Postpartum depression resources — Central New Jersey & beyond
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Crisis lines first, then New Jersey lines and programs, support for dads and partners, and trusted national organizations. Serving families in and around Central New Jersey: Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset, Ocean, Union, and Mercer Counties. No insurance required to call a helpline.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988. Available 24/7. For anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress — including new parents.
📞 Call or Text 988National Maternal Mental Health Hotline
Free, confidential, 24/7 support for pregnant and postpartum people and their families. Counselors in English and Spanish, with interpreters in 60 languages.
📞 Call or text 1-833-852-6262PSI HelpLine
Not a crisis line. Trained volunteers, many with lived experience, return calls and texts between 8am and 11pm ET, every day, and connect you with local providers and support groups.
📞 1-800-944-4773Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741. Free, confidential crisis counseling via text — great if calling feels too hard.
💬 Text HOME to 741741Postpartum Psychosis — Call 911
If someone is experiencing hallucinations, delusions, or cannot distinguish reality, this is a psychiatric emergency. Call 911 or go to your nearest ER immediately.
📞 Call 911Emerald Wellness — Outpatient Care
Call Emerald Wellness in Kendall Park, NJ to ask about current intake availability for their perinatal program. Emerald Wellness is affiliated with the operator of this website.
📞 (732) 444-2626NJ Family Health Line
New Jersey's free information and referral line for pregnancy, postpartum, and perinatal mental health support. Mon–Fri 8am–6pm.
nj.gov ↗ 📞 1-800-328-3838NJ Mental Health Cares
New Jersey's behavioral health information and referral service. Free, confidential, and available every day, 8am–8pm.
📞 1-866-202-4357PSI — New Jersey Chapter
Postpartum Support International's New Jersey chapter: the HelpLine, a searchable provider directory, and a contact for local support-group referrals.
PSI New Jersey ↗Family Connects NJ
A free home visit from a registered nurse in the first weeks after birth (up to three visits if needed), for families with a newborn, regardless of income, insurance, or citizenship status. It is rolling out county by county: Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset, Ocean, and Mercer already have it, and Union County is scheduled for January 2027, when it is set to reach every county in New Jersey.
familyconnectsnj.org ↗NJ FamilyCare
New Jersey's public health insurance program (Medicaid and CHIP). If you were covered while pregnant, your coverage continues for 12 months after your pregnancy ends. It also covers community doula care, including labor support and perinatal visits, from doulas enrolled with NJ FamilyCare.
njfamilycare.org ↗ Doula coverage ↗Emerald Wellness — Perinatal IOP
Outpatient Perinatal Wellness IOP offering group therapy, individual therapy, medication management, and holistic care for pregnancy and the first year postpartum. Emerald Wellness also treats anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, and other mental health conditions. Emerald Wellness is affiliated with the operator of this website.
What We Treat ↗ Perinatal Program ↗ 📞 (732) 444-2626Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Major NJ health system in New Brunswick with behavioral health and maternal-fetal medicine services.
rwjbh.org ↗NJ Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN)
Connects NJ families with mental health resources, advocacy, and support services including perinatal care navigation.
spanadvocacy.org ↗NJ Division of Mental Health & Addiction Services
State agency providing mental health resources, provider directories, and support programs across New Jersey.
nj.gov/humanservices ↗South Jersey Recovery Program
Outpatient addiction treatment (partial care, IOP, outpatient, and medication-assisted treatment) for adults with alcohol, opioid, prescription-medication, and co-occurring disorders. Berlin is in Camden County, about an hour south of Kendall Park. The operator of this website holds an ownership interest in South Jersey Recovery Program.
southjerseyrecoveryprogram.com ↗ 📞 (856) 788-6914PSI — Paternal Postpartum Depression
PSI's dedicated information on paternal perinatal mental health, signs, and treatment options for dads and partners.
PSI: Help for Dads ↗Dads Supporting Dads
Community support network for dads (formerly City Dads Group). Local meetups and online communities for fathers navigating the challenges of parenthood.
dadssupportingdads.org ↗Signs in Partners & Dads
Increased irritability, anger, or aggression (not just sadness), overworking to avoid home, substance use, withdrawal, and feeling "trapped" are common signs in fathers.
📞 Emerald Wellness (affiliated): (732) 444-2626Postpartum Support International (PSI)
The leading organization for perinatal mental health. Provider directory, support groups, helpline, and extensive educational resources.
postpartum.net ↗ 📞 1-800-944-4773Massachusetts General Hospital — CWMH
Comprehensive, evidence-based information on medications in pregnancy, research, and treatment. Widely used by patients and clinicians.
womensmentalhealth.org ↗Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
A validated 10-question screening tool for postpartum depression. Not a diagnosis — but a helpful first step in recognizing symptoms.
Take the Screening ↗National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Resources, advocacy, and the NAMI HelpLine for general mental health support, including perinatal-related conditions. The NAMI HelpLine is an information and referral line, not a crisis line; it is staffed Mon–Fri 10am–10pm ET.
nami.org ↗ 📞 1-800-950-6264 · Mon–Fri 10am–10pm ETOffice on Women's Health
U.S. government resource with accessible, plain-language information on postpartum depression, symptoms, and finding care.
womenshealth.gov ↗Postpartum Progress
An archive of first-person writing and plain-language explainers on PPD and postpartum anxiety, written by people who lived it. No longer actively updated.
postpartumprogress.com ↗