Friday, October 2, 2026 • 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST • 1 CE UnitWhen Every Word Matters: Language, Story and Healing in NICU Bereavement Care
With Mahaley Patel, Mary Farrelly, and Emily Souder
About this webinar
Family-centered care in the NICU goes beyond the physical. Providers communicate with family members multiple times each day, and the words they use during these updates and conversations have a large impact on the family's experience, wellness, and post-NICU healing. This webinar will address the ways that the words providers use are important, and will provide guidance on how those caring for NICU families can provide the most supportive language possible. Additionally, it will explore the ways a family's story about their time in the NICU is a powerful tool. Presented by two perinatal mental health therapists and a NICU nurse, doula, and educator, this session will provide a comprehensive perspective of ways to engage with families.
Meet Mahaley Patel, LMFT, PMH-C
Mahaley Patel, LMFT, PMH-C is a licensed therapist specializing in perinatal mental health. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA and a Master’s degree from Pepperdine University. Mahaley brings a deeply compassionate, client-centered approach to her work, supporting individuals and families as they navigate pregnancy, postpartum, loss, and the complex emotional landscape of parenthood. In addition to her clinical practice, she serves on the bereaved parent advisory board at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and facilitates a child-loss support group for grieving parents.
Mahaley’s work is shaped not only by her clinical training, but by her lived experience as a bereaved mother. After losing her daughter, Saachi, she became passionate about helping bereaved parents. She is the co-author of Your NICU Story, a guided reflection journal for families navigating the NICU, and her work centers on helping parents feel less alone in moments that can feel isolating and overwhelming. Outside of her professional life, Mahaley is a wife, a mother of four, and married to actor and filmmaker Ravi Patel - which means her days are an ever-evolving mix of therapy, motherhood, and managing Ravi’s creative chaos.
Meet Mary Farrelly, RN, C-ND, RNC-NIC
Mary Farrelly, RN, BSN, RNC-NIC, C-ND is a certified Level IV NICU nurse, NICU doula, nurse educator, and founder of The NICU Translator, where she works to bridge the gap between complex neonatal medical care and the emotional needs of babies and their families. Through her work, Mary trains doulas and care professionals to provide trauma-informed, NICU-informed support to families navigating high-risk births, NICU stays, and life after discharge. She is the creator of NICU Doula Academy, a certification program preparing professionals to support NICU families before, during, and after their NICU experience. Mary is passionate about helping create more compassionate, connected care for families during some of the most vulnerable moments of early parenthood.
Meet Emily Souder, MA, LCSW-C, PMH-C
Emily lives with her family in Maryland. She is a licensed therapist specializing in perinatal mental health who enjoys supporting neurodivergent families. With BA and MA degrees in sociology from University of Maryland, Baltimore County and an MSW from University of Maryland School of Social Work, Emily has written multiple books, including Your NICU Story (co-authored with Mahaley Patel); Birth Story Brave, Reimagined; and Birth Story Held for Loss and believes in the healing properties of doing story work in therapy and in life. Emily has presented twice at the annual conference of Postpartum Support International, and has offered training for Postpartum Support - Washington.