Promoting Healthy Families for High Risk Mothers and Babies in PCAP

Women enrolled in the Washington State Parent Child Assistance Program (PCAP) have high rates of depression and PTSD, and are often at risk for loss of child custody because of inability to access and follow up with mental health services.  This 18-month project, entitled Promoting Healthy Families (PHF), trains staff at PCAP sites in Clallam and Grays Harbor counties to deliver an educational intervention based on principles of the evidence-based MOMCare Program.  MOMCare is a collaborative care intervention (i.e., providing a choice of brief interpersonal psychotherapy and/or anti-depressant medication) for socially disadvantaged, pregnant women.  In this naturalistic pilot implementation project over three years, we will assess the results of integrating PHF into PCAP over 18 months to reduce maternal depression and to improve the rate of positive child custody outcomes.