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Elevate: A Policy Lab to Elevate Mental Health and Disrupt Poverty
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INFORMATION FOR

MOMS Partnership® Model

The MOMS Partnership® is a program model and package of principles and approaches that, together, can significantly reduce depressive symptoms among under-resourced, over- burdened pregnant women and moms and increase the social and economic mobility of their families.

Launched from the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven in 2011, the MOMS Partnership brings mental health within reach of women, literally meeting them where they are.

The MOMS Partnership embraces the following principles:

Respect for a defined population
MOMS Partnership participants are adult caregivers who identify as female and have acknowledged mental health needs. Participants may include pregnant women and mothers or other adult caregivers of children under the age of 18.
Respect for mental health as an intergenerational anti-poverty strategy
The MOMS Partnership understands family mental health as a pathway to social and economic mobility for the whole family. MOMS offers parenting supports and group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that has been reworked for the needs of families.

Scroll down to learn more about our interventions.

Respect for social capital

The MOMS Partnership believes in the power of social support. MOMS interventions are delivered in group settings where participants experience empathy through connection with other moms.

In addition, MOMS is co-delivered by a licensed clinician and a Community Mental Health Ambassador (CHMA)—a mother from the local community who has joined the paid MOMS staff and who can accompany participants on the journey to improved well-being.

Respect for the local community

The MOMS Partnership is:

  • Community-driven. Programs are based on needs and preferences of pregnant women, moms, and other adult caregivers as they express them.
  • Community-partnered. Formalized agreements with community agencies allow the MOMS Partnership to implement programmatic activities, and to do so in a manner informed by these agencies’ expertise.
  • Community-engaged. Participants as well as community agencies are continually involved in providing feedback and guidance to refine the program.
Respect for time and place

The MOMS Partnership offers programs in locations and at times that are most convenient for participants, including grocery stores, recreation centers and libraries. At these neighborhood hubs, moms receive resources like free diapers and shampoo to cover basic needs and incentivize participation, and mothers also have the opportunity to connect to other social services.

Respect for impact

The MOMS Partnership focuses on achieving outcomes that move the needle on adult depression, adult education and employability and child well-being. Informed by both survey and administrative data, Elevate taps data analytics to understand impacts across generations. This data is coupled with regular feedback from participants, who help fine tune the program for future MOMS cohorts.

The MOMS Partnership® offers the following interventions:

Stress Management

Stress Management is an 8-class course that meets once per week for 8 weeks. Stress Management is group-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), reworked for the needs of our mothers. The course teaches practical skills for managing life stress and improving mood, including relaxation breathing, problem solving, and communication skills.

Parenting D.A.N.C.E.

Parenting D.A.N.C.E. is an 8-week parenting program open to mothers and other primary caregivers of children 0-12 years old. DANCE involves 6 group sessions and 2 individual sessions, during which mothers receive video feedback that highlights positive examples of key parenting skills. Participants learn ways to strengthen their relationship with their child, as well as parenting skills for managing children’s (and their own) emotions better.