Formation | 2011 |
---|---|
Founder | Nitzia Logothetis George Logothetis |
Founded at | Manhattan, New York |
Type | Women's health, maternal health, women's mental health |
Services | Health care, counseling, support groups, training |
Website | seleni |
The Seleni Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to women's physical and mental health, focusing on enhancing the quality of maternal and reproductive mental health. [1] Founded in 2011 by psychotherapist Nitzia Logothetis and her husband George Logothetis, [2] it is headquartered in Manhattan, New York. The institute provides health care, information, support groups, and workshops to women, men and families during the family-building years. The institute also trains mental health professionals in Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) and Perinatal Loss & Grief. [3]
According to the institute's website, its aim is "to destigmatize and transform mental health and wellness by addressing real-life issues that challenge the emotional health of women, men, and their families, including: pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, infertility/third-party reproduction, miscarriage, stillbirth, menopause, parenting, and child loss." [4] Its activities include treating patients; training professionals such as psychologists, therapists, OB/GYNs, pediatricians, nurses, and midwives; providing public programs such as new-parent groups, parenting workshops, and adolescent services; and advocating in public and private sectors. [4] [5]
In 2014 the Institute inaugurated the Seleni Research Award to fund research on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, [2] and the following year the same grant was given out in collaboration with the David Lynch Foundation. [6] In 2015 the institution began extending services to pregnant and post-partum teenage girls. [7]
The Seleni Institute was founded as a nonprofit institution by psychotherapist Nitzia Logothetis and her husband George Logothetis in 2011. [2] The name was chosen as a portmanteau of the Greek goddess Selene, who is associated with women, emotions, and serenity, and the main character in the book Eleni, [8] who in the Greek Civil War fought for her children to escape to America. [2] The institute's headquarters opened in Manhattan, New York. [2]
The Seleni Institute focuses on women's maternal and reproductive mental health, [2] providing direct care to women, men and families during the family-building years. The organization also provides services such as grief counseling, [9] parenting workshops, [2] support groups for new mothers and young parents, [2] and training for mental health professionals. [10] The institute publishes free research material and accessible write-ups on health care issues on their website. [2]
In February 2014, the Seleni Institute was awarded the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Award for Excellence [11] for "innovative work in creating a new modality for the treatment of women and their families." [8] US Representative Nancy Pelosi officially visited and toured the institute in September 2014, [12] and also that year the facilities were visited by Laura Bush. [2] The Bal, a couture party held since 1992 at the Hôtel de Crillon, fundraised for the Seleni Institute in 2015. [13]
The institute inaugurated the Seleni Research Award in 2014, which is an annual grant to fund research "on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders." The first grant went to Dr. Katharine Sharkey at Brown University to study the effects of sleep and light therapy on anxiety. [2] The following year Seleni Institute partnered with the David Lynch Foundation on the same grant to create the Perinatal Mental Health Research Award, in support of research on transcendental meditation in treating perinatal anxiety. [6]
Prior to 2015 the institute held small training sessions on postpartum depression; [14] in January 2015 New York State instated new maternal-depression screening legislation, and the Seleni Institute subsequently trained 67 nurses, social workers, and health providers to identify the condition and learn about related services. [14] In May 2015 the institute launched its Seleni Institute Teen Initiative (SITI), which extends "reproductive and maternal mental health services to pregnant and postpartum teenage girls." [7]
As of 2015 the center provided care for around 300 women a week. [2] While most clients were seen through the center in Manhattan, Seleni clinicians also interact with clients over Skype. [2]
In June 2015 the institute hosted the Seleni Congressional Luncheon in Washington, DC. [15] During the event the institute presented Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen with the Winnifred Mason Huck Leadership Award for their joint roles as mothers and as leaders in public service. [16]
In December 2017 the institute launched the online version of its Maternal Mental Health Intensive Training for mental health professionals. [17]
Nitzia Logothetis is a psychotherapist. She has a psychology degree from Brown University, an MSc in child development from the University of London, and an MA in counseling for mental health and wellness from New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. [18] [19] [20]
George Logothetis is the chairman and CEO of the Libra Group. Nitzia Logothetis (née Embiricos) and her husband George live in Manhattan, and have two sons and a daughter. [19] [21] [22]
Postpartum depression (PPD), also called postnatal depression, is a mood disorder experienced after childbirth, which can affect both sexes. Symptoms may include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irritability, and changes in sleeping or eating patterns. PPD can also negatively affect the newborn child.
