The Climb Event - Tulsa

Did you know PSI has support groups just for dads too? It’s true! A healthy start for baby means making sure all parents are well taken care of.

Calling all dads! Join us for our free online Dads Support Group!

Our online groups are here to help you connect with other dads who have newborns up to toddlers. Our groups allow you to talk and listen to other dads as they process their experiences. Whether you are going through stress, feeling overwhelmed as you adjust to parenting, or trying to figure out how best to support your partner, our groups are here for you. You will learn about helpful tools/resources and realize you are not alone. We do not allow group observation by students or professionals. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

View the schedule and register ➡️ bit.ly/FindSupportGroup

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EgC3tmetA/?mibextid=wwXIfr

They say that when you’re broken
This is how the light gets in
But what if all the cracks
Are letting out the light within?

They say it makes you stronger
But at first it makes you weak
The way you face the mountain base
Before you reach the peak

They say to break is brave
And yet your mind is full of dread
You’re not overwhelmed by courage
But by helplessness instead

But admitting you are breaking
Is far braver than you know
And remember, from the bottom
There is just one way to go

See, I think they mean it isn’t just
That breaking makes you strong
But the way you use the embers
Of your will to carry on

It’s triumph over trauma
And it’s healing after hurt
It’s rising from the ashes
With a new-found sense of worth

So find yourself a candle
And allow its tiny spark
To ignite you back to life
And put the fire back in your heart

And grant yourself compassion
For the times that you feel weak
Just rest until you’re strong enough
To get back on your feet

Yes, I know that when you’re broken
You have only threads of hope
But tie them to the mountain
Like your personal safety rope

Then gather at the bottom
With the summit high above
Then take a breath and take a step
The only way is up

******

One poem that I come back to a lot. Sending love to anyone at the bottom of the mountain right now.

Becky Hemsley 2021
Beautiful artwork by Merle Hunt (MerleMadeTales on Etsy)

'The Climb' is from my second collection:
https://a.co/d/gzBzdtW

Moms and dads, there is no prize. Perfection is not attainable. It’s time to stop holding yourselves to unattainable standards and just do what you can when you can. 💕

#thereisnoprize #giveyourselfgrace #thoughtsfromthekitchensink #aggressivetutorials #AggressiveTutorialLady #cleantok #itsfine

You are allowed to be exactly where you are, AND you won’t be there forever. ❤️‍🩹

October 10, 2024

It's OK to...

World Mental Health Day

It’s a beautiful day for a resource fair! Come out and see us at Turkey Mountain!

The Climb 2024 takes place TOMORROW!!! It's going to be a beautiful day for the park! Grab your kids, partners, friends, neighbors, co-workers, strangers at the grocery store...okay, maybe don't "grab" strangers... But invite your peeps to come out for a couple hours to enjoy the sunshine, nature, food, activities, and GIVEAWAYS, all while raising awareness for a cause that impacts 1 in 5 families. Together, let's celebrate survival, recovery, healing, and community together. Your presence matters.

give.postpartum.net/teamtulsa

Say it louder! 🗣️ Moms. Need. Support.

Are you joining us this year? Who are you bringing with you?

give.postpartum.net/teamtulsa

Hello! My name is Jeri Jones, and I am one of four Tulsa Climb leaders for 2024. Here's my (very condensed) story about why I climb.

In March 2013 I was prepared to give birth to my first child. I took the pregnancy very seriously - researched all the things, took all the classes, created my ideal birth plan, etc. Life had felt like a fairy tale, and I expected nothing less about my birth experience. Fast forward a bit, literally NOTHING went according to plan. The labor was intervention heavy, I had an "emergency" C-section, I was incredibly sick afterwards, I was alone, and the whole family met my baby boy before I ever got to hold him. Furthermore, the anesthesia erased so much of my memory of what was supposed to be the best day of my entire life. I struggled afterwards, and I struggled HARD. My husband didn't know how to support me, through no fault of his own. I reached out to my OB for help, but because I didn't screen positive for postpartum depression, I was given a hug and a pep talk, then sent on my way to figure it out on my own. I didn't figure it out. Fast forward many years later, I had developed chronic persistent depression and anxiety with bouts of major depression where I fantasized about scary thoughts. I was a high achiever - good education, good career, nice house, seemingly successful life, but I was tormented inside for years. I had tried to turn my pain into purpose by getting involved in a local cesarean support group, then eventually certifying as a doula and childbirth educator, yet my mental health continued to plummet. One day I turned to Laureate thinking it was my last resort, and when I walked out of there not having received what I was looking for, I had my first panic attack. In the midst of that panic attack, I had a realization that no one was going to save me and I had to be my own rescuer. I started seeing a psychiatrist, I got on new medication, I started seeing a therapist, I started utilizing self-help resources, and I got better! After some time, out of the blue, I felt a calling to become a therapist myself. In 2021, walked away from my 12-year accounting career to go to grad school. It was in this educational journey that I finally found a name for my postpartum experience. Grief. My once-in-a-lifetime journey to becoming a mother for the first time had been forever stained by heart-shattering trauma. But prolonged grief isn't a diagnosis if someone didn't die, despite checking all the boxes for symptomology. I wrote my grad school research proposal about disenfranchised grief in the perinatal period, specifically for loss of the dreamed-about birth experience, and I am on a mission to change the verbiage in the DSM to reflect this very real, all-too-common grief experience. Because without a qualifying diagnosis, I did not get the professional help I needed, and my life has been forever changed because of it. We all deserve to be seen and have our experiences validated, with or without a label to define them, and to be referred to appropriate, trained professionals for help and support.

THIS IS WHY I CLIMB.

We are thrilled that we will have several community agencies joining our resource fair at The Climb. This will be your chance to talk to several organizations on site and get connected to the kind of support that YOU need to thrive in pregnancy and postpartum. And if not you, we bet you know someone! Invite them to join you and get connected. Some of our resource partners include:

- PSI Oklahoma Chapter
- Tulsa Health Department
- Counseling and Recovery Services of Oklahoma
- Family & Children's Services
- CREOKS Behavioral Health Services
- The Parent Child Center of Tulsa
- SHIFT Healthy Start

Register for our FREE event at give.postpartum.net/teamtulsa!

Send a message to learn more