Supporting Providers, Empowering Parents: Inside MHAP
Published May 29, 2025
By Laine Young Walker, M.D.
As chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Missouri and the Robert J. Douglas, MD, and Betty Douglas Distinguished Professor in Psychiatry, I’ve spent much of my career focused on something deeply personal to me: supporting the mental health and well-being of children and families in our community.
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to help develop and lead several initiatives that aim to provide early intervention, improve access to care, and promote positive outcomes for kids and their caregivers. From school-based psychiatry to trauma-informed therapy and statewide support for child care professionals, these programs work collectively to meet families where they are — and help them thrive. In September 2024, we brought them all together under one umbrella: the Center for Child Well-Being.
One initiative that’s especially close to my heart is the Maternal Health Access Project.
What Is MHAP?
MHAP was created to increase the capacity of perinatal care providers throughout Missouri to diagnose and treat their pregnant and postpartum patients’ mild to moderate mental and behavioral health conditions. We offer same-day provider-to-provider consultations, care coordination and a wide range of educational materials. And here’s the best part: everything we offer is completely free to both providers and patients.
The goal is simple but powerful — to make it easier for providers to confidently support their patients’ mental health needs and to ensure that parents don’t have to face these challenges alone.
Who Can Use MHAP?
MHAP is for anyone who provides care to perinatal individuals. That includes (but is not limited to) OB-GYNs, primary care providers, nurse midwives, doulas, pediatricians, psychiatrists, nurses, behavioral health clinicians, physician assistants, social workers, home visitors and community health workers. If you’re working with pregnant or postpartum people in any capacity, we’re here to support you in supporting them.
What Does MHAP Look Like in Action?
Providers can contact MHAP with any questions or concerns they have related to their pregnant and postpartum patients with mental and behavioral health conditions. As our consulting psychiatrists like to say, “There is no call too small.”
Some medical providers will call MHAP with specific questions about the safety and dosing of medications during pregnancy and postpartum. A common myth is that when an individual becomes pregnant, they should immediately stop taking their psychiatric medications. This can be very harmful — untreated perinatal mental health conditions can have a detrimental impact on the health and development of both mom and baby.
MHAP’s psychiatrists can help talk through the safety of different medicines during pregnancy and lactation; the risks and benefits associated with different medications; and education points to help the patient make an informed decision about their medication.
Often, providers will contact MHAP because they have a patient wanting or needing additional support, such as therapy or substance use disorder treatment, and they don’t have the bandwidth to find available resources. Our care coordinators can work directly with the patient to find financially and geographically accessible resources that meet their needs.
Finally, MHAP also has provided psychiatric consultations completely unrelated to medication or referrals. If a patient is developing potentially concerning behaviors or fixations, such as, refusing to walk up or down the stairs with their baby because they’re so concerned about tripping and dropping the baby, MHAP’s psychiatrists can help talk through how concerning those behaviors or fixations are, how to best support the patient, and what next steps may be appropriate.
Free Resources and Training for Providers
One thing I always encourage providers to explore is our online resource library. We’ve created and compiled a wealth of educational content — from medication guidance and substance use disorder training to nonpharmacological treatment strategies for anxiety and depression during the perinatal period.
We even offer downloadable flyers for patients, like handouts on the baby blues or the effects of marijuana use during pregnancy. Everything is available at no cost, and we encourage providers to use and share these materials widely.
To Any Parent Who’s Struggling
Too often, shame and a sense of stigma prevent parents from seeking help. If you’re a parent feeling overwhelmed, anxious, sad or just off: you are not alone.
A lot of people have a sense that they should be able to “do it all,” that parenthood should come naturally, or that they should be experiencing nothing but love and bliss with their newborn. These are all myths. Perinatal mental and behavioral health conditions are extremely common, and they are medical conditions, just like high blood pressure or diabetes. They deserve to be treated with the same level of care and compassion.
Asking for help isn’t weakness — it’s strength. It’s love. And there are so many people, including myself and my colleagues, who are here to support you.