South Asian mothers are suffering in silence. We are training the people who can change that.
Perinatal Mental Health Training Scholarships
JiVA offers two scholarship pathways: $1,500 for eligible South Asian clinicians in California completing PSI professional perinatal mental health training, and $500 for fathers, partners, family members, and community supporters completing family and community education.
Scholarships Now Open • Clinician & Community Pathways • Virtual Training
What the numbers are telling us
THE PROBLEM
Postpartum depression, anxiety, and other perinatal mental health conditions are common, but many people still go undiagnosed or do not receive care. Culturally responsive clinicians can make recognition, trust, and treatment more accessible.
When JiVA started this program, there was 1 PSI-certified South Asian clinician in California. There are now 5.
WHY THIS MATTERS
This is not just a clinical problem. It is a cultural one.
South Asian mothers face a set of pressures that standard postpartum care was not designed to address. The expectation to be strong. The extended family watching. The immigration context that strips away the village. The pressure to cook, to perform, to be grateful, to be okay.
When a South Asian mother is not fine, she often does not have words for it. And the people around her often do not either. This is where trained clinicians and informed family members make the difference between a mother who gets help and one who continues to suffer in silence for months or years.
Fathers matter here. Partners matter. JiVA’s founder Ektha Aggarwal, LCSW, has trained fathers and family members in postpartum depression care specifically because healing happens inside a family system, not in spite of it.
South Asian Clinicians
Eligible South Asian mental health clinicians in California may receive a $1,500 scholarship toward PSI professional perinatal mental health training.
Fathers & Partners
Fathers and partners may receive a $500 scholarship for education that helps them recognize symptoms, support recovery, and understand their role in the family system. This is separate from PMH-C professional certification.
Family Members & Community
Family members and community supporters may receive a $500 scholarship for education on warning signs, appropriate support, and connections to care. This is separate from PMH-C professional certification.
Step 1: Certificate Training
Complete a 14-hour PSI-approved foundational perinatal mood and anxiety certificate course.
Step 2: Advanced Track Training
Complete at least six hours of advanced, track-specific training. For JiVA’s clinician scholarship, this is the Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy course.
Step 3: Documentation & Application
Confirm PSI’s current education, credential, and experience requirements; submit training documentation and the PMH-C application. PSI must approve the application before exam registration.
Step 4: Certification Exam
After PSI approves the application, register for and pass the PMH-C examination. Passing the exam is required before using the PMH-C credential.
Clinician PMH-C Certification Pathway
These steps apply to clinician scholarship recipients. Fathers, partners, family members, and community supporters complete a separate non-certification education pathway.
JIVA PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING SCHOLARSHIPS
JiVA Perinatal Mental Health Training Scholarships
Applications are open for both scholarship pathways.
$1,500 toward the current $3,000 PSI professional training pathway for eligible South Asian mental health clinicians in California
$500 for fathers, partners, family members, and community supporters completing family and community education
The remaining $1,500 professional training balance and any other costs
Virtual PSI training and education
Postpartum Support International
Clinician scholarship recipients commit to:
- Providing perinatal mental health sessions at $40 per session for at least six months through their independent clinical practice
All scholarship recipients commit to:
- Providing feedback or a testimonial about the training experience only, with no client information. A recipient may request in writing that a specific testimonial use be discontinued
- Maintaining client confidentiality; no client records or protected health information are shared with JiVA
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
The family that is struggling needs more than another resource list. They need trained clinicians and informed supporters who understand their world. That person could be you.
JiVA scholarships are open now. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and we typically respond within 1–5 days.
Questions? Reach us at info@jivamentalhealth.com · Call or text (213) 222-8451