psychologists bring additional expertise in screening and assessment, clinical interventions to promote coping and symptom reduction while preparing for birth and a complicated neonatal course, consultation and effective communication, and programmatic development. This review paper provides an overview of the challenges and behavioral health risks for expectant parents carrying a fetus with a birth defect and the unique role psychologists play to support patients and families within fetal care settings.
A training and competencies workgroup was created with the goal of identifying guidelines for essential knowledge and skills of psychologists working in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) settings. ...This manuscript reviews the aspirational model of the knowledge and skills of psychologists working in NICUs across six clusters: Science, Systems, Professionalism, Relationships, Application, and Education. The purpose of these guidelines is to identify key competencies that direct the practice of neonatal psychologists, with the goal of informing the training of future neonatal psychologists. Neonatal psychologists need specialized training that goes beyond the basic competencies of a psychologist and includes a wide range of learning across multiple domains, such as perinatal mental health, family-centered care, and infant development. Achieving competency will enable the novice neonatal psychologist to successfully transition into a highly complex, medical, fast-paced, often changing environment, and ultimately provide the best care for their young patients and families.
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