Grief in the Perinatal Period: Evidence-Based Support for Parents After Loss

About Session

Session Description: 

Pregnancy and infant loss profoundly affect parents and family systems, yet many medical and mental health providers feel unsure how to best support families during and after a loss. Perinatal grief is not something to be fixed, but an experience that unfolds over time and requires informed, compassionate care. Without practical guidance, well-intentioned providers may unintentionally leave families feeling isolated or misunderstood.

This practice-focused presentation will introduce evidence-based grief counseling strategies and perinatal mental health–informed, trauma-informed approaches that providers can use across care settings. Participants will gain insight into how perinatal grief impacts parental identity, relationships, and family dynamics, both immediately following a loss and in the months that follow. The session will offer concrete tools, supportive language, and clinical considerations that help providers respond with confidence while avoiding common missteps.

The presentation will also address the emotional impact of working with perinatal loss and highlight practical self-care strategies to reduce compassion fatigue and burnout. Designed for interdisciplinary providers, this session aims to strengthen skills, confidence, and sustainability when supporting families navigating perinatal grief.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the impact of perinatal grief on parents, relationships, and family systems.
2. Apply trauma-informed, perinatal mental health–informed strategies to support parents following pregnancy or infant loss.
3. Identify self-care and professional sustainability practices to reduce compassion fatigue and burnout when working with bereaved families.