A therapist is a person who offers any kinds of therapy. Therapists are trained professionals in the field of any types of services like psychologists, social workers, counsellors, etc. They are helpful in counseling individuals for various mental and physical issues.
The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) is a leading centre for mental health and neuroscience research, education and training in Europe. It is dedicated to understanding, preventing and treating mental illness, neurological conditions, and other conditions that affect the brain. The IoPPN is a faculty of King's College London, England, and was previously known as the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP).
Postpartum blues, also known as baby blues and maternity blues, is a very common but self-limited condition that begins shortly after childbirth and can present with a variety of symptoms such as mood swings, irritability, and tearfulness. Mothers may experience negative mood symptoms mixed with intense periods of joy. Up to 85% of new mothers are affected by postpartum blues, with symptoms starting within a few days after childbirth and lasting up to two weeks in duration. Treatment is supportive, including ensuring adequate sleep and emotional support. If symptoms are severe enough to affect daily functioning or last longer than two weeks, the individual should be evaluated for related postpartum psychiatric conditions, such as postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety. It is unclear whether the condition can be prevented, however education and reassurance are important to help alleviate patient distress.
Mental health in China is a growing issue. Experts have estimated that about 130 million adults living in China are suffering from a mental disorder. The desire to seek treatment is largely hindered by China's strict social norms, as well as religious and cultural beliefs regarding personal reputation and social harmony.
Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services is a psychiatric hospital and behavioral health provider, with the main treatment campus located in Gaines Township, Michigan. The Chief Executive Officer and President is Dr. Mark Eastburg, appointed December, 2006.
Maternal–fetal medicine (MFM), also known as perinatology, is a branch of medicine that focuses on managing health concerns of the mother and fetus prior to, during, and shortly after pregnancy.
Vivette Glover is a British Professor of Perinatal Psychobiology at Imperial College London. She studies the effects of stress in pregnancy on the development of the fetus and child.
Kevin Joseph Michael Gournay CBE FMedSci FRCN FRSM FRCPsych (Hon) PhD RN CSci Cert CBT is a registered psychologist, chartered scientist and a registered nurse by background. He is an emeritus professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience; King's College London. He was a consultant psychologist at the Priory Hospital North London; retiring in December 2018. He then returned to clinical work as part of the national response to COVID19; retiring once more in 2023. He is currently an Honorary Professor at the Matilda Centre; University of Sydney. His work in Australia spans 30 years to the present and focusses on the combination of mental health problems and substance use. During the COVID19 pandemic he contributed to research on the impacts of COVID19 on mental health. He has been responsible over many years for a very wide range of research, policy and practice development in mental health care. He also works as an Expert Witness; he has provided reports on more than 300 suicides; 20 homicides and hundreds of reports on people who have suffered the consequences of traumatic events, including accidents, terrorist related incidents, natural disasters, war related events and stillbirth and perinatal death. He has also provided numerous reports on patients receiving care and treatment in high secure and Medium secure settings, including Broadmoor, Rampton and Ashworth hospitals
Philip Manley Boyce is an Australian psychiatrist. He is an Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney and an Emeritus Consultant in Psychiatry at Westmead Hospital. He was a professor of psychiatry and head of discipline of psychiatry at the University of Sydney, and head of Perinatal Psychiatry Clinical Research Unit at Westmead Hospital. He has published more than 350 articles, and frequently contributes to psychiatric textbooks. He served as associate editor of Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. He has a long clinical and research interest in anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychosomatic disorders, and perinatal psychiatry. He has also taken leadership roles in the profession as president of the RANZCP and the international Marcé society, in the development of clinical practice guidelines, and in the development of a competency-based training program for the college.
