Brunch, music, laughter filled Mountain View Cottage in Laikipia county near Nanyuki town as mothers gathered around tables. Then came the clay.
Hands that typically wash, cook, carry, soothe, work, feed and hold families together became covered in pottery clay. Some mothers laughed at the mess. Others worked quietly. A few only seemed to relax once their hands were occupied.
“I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until I started working with the clay,” one mother shared afterward. “As mothers, we’re constantly doing for others. Today felt like someone finally asked us to pause.”
That was when the deeper story of Maisha Mothers emerged: Sometimes a mother won’t open up on a couch, but she might begin to heal while shaping clay.
Maisha Mothers, an initiative by Thalia Psychotherapy, was developed to integrate mental health assessments into routine maternal care. The concept is straightforward yet impactful. When a mother receives antenatal care, gives birth or attends postnatal check-ups, her emotional well-being should be evaluated just as routinely as her blood pressure or the baby’s weight.
The need is pressing. WHO reports that nearly one in five women will experience a mental health condition during pregnancy or in the year following delivery. Among women with perinatal mental health conditions, 20 percent experience suicidal thoughts or self-harm acts. In developing nations, approximately 20 percent of mothers suffer from clinical depression post-childbirth.
Kenya is among the affected nations. Research on postnatal mothers in under-resourced urban Nairobi communities revealed a 27.1 percent prevalence of postnatal depression. The same study linked depression risks to realities many mothers recognize: stressful life events, work challenges, unplanned pregnancies, family conflicts and exhaustion.
This is why Maisha Mothers is significant. The initiative has already screened over 500,000 pregnant and postnatal women in Kenya for mental health needs. This is more than just a statistic. It represents half a million instances where a mother’s emotional state was addressed as integral to her health, rather than an afterthought.
At this scale, Maisha Mothers is no longer questioning whether maternal mental health screenings can work. Instead, it’s exploring how they can better serve diverse mothers with varying lives, risks and support needs.
Through Pathways segmentation, the initiative is examining why some mothers begin therapy but discontinue before completing care. The goal is to understand where and why mothers pause, where they drop out, and what practical, emotional or safety obstacles are hindering progress.
Therefore, Maisha Mothers is reimagining therapy itself. The new approach prioritizes safety and choice. Is this phone private? What time suits you? Would you prefer WhatsApp, SMS, a voice note, a brief call, a full session or peer support? Would you rather speak to another mother first?
This brings therapy closer to real life. Therapy while shaping clay. Therapy via a short evening voice note. Therapy through a private message. Therapy through another mother saying, “I felt that too.” Therapy that doesn’t always start with diagnosis but with relief.
This becomes increasingly important as Kenya restructures maternal care under the universal health program. The Ministry of Health states that the enhanced Linda Mama program under SHA now supports women throughout pregnancy, delivery and postnatal care. Maisha Mothers’ goal is to incorporate mental health screenings into that journey, ensuring no mother is honored on Mother’s Day only to be forgotten the next day.
At the pottery table, one mother pressed her thumb into the clay and laughed when it collapsed. She began anew.
Perhaps that is the lesson. Mothers don’t need eloquent speeches about strength. They need systems that recognize when they are exhausted, fearful, grieving or unsafe. They require care that accommodates their lives.
And sometimes, healing starts not with a question but with clay in the hands.