When Siani Norton was pregnant with her first child, she went into labor at just 22 weeks. An ambulance rushed her from work to the hospital, but her baby did not survive arriving so early. It was one of the most devastating experiences in Siani’s life.
“Losing my baby really did something to me. I cried for days, stopped eating and couldn’t get out of bed. My husband, everyone, was really worried,” Siani says.
Siani finally mustered the courage to seek mental health counseling, but options were limited, and scheduling was weeks out. She was sinking further into darkness every day. Fortunately, through her Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at work, Siani was able to book a MinuteClinic online virtual counseling appointment quickly and easily. That’s how she met Megan Eckert, a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in treating postpartum and prenatal depression.
“I was so scared to open up, but Megan made me so comfortable. She gave me options and tools to think about life in a different way,” says Siani, adding that talking about her feelings was something new for her.
Our commitment to women’s mental health
As the nation faces a critical provider shortage in mental health care, CVS Health is doing something about it, especially in the area of maternal care.
Partnering with Postpartum Support International, the enterprise Women’s Health and Behavioral Health clinical teams developed a program to ensure all MinuteClinic mental health providers are trained to assess and offer care to families impacted by perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Perinatal includes the time a woman becomes pregnant until a year after giving birth.
“Most people are only familiar with postpartum care. Optimal care also includes screening mental health concerns before giving birth,” says Jennifer Tranquille, Clinical Program Consultant and Behavioral Health Training Manager. “We can establish birth and postpartum plans that can help prevent anxiety and conditions that can lead to higher rates of substance abuse, physical abuse, even suicide and infanticide.”
Both Jennifer and Megan are part of a group of CVS Health therapists who chose to get additional certification in perinatal mental health beyond standard training.
“I went from counseling Siani with most of her face hidden under the bed covers, to watching her come back to life,” says Megan, her voice cracking while relating how personally profound the experience was. “It’s the honor of my life to do this job.”
New beginnings from MinuteClinic counseling
A little over a year ago, Siani gave birth to a healthy, happy boy. Megan helped her cope with normal baby activity — late nights and crying.
“Therapy is one of the best things I ever did in my life. I should have done it earlier,” says Siani adding that Megan is like family to her now. “I couldn’t have made it without her.”
MinuteClinic counselors are trained to meet the needs of a variety of mental health issues for adolescents (ages 13+), adults, couples and families. MinuteClinic counseling services are available in 12 metro markets in-person and 49 states virtually.
