Pamela Ponich - Peer Recovery Doulas in Montana
The LIFTS Podcast
Episode Description:
In this episode of the LIFTS Podcast, host Emily Freeman talks with Pam Ponich, Perinatal Program Manager for One Health, about an innovative program changing the face of perinatal support in Montana — the Peer Recovery Doula certification.
Pam, a longtime psychotherapist and program developer, helped create this dual certification for Certified Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialists and Full Spectrum Doulas. The program recognizes the powerful overlap between peer support and birth work — both rooted in trust, lived experience, and standing beside rather than above the person being served.
Together, Emily and Pam discuss how this work helps fill critical workforce gaps in rural and frontier areas, reduces stigma, and offers a more compassionate, coordinated approach to supporting families — especially those navigating recovery, trauma, or behavioral health challenges during pregnancy and postpartum.
Topics in this episode include:
- What peer support specialists and recovery doulas do
- How lived experience strengthens behavioral health and birth work
- Addressing trauma and stigma in perinatal care
- How the Meadowlark Initiative and other statewide efforts are reshaping systems of care
- Pathways for becoming a certified Peer Recovery Doula in Montana
- How Medicaid reimbursement and certification are evolving for doulas
Resources mentioned:
- LIFTS Online Resource Guide: hmhb-lifts.org
- The Meadowlark Initiative: https://mthf.org/priority/the-meadowlark-initiative/
- One Health Recovery Doula Program Information: https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/project-examples/1123
- Montana Free Press Recovery Doula Article: https://montanafreepress.org/2023/10/16/montana-recovery-doulas-bridge-gaps-for-pregnant-people-struggling-with-addiction/
Contact:
For more information about upcoming Peer Recovery Doula trainings, email Pam Ponich at Pam.Ponich@onechc.org.
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Connect with Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies
For statewide resources to support Montana families in the 0-3 years of parenting, check out the LIFTS online resource guide at
https://hmhb-lifts.org/
