Certification FAQs

Having a proper certification program in perinatal mental health, and PMH-C as the universal symbol for specialists, highlights the importance of the field and underscores the need for specialized expertise. Here are some examples of additional benefits to you as a provider:

• Listing in our online perinatal mental health provider directory, which is available to the public and used by PSI coordinators and others to make referrals.
• Families can find you, making the path to care more efficient
• Insurance companies can identify you as a specialist in perinatal mental health.
• Other perinatal mental health specialists may be able to connect with you more easily.

Yes, you can get a Perinatal Mental Health Certification in one of three specialties: Psychotherapy, Psychopharmacology, or Affiliated Professionals. The exam is the same for all tracks, but the education and work experience prerequisites are specific to the track you are seeking. The track you choose should align with your specialty.

You must have at least 2 years of work experience post-graduation for the Psychotherapy and Psychopharmacology tracks, as both of these tracks require an academic degree to fulfill the education requirement.

For the Affiliated Professional track, the practice (work) experience should be specific to your specialization.

The work experience must be relevant to the field of perinatal mental health, and you must have provided services relevant to your specialty area (e.g., psychological services for psychotherapy, psychiatric prescribing for psychopharmacology, practice-based work that directly involves perinatal mental health for affiliated professions).

You do not have to have 2 years of experience where you worked with the perinatal population solely for 2 years, but rather that your 2 years of professional experience include at least some work with the perinatal population.

You must take an approved Foundation/Step 1 training course. There are several training programs approved as Foundation/Step 1 PMH courses in addition to the courses offered by PSI. Click here to view the list of available courses. If you are located outside the United States and have completed an equivalent course in your country, please contact certification@postpartum.net to determine if the course meets the Step 1 requirement.

To meet the Advanced/Step 2 course requirement, you may complete a PSI Advanced course or an advanced course from another organization. Courses provided by other organizations outside of PSI must meet the following criteria: 1) be presented live; 2) is at least 6 hours in length; 3) includes action-based learning elements (e.g., case studies, simulations, role play, projects, etc.); and 4) contains content more advanced than the PMH-C blueprint topics or is considered advanced education for the track you are seeking.

There is no need to seek pre-approval for the advanced course before submitting your application. When you apply, please include the course certificate, the course agenda, and any other supporting materials that may be helpful during the application review.

No, participants must complete the Foundation/Step 1 training before taking an advanced course. A perinatal mental health certificate training (of at least 14 hours) is a prerequisite for the advanced training.

You must complete an advanced training course that is specific to the track in which you intend to apply (e.g., psychotherapy or psychopharmacology). Individuals applying for the Affiliated Professionals should refer to the PMH-C Candidate Handbook for details on acceptable advanced training.

Yes, contact training@postpartum.net if you’d like to host any of the PSI trainings in your community.

The exam is available at Pearson testing centers, located throughout the US and around the world. Find a test center here.

$500

The certification exam results are reported as a scaled score. The range of the scaled score is 0 to 1,000, and the score required to pass is 700.

Scaled scores allow for standardized reporting of raw scores from a certification exam. For the PMH-C exam, the number of raw score points available from the scored questions is 100, so the possible score range for the exam is 0 to 100 raw score points. This range is rescaled to 0 to 1,000 for score reporting, allowing the required passing score to be reported as 700.

Pearson provides resources to help you prepare for the environment in which you will be taking the exam. Visit the “What you can expect” page provided by Pearson to watch a video of the test-taking process.

PSI requires that candidates wait 3 months between exam attempts. This waiting period is in place for exam security reasons. It is recommended that the candidate review the score report from their last exam attempt, the PMH-C exam blueprint, and other materials to prepare for the retake exam.

Once a candidate has been approved to sit for the exam, they are eligible to retake it up to three times to obtain a passing score. The exam fee must be paid each time the candidate registers for the exam. However, the candidate is not required to resubmit the initial prerequisite application materials necessary to sit for the exam unless, after their third attempt, they did not receive a passing score.

