Fathers’ Uplift

Traditionally, parental mental health services target mothers, especially during the prenatal and postpartum stages of parenthood. However, the mental health of fathers is often overlooked, even though the birth of a child presents significant life changes for them as well. Fathers’ Uplift, the nation’s first Outpatient Mental Health Clinic for Child, Paternal Health, and Male Engagement, was established to provide fathers with the clinical mental health care to more easily adjust to the challenges, emotions and needs of becoming and being a father. Today, Fathers’ Uplift offers services to guide both men and families through three stages of fatherhood: pre-father education, fatherhood preparation and fatherhood re-engagement. The team’s social work clinicians, who specialize in trauma, anger management, group counseling, individual counseling, and child and family counseling, provide clinical support to fathers and their families. The organization also leads fathers’ retreats and provides coaching to fathers to help them overcome the challenges and barriers they may encounter that would prevent them from remaining engaged in their children’s lives.