Advanced Maternal Age: Supporting Perinatal Mental Health Needs

Expert Training with Emily Riggs, MSW, LISW-S, RYT, PMH-C

The Perinatal Mental Health Institute presents this essential 90-minute training on supporting the unique perinatal mental health needs of clients of advanced maternal age (35 and older), led by Emily Riggs, licensed psychotherapist, EMDR-certified therapist, and host of the Breathe, Darling podcast.

Why This Training Matters:

As more individuals become parents later in life, perinatal professionals are increasingly supporting clients of advanced maternal age. While this population often brings deep intentionality, perspective, and resilience to parenthood, they may also encounter unique emotional, relational, and identity-related challenges shaped by fertility journeys, medical complexity, and cultural expectations about motherhood.

What You'll Learn:

✨ Common presenting concerns for clients of advanced maternal age

✨ How anxiety, grief and loss, and identity stress influence perinatal wellbeing

✨ Therapeutic approaches including EMDR, ACT, mindfulness, and somatic practices

✨ Supporting emotional regulation and identity integration

✨ Building resilience during pregnancy and early parenthood later in life

✨ Cultural expectations and their impact on older parents

✨ How to build trusting therapeutic relationships with this population

✨ Practical tools for supporting unique challenges of advanced maternal age

Training Format:

This recorded 90-minute webinar offers a warm, clinically grounded exploration integrating current research with clinical case examples and reflective discussion. The training emphasizes practical applications and compassionate care.

Who This Training Is For:

This session is valuable for all perinatal professionals, including:

- Mental health practitioners

- Fertility counselors

- Healthcare providers

- Midwives and doulas

- Perinatal support workers

- Anyone supporting parents of advanced maternal age

About Your Instructor:

Emily Riggs, MSW, LISW-S, RYT, PMH-C, is a licensed psychotherapist, mental health consultant, and speaker specializing in women's mental health with focus on trauma, grief, and life transitions including maternal mental health, infertility, and perinatal trauma. She is an EMDR-certified therapist and Consultant-in-Training under Dr. Mara Tesler Stein. Drawing on EMDR, DBT, ACT, and somatic practices, Emily is developing a focused research agenda exploring the psychosocial and mental health experiences of women who become parents at 35 and older. As a mother who entered parenthood later in life herself, she brings both professional expertise and lived experience to this growing population.

What's Included:

- 90-minute recorded training

- Certificate of attendance

- Practical resource materials

- Implementation guidance

Enhance your ability to support the growing population of parents of advanced maternal age. This training will equip you with compassionate insight, practical tools, and evidence-based approaches to address the unique challenges and strengths this population brings to the perinatal journey.