Historical pass rates:

2019: 97%
2020: 96%
2021: 93%
2022: 95%
2023: 93%
2024: 91%
2025: 88%

All time: 92%

A complete list of PMH-C holders can be found here (updated monthly).

To renew the PMH-C, 12 CE hours in perinatal mental health for their track must be reported every two years. In-person or webinar courses are allowed.

The PMH-C certification expires every two years. Certificants may renew within 3 months of the expiry date and must renew on or before the same day of the second year after their initial certification. Failure to renew will result in the automatic placement of the certification in “Suspended” status and the inability to use the PMH-C credential.

Renewal of the PMH-C requires the submission of 12 CEs related to the PMH-C track. Each renewal period is two years. If the certification status remains “Suspended” for more than six (6) months, the certification will be classified as “Expired.” The candidate will have to reapply for a single 6-month extension of the recertification deadline to complete the requirements.

If 12 CEs are submitted after the PMH-C expiration date, a $75 extension fee must be received before the documents are reviewed. If additional time is needed to submit the CEs, a $75 extension fee can be paid to extend the CE submission date by six months.

Pay the $75 Extension Fee.

NOTE: The extension fee payment only provides an extension for submitting the renewal CEs. The next certification period expiration date is based on the date of initial certification. Failure to renew the certification a year after the initial certification expires will require a re-examination.

No fee is required to keep your certification current! If you require an extension to submit the CE documentation for renewal, you may pay the $75 extension fee.

Yes, you can take the certification exam in other countries. There are about 500 test centers globally. Locate a test center nearest to you on the Pearson website.

The exam is available in English, Spanish, and Canadian French.

You must have an approved application before you can register for the exam.

Certification Application

Once your application is approved, you will receive an email from Pearson with instructions on how to access your portal for the PSI exams.

No, all candidates for the PMH-C must meet all requirements, including passing the exam, to receive certification.

The exam consists of 125 multiple-choice or multiple-select questions, and you have 3 hours to complete it. The questions are a mixture of statement-based and case study examples. Some questions are presented as a scenario, where the scenario is described, and 2-4 questions follow in relation to it. There are no questions that require essay answers.

To study, review the 2-day training (14-hour PMAD training) materials and the PMH-C blueprint.

If you did not complete the PSI 2-day certificate course, you can purchase the 2-day training manual as a study guide.

We recommend that you become familiar with the PMH-C blueprint, which outlines the areas that will be covered. At this time, reviewing past training materials and the training manual is your best study guide. You can purchase the 2-day training manual to use as a study guide.

For those who prefer a refresher, you may elect to take a new course in person or online.

Yes, you can purchase the Advanced Psychotherapy Training Manual from the PSI Store.

There is a limited number of scholarships available. We are grateful to the Robyn Cohen Memorial Scholarship Fund for the opportunity to award two scholarships annually. After you’ve been approved to take the exam, you can apply to the scholarship fund here.

If you’d like to donate toward our scholarship fund, please email nikki@postpartum.net.

According to Pearson policies, cancellations must be made 48 hours before the test date. If, for any reason, a cancellation needs to be made due to illness or an emergency, please email certification@postpartum.net immediately with your reason for cancellation (within 2 days after the test date, preferably). PSI will contact Pearson to inform them and assist with rescheduling the exam.

If a candidate states that they cannot attend an upcoming exam due to a medical or family emergency, they may submit a request with Pearson Customer Service for a complimentary reschedule. Candidates will be asked to submit documentation from a medical professional that contains clinic letterhead, candidate name (or family member name), and date(s) covered. Pearson Customer Service will review the documentation, then assist the candidate with rescheduling. If the provided document is insufficient, Pearson will request additional documentation from the candidate. Additionally, candidates may submit emergency reschedule requests due to car accidents, the death of a family member, military deployment, or loss of ID. Documentation for these events can include a police report, obituary, military orders, or a copy of an application for a new ID.

If you require accommodations due to medical or disability needs, please indicate the type of accommodation on your application or email certification@postpartum.net so we can arrange your accommodation request before you register for the exam. Documentation may be required depending on the nature of the accommodation request.