How to Support Your Mental Health as a Parent with Emilia Mense Caby from the Whole Parent Foundation

In this episode, Lili is joined by special guest host Katie Montgomery, Licensed Professional Counselor and mom, to interview Emilia Mense Caby, co-founder of the Whole Parent Foundation, a Kansas City nonprofit providing free mental health support for parents at every stage of the journey. Emilia is a trauma survivor, community advocate, and mother of five who experienced severe perinatal anxiety and depression and channeled that experience into building the support she wished had existed. This conversation covers a lot of ground: what postpartum anxiety actually looks like and why it's so often missed, the very real public health crisis of maternal mental health (including the fact that mental health conditions are the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Missouri), why community and peer support are just as important as therapy, and why the "village" we keep hearing about is largely a myth for today's parents. Katie also shares her own raw, honest story of birth trauma and postpartum anxiety, including the parts that don't make it into the highlight reel. And the timing couldn’t be better, as May is Parental Mental Health Awareness Month.  If you're a parent, have ever been a parent, or love someone who is a parent, you’re going to get a lot out of this episode. Whole Parent Foundation’s info: Website: https://www.wholeparentfoundation.org/ Instagram: @wholeparentfoundation   For non-KC folks: Postpartum Support International   Katie Montgomery, LPC’s info: Website: https://www.emeraldcounselingkc.com/ Email: [email protected]   Contact Lili: Email - [email protected] Instagram: @inbetweensessionspodcast TikTok: @lilitorrecounseling www.lilitorrecounseling.com - reach out to schedule a free 15-minute consult for therapy! The conversations on this podcast are meant to support, inspire, and inform, but they’re not a substitute for therapy or medical care. Listening to this show doesn’t create a therapeutic relationship. If something you hear resonates and you’d like more support, consider connecting with a licensed mental health professional in your area. You can search for a therapist at psychologytoday.com.