Training with the Marcé Resource Pack Workshop
A
dozen interested individuals from California, Florida, United Kingdom, Poland and Singapore participated in an interactive session to learn about the history and contents of the Marce Society’s Resource Curriculum.
I have a strong attachment to what was originally called The Emotional Effects of Childbirth. Two decades ago, it was written as “a short course for midwives and health visitors”. The authors’ intent was to offer “a distance learning” opportunity for those who care for women around the time of childbirth in the United Kingdom. It was during the decade of the 1990s that I began to understand the importance of developing a curriculum for the United States. I selected the Marce “Users’ Guide” as the framework for what eventually became Postpartum Support International’s Training Curriculum.
Jane Hanley, newly elected President of the Marce Society, and I co-facilitated the October 4th, 90 minute workshop. The Resource Pack has Four Units that are designed for self-study but uniquely suitable for group work. Unit One is called “Emotions and Feelings”, Unit Two is “Psychiatric Illnesses and Emotional Disorders, Unit Three is “Skills and Attitudes” and Unit Four is “In Practice”. During this workshop we divided into groups and worked on selected activities from Unit One. It was fascinating to listen to the conversation about “Rituals that mark the transition to parenthood” from diverse perspectives.
I was reminded of the fundamental, yet generally neglected, need to listen to ourselves and those we want to help share the experiences of pregnancy, birth and the first postpartum year. Talking for the sake of “just talking” is critical for emotional health. I believe that the content and format of the Marce Resource Pack provides the basis of excellence in caring for childbearing women and their families.
