ABSTRACT
Sufficient practical, emotional, and psychosocial support is essential to prevent perinatal distress and effectively reduce scary thoughts. This chapter examines what gets in the way of perinatal women asking for help and ways to support and encourage help-seeking behavior. Social support can come from diverse people and places, including close family and friends, particularly a partner, as well as online support groups. This chapter offers suggestions for how perinatal women can better access their support networks. The latter portion of this chapter is written directly for family members and other support people so they can better understand scary thoughts and the distress experienced by their loved one. The final portion includes key points for therapists who work with perinatal women to keep in mind to best support their clients.
