The PedsDocTalk Podcast Dr. Mona Amin

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and in honor of my advocacy for more open conversation surrounding Mental health, I will be featuring episodes on ways to take care of our mental health so we can better care for ourselves and our children. Therapy is highly beneficial, and various modalities are used. EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) is an evidence-based approach that has been shown to help in processing traumatic events and changing negative patterns and helping people with mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and OCD. I personally started EMDR earlier this year, and in honor of Maternal Mental Health Month, I invited Dr. Cassidy Freitas, who is a licensed marriage and family therapist who also does EMDR. 

We discuss: 

What EMDR is and the steps of EMDR

Who would be a good candidate 

Examples of how EMDR helped me and Dr. Cassidy 


For more resources on EMDR: EMDR Institute, Psychologytoday.com, and EMDRIA.

You can connect with Dr. Cassidy on Instagram @drcassidy, and for more resources, check out Dr. Cassidy's website.

If you are dealing with postpartum mental health concerns and need help, visit Postpartum Support International

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Do you know the cultural differences that can exist being immigrant parents and the mental health issues that are unique? Whether you come from an immigrant household or not, this episode is a must to really dive into the cultural stereotypes that exist surrounding mental health and, subsequently, how we show up for our children. I welcome Sahaj Kaur Kohli who is the founder of Brown Girl Therapy (@browngirltherapy), the first and largest mental health and wellness community organization for adult children of immigrants, a licensed therapist, and author of the Book, But What Will People Say: Navigating mental health, identity, love, and family between cultures. 

She joins me to discuss:

The difference between collectivist and individualistic cultures and why the distinction is important

Why diversity in mental health and parenting resources is important

What struggles immigrant parents have that may be unique


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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and just as much as we need to focus on maternal mental health, we also need to recognize that dads and non-birthing partners also can struggle postpartum as well. 7% and 9% of new fathers develop postpartum depression. I invited my husband back on the show to chat about postpartum mental health and mental health concerns in general in men. 

We discuss  

Why men and women can struggle with their mental health postpartum 

Why men don’t talk about their mental health struggles or seek help as much as women may

The cultural barriers that exist that normalize seeking mental health help

How we’re raising our kids to undo this cycle of mental health stigma 

How consistent therapy has helped my husband and myself 


For more on postpartum mental health for all caregivers, visit this resource. If you are dealing with postpartum mental health concerns and need help, visit Postpartum Support International.

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India is home to over 1.4 BILLION people and over 470 million children. There are more children in India than our entire population in the U.S. so I needed to have a pediatrician to chat with from India! I reached out to Dr. Imran Patel, a Pediatrician in India, and one the most followed and loved Pediatricians in the world with over 4.6 million followers on Instagram and 1.5 million followers on YouTube.

We discuss: 

If vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine sentiment exist in India

The cultural differences in approach to sleep and kids

How he wishes more families would approach feeding solid foods 

What motivates us as colleagues a world apart doing similar work


Connect with Dr. Imran Patel on Instagram @drimranpatelofficial

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Have you felt yourself drift from your friends pre-motherhood? Or have you found making new and meaningful friendships hard after becoming a mom? I welcome Danielle Bayard Jackson, a relational health educator who has made a career out of studying what the research has to say about creating quality platonic relationships. She also has a new book coming out called, Fighting for Our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships.

She joins me to discuss: 

The three reasons why friendships after motherhood are so hard to make and maintain

Why having meaningful and strong female connections is important for our mental health 

How to handle “passive” friendships

Practical ways to find meaningful connections with peers amidst the mental load and business of our lives


Connect with Danielle on Instagram @daniellebayardjackson. Check out her book!

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The “Default parent” seems like modern parenting terminology, but it’s a real role. It can sometimes be associated with feelings of resentment and overwhelm if it’s not communicated. I welcome Erica Djossa, the CEO and founder of Momwell and the author of Releasing the Mother Load: How to Carry Less and Enjoy Motherhood More.

We discuss: 

What the default parent is, and how someone knows they’re the default parent 

Why, in heterosexual relationships, have mothers taken on this role?

How couples can communicate better to share the mental load and roles


Connect with Erica on Instagram @momwell. Check out her new book!

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsors page of the website.
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