Cognitive Behavioral Coaching for Perinatal Anxiety: A Skills-Based Course
Instructors: Andrea Niles PhD, Sarah Stanger PhD, Nicole Comiskey NBC-HWC
Enrollment Cap: 20 Students (a waitlist will open once the cohort is full)
Course Dates: March 1 - May 10
Synchronous Session Schedule: Fridays 12:00-1:00 pm PST
Early Bird Cost: $999 ($300 savings) - Enroll before February 1, 2026
Regular Enrollment Cost: $1,299 - Enroll before March 1, 2026
Early enrollment ends in:
About Prospera
Prospera is a maternal mental health platform dedicated to expanding access to high-quality, evidence-based support for women across the motherhood journey, including trying to conceive, pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenting. Our approach is holistic and relationship-centered, emphasizing trust, rapport, and a deep understanding of each client’s lived experience. Prospera's approach uses research-backed principles shown to be effective across studies, including changing unhelpful self-talk and beliefs, developing new perspectives, and learning through behavior-based practice. Prospera's team provides both direct support for clients and professional training for coaches. We equip coaches with structured, scope-appropriate tools to support women experiencing mild to moderate mental health symptoms, which compliments care provided by licensed healthcare professionals.
Who This Course is For
This course is designed for coaches who already have foundational training in general coaching frameworks and now want more specialized, perinatal-specific skills grounded in a cognitive behavioral model.
Because anxiety is the most common concern among pregnant and postpartum clients, this course focuses on giving coaches a clear, step-by-step method for supporting moms with perinatal anxiety. We focus on holistic healing practices to support clients in resolving their anxious feelings as well as getting to the root cause of their anxiety with a focus on cognitive and behavioral contributors.
Course Syllabus
Course Format & Time Commitment
Asynchronous and Synchronous Learning Expectations: You’ll be able to watch recorded lectures and videos and review reading materials and worksheets on your own schedule. Each week, 1-2 hours of asynchronous material will be provided (for a total of 15 hours across 10 weeks). The course also includes 10, 1-hour, live, expert-led integration sessions where coaches can clarify questions, discuss material, and practice new skills via role-plays with other students enrolled in the course. Coaches are provided with structured practice exercises and pre-designed role-play personas that reflect common real-world presentations. Students receive instructor feedback to intentionally prepare them for confident application with actual clients.
Course Schedule: Asynchronous modules for each week are made available each Sunday and can be completed on your own time throughout the week. We recommend completing the available module each week to be prepared for the synchronous learning session. Synchronous sessions will be held on Fridays, 12:00-1:00pm PST. To earn CE credits, you’ll need to attend 10 synchronous sessions.
Course Length: 10 Weeks
NBHWC CEs: The course will offer 25 CEs that can be used towards maintaining your NBHWC credential (Application is currently under review with NBHWC). To receive all CE credits, you’ll need to complete all course modules, attend 10 synchronous practice sessions, and pass the final exam.
Alignment with NBHWC Core Competencies
Coaching Presence and Relationship. This course emphasizes coach presence as the foundation of effective perinatal anxiety coaching. Coaches learn to apply empathy, compassion, curiosity, and non-judgment in emotionally intense perinatal conversations, while remaining responsive to context and centered on the client’s goals, pace, and priorities. Special attention is given to building trust and rapport in early sessions, where safety and engagement are critical.
Early Sessions and Session Structure. Coaches receive clear guidance for structuring early sessions, including establishing the coaching partnership, clarifying coaching goals, and supporting continuity. The course provides a practical, session-by-session framework that allows coaches to confidently guide the process while maintaining a client-centered approach.
Client Awareness, Perspective Shifts, and Insights. The course supports competencies related to client awareness and insight by teaching coaches how to help clients notice anxiety-maintaining patterns, explore self-talk and beliefs, and develop new perspectives using cognitive reframing strategies specifically tailored to common perinatal fears and anxieties.
Client Self Efficacy. A core focus of the course is strengthening client self-efficacy through behavior-based learning. Coaches are trained to help clients test fears through carefully paced actions, notice discrepancies between feared and actual outcomes, and build confidence through repeated experience. This process supports lasting shifts in confidence and anxiety management.
What You Get
Ready-to-use worksheets and exercises you can use with clients to support skill practice, insight, and behavior change
Clear session outlines that provide structure and guidance for anxiety-focused coaching sessions
Client-facing educational materials you can share to help clients understand perinatal anxiety and the rationale behind your coaching approach
Structured role-play opportunities with feedback to build confidence applying the coaching techniques before using them with clients
25 NBHWC Continuing Education credits that can be applied toward maintaining your NBHWC credential
Certificate in Cognitive Behavioral Coaching for Perinatal Anxiety. A digital badge and Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of the course. Share your digital badge on LinkedIn and showcase your continued education, concentration, and dedication to perinatal mental health.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected].