Here is my letter to the editor in response to todays piece by Joanna Weiss. January 17, 2014 I too share Joanna Weisss sadness at the recent announcement that ISIS parenting is closing its doors in her piece ISIS Parenting, the antidote to isolation from January 17, 2014. As a therapist who specializes in mood disorders resulting from pregnancy and postpartum I am acutely aware of the isolation that women and men experience during this time of change. The challenges of becoming a parent and a family requires a village for support and many in the Boston area use new mothers groups and other parenting groups for peer support and the facilitators of those groups as fonts of information, reassurance, and resources for additional supports. As pained as many are by the closure of ISIS, these vibrant communities of learning and support remain in our area. Many of these resources are free and abundant if you know where to look. As pointed out in Ms. Weisss piece these resources were once an organic part of the fabric of our communities, but often we seek more organized opportunities in the absence of these traditional supports. For families who continue to seek a sense of community I strongly recommend seeking out the free resources of the Massachusetts Family Networks, The Freedman Center, and the Center for Early Relationship Support to name a few. Many local hospitals have always offered free lactation support groups as well as new mothers groups. Birth Centers and doulas often offer supports well. It is vital to the success of our families that we actively combat the challenges and isolation that new parenthood presents by wrapping ourselves in a community. I hope that families continue to reach out to create community during this important transition and know that while this chapter of support in Boston has changed, there is a village available to help raise you into the parents you hope to become. Mara Acel-Green, LICSW Belmont, MA
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 18:42:30 +0000
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