Seleni Partners with the Brooklyn Borough President’s New Family Initiative

As part of the Family Friendly Brooklyn Initiative, Seleni will train care providers to screen for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders

We were thrilled to join Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams today and be a part of launching Family Friendly Brooklyn, a critical initiative to give Brooklyn families the support they need for a healthy and happy start. At a crowded rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall, President Adams announced his administration's plans to call for statewide paid parental leave, the expansion of breastfeeding empowerment zones, and support for effective postpartum depression screening.

Today Brooklyn became the first place in New York to implement Governor Cuomo’s unfunded mandate that all providers working with pregnant women and new mothers learn how to screen for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. As part of the launch of Family Friendly Brooklyn, Seleni psychotherapist Sarah Best, LMSW, trained 75 professionals who work with pregnant women and new mothers on how to effectively screen for mental health issues. These providers will now go back out into the community and support thousands of women and families. And they are just the beginning.

In partnership with Borough Hall, Seleni will be offering these trainings on a regular basis so that providers in Brooklyn have the expertise and awareness to catch mental health issues before they have a chance to irreparably harm mothers and families.

President Adams’s call for statewide paid family leave will also have a direct benefit to the mental health and wellness of families.

“Seleni is thrilled to be a part of the Family Friendly Brooklyn initiative and grateful to the Borough for its commitment to both the physical and mental well-being of new parents,” said Seleni founder and executive chairwoman Nitzia Logothetis. “This program will provide critical support previously unavailable to thousands of women and families, and we’re honored to partner with the Borough to share our expertise.”

We feel privileged to be a part of not only making Brooklyn a family-friendly borough, but making it a model for how we can take important steps to prioritize the well-being of women and families.

Seleni executive director Rebecca Benghiat speaking at the Family Friendly Brooklyn rally.