About us

Effective treatment for depressed mothers  

Moving Beyond DepressionTM is a comprehensive, evidence-based and integrated approach to identifying and treating depression in mothers participating in home visitation programs. Moving Beyond DepressionTM is a systemic program of In-Home Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (IH-CBT) developed by researchers at Every Child Succeeds® and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. It is the only evidence-based treatment program specifically for mothers in home visitation programs and it has a proven record of success.

A turnkey solution for more successful home visits

When new mothers are depressed, home visitation programs face challenges in helping them. Moving Beyond DepressionTM equips home visiting programs with a complete package that helps them identify, treat, and provide ongoing support to mothers experiencing depression. Moving Beyond DepressionTM can be successfully implemented in most home visiting models, and can be customized to the specific needs of the home visitation program.

Moving Beyond DepressionTM involves three phases instituted over two years:

  1. Program implementation planning
  2. Training of key staff for MBD launch including, therapists, doctoral-level team leaders and home visiting program staff
  3. Ongoing training and support

Moving Beyond DepressionTM is adapted for the “real world” and designed to be engaging and relevant to young, low-income, new mothers who participate in home visitation programs. By treating moms in their own homes and collaborating closely with home visitors, it overcomes many barriers to treatment, such as lack of access to mental health care, transportation and childcare, among others.

How it works

First, mothers enrolled in home visitation are screened by the home visitor using a self-report depression screen. Mothers with elevated scores are referred to Moving Beyond DepressionTM. After receiving the referral the therapist schedules an eligibility assessment to determine if the mother meets diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder. Mothers will receive 15 weekly treatment sessions and a booster session one month following the 15th session. IH-CBT is provided by a licensed master’s-level mental health clinician. Treatment is manualized and is based on the core elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, with substantial adaptations for in-home treatment in the context of ongoing home visiting services that enhance feasibility, engagement, and impact.

The program is designed to establish strong working relationships between home visitors and therapists, who collaborate closely through treatment. Doctoral-level team leaders also provide weekly support to therapists. Through this team approach, Moving Beyond DepressionTM has the potential to help mothers overcome their depression and focus their love and attention on their child.

aboutusAfter treatment, mothers receiving IH-CBT reported:

  • Fewer and less sever depressive symptoms
  • Decreased anxiety and other symptoms of psychological distress
  • Improved coping with stress
  • Fewer relationship difficulties
  • Increased social support
  • More satisfaction in the parenting role

Mothers who recovered from depression reported:

  • That they coped better with stress related to the parenting role
  • Their children improved in social and emotional health
  • They had more nurturing and stimulating interactions with their children

About Every Child Succeeds®

Every Child Succeeds® is a home visiting program in Southwestern Ohio and Northern Kentucky that helps parents create a nurturing, healthy environment for their children. The program was founded in 1999 by three organizations — Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center®, Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency and United Way of Greater Cincinnati. Using four national models of home visiting (Early Head Start, Health Families America®, Health Access Nurturing Development Services and SafeCare®), Every Child Succeeds® has provided over 519,000 home visits, serving more than 22,000 families.