We recently connected with Mary ‘Olivia’ Verhulst and have shared our conversation below.

Mary ‘Olivia’, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

For a very long time, maternal mental health was something that was whispered about in hushed tones, if spoken about at all. People fear they will be seen as “bad moms, inadequate parents or that something terrible will happen if they acknowledge having very normal human experiences and struggles, such as identity grief, mom rage, postpartum anxiety or postpartum depression. As a therapist, I find myself wired to these experiences of shame and motivated to destigmatize these topics and help.

As I immersed myself more into the perinatal mental health space by seeking further credentials, trainings, and communities- and separately grew in my therapeutic speciality in working with trauma- it became evident how many expecting parents were having both traumatizing and retraumatizing experiences in their perinatal journeys. The need for true, trauma-informed providers is out there. To be trauma-informed as a provider means to prioritize safety, collaboration, transparency, asking permission, cultural responsiveness and embody empathic approaches in care. (Yes, something you would imagine all providers would and should do!)

As women we know, the maternal health space consists of many different providers. It ranges from OBGYNS, doulas, midwives, reproductive and infertility specialists, lactation consultants, psychotherapists who work with postpartum mood and anxiety disorders and so many more. Our online, nation wide, e-directory called Trauma-Informed Maternal Health Directory, launched in 2024 on International Women’s Day.

The purpose of this edirectory is unique in nature and primarily two fold:
– It will increase accessibility to trauma informed maternal health providers, which our country is in desperate need of during a maternal health crisis right now.
– It will also create a huge online community for providers to refer to and connect with other providers. This is pivotal in healthcare to have a network to refer to and to learn from. We’ve already enjoyed several free community networking events and met some awesome providers.

Specifically, this directory is filling a gap for patients across all stages of the birthing process to accessibly find trauma-informed professionals. The best part was, I had a fantastic Co-Founder I met that was pursuing this journey to create more trauma-informed inclusive spaces in our the maternal health field due to her own experiences (personally and professionally), and we hit it off from day one. None of this would have happened without Liz.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Mary Olivia Verhulst, but I’m called by my middle name Olivia since birth… I have the great privilege of being a Licensed Psychotherapist working with individuals who take the resilient step of starting therapy. I don’t use the term privilege there lightly- to be let into other people’s inner worlds is something I take quite seriously and greet with the utmost respect. I also have the honor of wearing some other hats like Forbes Health Advisor, Media and News Contributor, Adjunct Professor at NYU, Wellness Consultant and Parental Leave Coach. I currently see patients at a thriving, diverse group practice in NY called Let’s Talk Psychological Wellness that I am proud to work at, under the excellent mentorship of our Founder, Nathilee Caldeira. I have my own consulting business, Trauma Informed Consulting Center LLC in the side, in addition to being a Co-Founder for Maternal Trauma Support LLC. Something I advocate for is that you do not need a great, big ugly reason to come seek therapy- the human condition meets criteria enough.

There’s so many brilliant clinicians in my field who often report some kind of “come to Jesus moment” where they realized being a therapist was ‘it’ for them, and maybe even took the brave step of changing from another field entirely. I always love hearing about those cool moments. As a highly sensitive person who is extremely psychologically curious and empathic in nature, I knew that I wanted to be a therapist in one way or another from a freakishly young age (I want to say maybe second grade era). What I actually knew a therapist to be would inevitably evolve over the years, and end up being a more fulfilling career than I could have ever imagined. I work with a broad range of presenting issues, and two areas I focus on are complex or relational trauma and maternal mental health. I find the field of psychology and therapy work to be the gift that keeps on giving. I’ll never stop learning, and that drives me.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met Liz through a community group on Facebook for maternal health professionals. Facebook groups are a major hub for referrals and networking in my line of work. Liz was looking for some insights on how to effectively deliver trauma-informed trainings at the same time I was navigating this on my end. We hopped on a video call from there and both had alot to offer each other.

Essentially, we both fill some gaps where the other person is needing some support. For instance, when I hear things like “SEO” or other similar business jargon and feel like simply shutting down or dissociating- Liz is there to save the day. I’m laughing as I’m writing this part. It was the type of experience where we both left with a lot of inspiration, which led to further meetings, which led to being co-founders. And I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

We are in that process right now. So far, community building and networking 1 on 1 with people in my field has been an effective business strategy. The maternal health community and more specifically, maternal mental health providers, are a small but mighty group. Theres alot of purpose in this community that motivates efforts. Many people notice the need for trauma-informed providers and are excited about spaces that advocate for them and can help train them. We love our community meetings and networking meetings, and rely on these, as well as marketing, to help get the word out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://directory.maternaltraumasupport.com/
• Instagram: @maternaltraumasupport
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/8zTkUGYRNqYKspRG/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-verhulst-34098b136
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@MaternalTraumaSupport