Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Hawley.
Hi Kim, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In 2018, I felt completely broken. I had just delivered my first baby via emergency C-section and was physically and mentally depleted—unable to care for my son in the ways I had dreamed of when I was pregnant. I struggled with postpartum depression, anxiety and OCD that made me unrecognizable. It took about six months for my body to heal, but it took years to emotionally recover. After months of struggling silently, I reached out to a Postpartum Support International coordinator and was connected with a local perinatal therapist who gave me the tools to slowly come back to myself and my family.
Fast-forward exactly two years later. I felt like a new person and I felt strong—resolute in the idea that I would make meaning from what had happened to me. So I created what I wished had been available when I was postpartum: the country’s first peer-led perinatal support group that focused on healing through writing (as my undergraduate degrees are in English and journalism). In fact, the group—that I named Strength Through Story (www.strengththroughstory.com)—started in March 2020, right when the pandemic hit. Instead of an in-person group in Kansas City, I pivoted to a virtual one and offered it to moms across the country. And I couldn’t believe it: the moms came. They came from all over the country, from California to New York, to talk through their wins and challenges and to hear validation.
As much as I saw healing in them, the process of leading these women in support groups healed me, too. But there was something missing. The reason why I had started this group was to fill a gap in care in my own KC community. So I dreamed up something new: a KC-based nonprofit organization that would support ALL parents and caregivers’ mental health. I consulted with STS parents and local organizations and experts to create Whole Parent Foundation (www.wholeparentfoundation.org), an inclusive, equitable space for parents to come to together to receive mental health support through compassionate community.
As WPF grew and changed, so did I. I was accepted into the #1 social work program in the country at the University of Michigan. During the program, I birthed two more babies and began working at Centimano Counseling (www.centimano.com), the midwest’s first counseling practice that specializes in perinatal mental health. I served on the inaugural board of Postpartum Support International – Missouri and became the State Lead Coordinator, providing peer support to parents across Missouri. (Fun fact: The woman who initially answered my call in 2018 is now my colleague at PSI. I have, of course, thanked her profusely.)
I became a licensed master social worker (LMSW) in May 2024 and support parents through birth, loss, NICU stays, medical complexity, and parenthood. I have served on statewide tasks forces and been selected for national policy fellowships focused on parental mental health. And I have been lucky enough to speak about parental mental health for a variety of organizations and events.
This year, Whole Parent Foundation has expanded and succeeded in ways my 2018 self could never have imagined. In May, we received proclamation from Missouri governor Kehoe making May Parental Mental Health Awareness Month in perpetuity—the first proclamation of its kind in the country. Mayor Lucas also proclaimed May as Parental Mental Health Awareness Month for the duration of his tenure. And now we’re focusing on expanding our support groups across Missouri. (Watch our social media for updates!)
It’s been such a wild and wonderful ride. Along the way, I’ve been supported over and over again by family, friends, and the perinatal community that I am so proud to be a part of. I literally couldn’t do this without them (looking at you, Jim and Gee!), and I’m so grateful for every day I get to keep serving parents and caregivers.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I found my passion for perinatal social work 10 years into a creative design career. I owned my own business, working predominantly with women small business owners. I was a freelance editor, writer, website designer, graphic designer, photographer and consultant. I absolutely loved the people I worked with and seeing their passion, but I also wondered if there was something more purposeful I was supposed to be doing.
After having my first son in 2018 and recovering from postpartum depression, the vision for Strength Through Story and then Whole Parent Foundation hit me like multiple waves. And while I was familiar with organizational work, I didn’t know anything about clinical care. So I dove headfirst into a master’s degree in social work … in the middle of a pandemic … with a 3-year-old … while working a full-time job … and running weekly support groups. During the course of the degree, I experienced loss and the births of two more little boys. I was actually very pregnant with my last son, River, when I walked the stage for graduation at the University of Michigan. It wasn’t always easy, but I wouldn’t take it back for anything.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Whole Parent Foundation?
Whole Parent Foundation is a Kansas City-based nonprofit that provides inclusive and accessible mental health support and community for pregnant persons, parents, partners, and their support systems in order to enrich the health and wellbeing of our Kansas and Missouri communities.
Our two-pronged approach includes:
– free weekly peer-led support groups, virtual and in-person, for parents and caregivers experiencing mental health challenges related to parenthood; and
– our Free Therapy Program, which connects underserved parents with free, culturally responsive, trauma-informed therapy.
Groups are held throughout the year and are both in-person and virtual, to meet parents where they are. Because we know mental health isn’t just about mental wellbeing, we provide wraparound care at our in-person groups, such as free diapers, childcare, and a meal, with fresh food to take home. We offer all parents a warm handoff to socioeconomic services through our partner organizations, including food, housing and employment assistance.
To our knowledge, there are no other groups like this in the area, with this kind of consistency and inclusivity. We encourage parents to bring their partners and their older children, and to invite friends.
Parents can register for our groups and learn more about our Free Therapy Program by visiting our website (www.wholeparentfoundation.org). You can also follow us for more information and to see our other free community events (including our Self-care Mini Fair, Chicken N Pickle bingo fundraiser, and free yoga through Yoga Moderne) on our social media: @wholeparentfoundation.
And, as mentioned above, we are expanding our support group model across Kansas and Missouri! Interested organizations can read more on our website or email [email protected].
What matters most to you? Why?
If you know me, you know I’m not great at doing just one thing. I want to do all the things all the time. So I have to answer this question by saying that SO many things matter to me! My husband and my three sons, who make me laugh until I cry. (Have you met Sawyer?) My family and friends who have supported me in countless ways and continue to. My work as a perinatal therapist, supporting parents through pregnancy, postpartum, loss, NICU stays, and medical complexity. (I work with the best group of clinicians—check them out!) My work at Whole Parent Foundation, providing free services to parents who are looking for community. The board of WPF—a fully volunteer, working board—who has been fighting tirelessly for this cause. The parents of WPF, who have trusted us with their time, their families and their stories.
I am completely humbled when I look around me. I am surrounded by caring, beautiful, driven individuals, and that’s what helps me keep going. This community—of family, friends and colleagues—is what matters to me.
Pricing:
- Whole Parent Foundation support groups: Always free
- Whole Parent Foundation Free Therapy Program: Always free
- Individual counseling sessions: $130
- Couples counseling sessions: $130
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wholeparentfoundation.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholeparentfoundation
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wholeparentfoundation
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-hawley/
- Other: https://www.centimano.com/kim-hawley
