Join the Colorado Substance Exposed Newborns Steering Committee‘s Provider Education Work Group and Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative for a series focused on equipping providers with the knowledge and tools to engage in trauma-informed communication and care with individuals impacted by substance use and pregnancy.

This is the first session in the series. If you have not already done so, you can register for the other sessions in the series at the following links:

This first session of the series will focus on trauma-informed approaches during and after pregnancy. Curriculum includes an overview of the impact of trauma on women’s health, mental health, substance use and experience with obstetrical care. It will address medical procedures during pregnancy, delivery and post-partum which may be highly distressing or triggering for individuals with histories of trauma, and components of trauma-informed care will be reviewed. In addition, effective trauma-related screening questions, and practical provider and team approaches to improve communication and trauma-informed care in obstetrical settings will be presented. The presentation emphasizes strategies to support and empower women around their health, pregnancy care, and well-being.

Learning Objectives:

• List types of trauma women face across their life span that impact their health, mental health and experience with their pregnancy and post-partum care.
• Describe the relationship between substance abuse and trauma in women.
• Summarize obstetrical procedures which may be distressing or triggering for individuals with histories of trauma.
• Outline components of trauma-informed care (TIC) during pregnancy and post-partum care.
• Describe trauma-related screening guidelines in obstetrical settings.
• Review obstetrical provider and team approaches to improve communication and implement trauma-informed care during and after delivery.

The session will include an individual with lived experience’s reflections on why trauma-informed communication and care is so important and a presentation by Helen L. Coons. Helen L. Coons, Ph.D., ABPP is an Associate Professor, Director of Psychology, and Clinical Director, Women’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Services, Adult Division, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine. She is also the Co-Director, Women’s Sexual Health Consultation Service, Departments of ObGyn and Psychiatry. In these roles, Dr. Coons coordinates the integration of behavioral health services in the women’s health service line and in several specialty settings at the University of Colorado Hospital. A board-certified clinical health psychologist, Dr. Coons specializes in women’s health and mental health, integrated care in women’s health settings, perinatal complications and loss as well as psychosocial oncology. Dr. Coons also consults at a national level on women’s health and mental health and is routinely asked to speak on trauma-informed care for interprofessional groups in primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, pelvic pain, and oncology. She is also the recipient of several distinguished awards for her contributions to clinical health psychology, women’s health, and leadership development among psychologists.