The perinatal period (pregnancy to one year following childbirth) is a time of substantial adjustment, and includes physical, hormonal, and emotional impacts. Approximately 1/3 of Canadian perinatal women experience depressive or anxious symptoms (SOGC, 2025). Unfortunately, though effective psychological treatments exist, availability and accessibility are poor, and over 60% of perinatal women with mental disorders do not receive the mental health services they need (Pankratz et al., 2024). Community-based peer support programs have the potential to improve service relevance and accessibility.

This presentation aims to highlight our group’s research in four separate but related studies:

(a) A randomized controlled trial (RCT) examining the effectiveness of a 6-session online self-directed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) program for perinatal anxiety – Overcoming Perinatal Anxiety (OPA);

(b) An environmental scan of the availability and components of perinatal mental health peer support programs;

(c) The development and implementation of OPA Peers+, which integrates weekly virtual peer support provided by Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba alongside the 6-session online self-directed OPA program;

(d) The process and findings of co-development and evaluation of a perinatal depression peer support program in collaboration with Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba.

RCT findings highlight significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and psychological distress, and significant gains in postnatal attachment and maternal efficacy. Following program completion, participants voiced a desire to connect with other “moms feeling the same way.” A main finding from our environmental scan revealed a lack of peer support programs for perinatal anxiety. The process of developing and implementing our perinatal mental health peer support programs in central Canada as well as findings from implementation evaluation will be discussed, providing implications for scalability of perinatal peer support.

Kristin Reynolds is a Registered Clinical Psychologist, Professor, and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at the University of Manitoba, and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. She is a Scientist with the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba. She is the Director of the Health Information Exchange Laboratory, where her research aims to understand and increase access to evidence-based mental health-related information and services. She is an Associate Editor for Qualitative Health Research, and her work employs mixed methods, knowledge translation, and intervention science frameworks.