Antenatal depression, also known as prenatal or perinatal depression, is a form of clinical depression that can affect a woman during pregnancy, and can be a precursor to postpartum depression if not properly treated. It is estimated that 7% to 20% of pregnant women are affected by this condition. Any form of prenatal stress felt by the mother can have negative effects on various aspects of fetal development, which can cause harm to the mother and child. Even after birth, a child born from a depressed or stressed mother feels the affects. The child is less active and can also experience emotional distress. Antenatal depression can be caused by the stress and worry that pregnancy can bring, but at a more severe level. Other triggers include unplanned pregnancy, difficulty becoming pregnant, history of abuse, and economic or family situations.
George Michael Logothetis is an American businessman. He is from a Greek shipping family. Logothetis grew up in London. and has lived in New York City since 2004. He is a US citizen.
Cynthia Margaret Farquhar is the Postgraduate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Auckland. Within the Cochrane Collaboration, she is the Co-ordinating Editor of Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility. Farquhar has over 200 published papers, with a focus on women's reproductive and sexual health.
Carolyn M. Mazure is an American psychologist and the Norma Weinberg Spungen and Joan Lebson Bildner Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Yale School of Medicine. She created and directs Women’s Health Research at Yale — Yale’s interdisciplinary research center on health and gender.
Nicole Lyn Letourneau is a Canadian professor and researcher. She is the University of Calgary Research Excellence Chair in Parent and Child Mental Health. Formerly she held Research Chairs in Parent and Infant./Child Mental Health funded by Alberta Children's Hospital, Palix/Norlien, and Newall Family Foundations (2011–2023). She currently serves as the Scientific Director of the Alliance against Violence and Adversity (AVA) Health Research Training Platform and Women's and Girls' Health Hub. She is also the director of RESOLVE Alberta and principal investigator for the CHILD Studies Program at Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute. She has written over 270 peer-reviewed publications; authored the books, Parenting and Child Development: Issues and Answers, What Kind of Parent Am I:Self-Surveys That Reveal The Impact of Toxic Stress Scientific Parenting: What Science reveals about Parental Impact, and has contributed more than 20 other books on parenting and childcare.
Matthew Ardleigh Swift is an American entrepreneur and nonprofit executive. He is the co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of the Concordia Summit, a nonprofit nonpartisan organization that promotes public-private partnerships between business, government, and nonprofit organizations to address the world's most pressing problems.
Mental disorders can be a consequence of miscarriage or early pregnancy loss. Even though women can develop long-term psychiatric symptoms after a miscarriage, acknowledging the potential of mental illness is not usually considered. A mental illness can develop in women who have experienced one or more miscarriages after the event or even years later. Some data suggest that men and women can be affected up to 15 years after the loss. Though recognized as a public health problem, studies investigating the mental health status of women following miscarriage are still lacking. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop in women who have experienced a miscarriage. Risks for developing PTSD after miscarriage include emotional pain, expressions of emotion, and low levels of social support. Even if relatively low levels of stress occur after the miscarriage, symptoms of PTSD including flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, dissociation and hyperarousal can later develop. Clinical depression also is associated with miscarriage. Past responses by clinicians have been to prescribe sedatives.
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Marian Knight is a British physician who is a Professor of Maternal and Child Population Health at the University of Oxford. She is an Honorary Consultant of Public Health for Public Health England. During the COVID-19 pandemic Knight studied the characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19.
Simone Natalie Vigod is a Canadian scientist, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Women's College Hospital and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She focuses her research on perinatal mood disorders and has conducted some of the largest studies worldwide on maternal mental illness around the time of pregnancy.