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Meet the board
President and Co-Founder
President and Co-Founder
President and Co-Founder
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Vice President
President and Co-Founder
President and Co-Founder
Secretary
Secretary
Secretary
MEET PROJECT LUNA
PROJECT LUNA: mental health partnership
Every mother deserves the best start!
Project Luna is an initiative of Safer Birth in Bama, led by volunteer Alisha Dreiling, LPC, to increase access to mental health care for underinsured and uninsured women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. This program is a partnership initiative with WAC Counseling (Women and Children: Counseling, Consulting, & Educating, LLC), Project Luna is a pilot program in the Shoals area of Alabama that ensures that new mothers and their families receive critical support at a time when mental health care is often inaccessible.
The program is 100% funded by donations and grants, making it possible for eligible women to receive an intake session and 16 therapy sessions at no cost. These sessions can be used for individual counseling, family therapy, breastfeeding support, parenting education, and resource connection.
Why Project Luna Matters
Pregnancy and childbirth are transformative experiences that bring emotional highs and lows. Many women face perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), birth trauma, stress, and depression, yet affordable mental health care is difficult to find. Alabama has severe gaps in maternal mental health services, especially for women on Medicaid or without insurance.
Without treatment, maternal mental health challenges can negatively impact:
- Parent-Child Bonding – Untreated depression and anxiety can affect attachment and child development.
- Breastfeeding Success – Stress and mental health conditions can make breastfeeding more difficult.
- Family Relationships – Increased stress and untreated disorders can create tension at home.
- Long-Term Well-Being – Perinatal mental health issues can have lasting effects on both mother and child.
By offering free and accessible therapy, Project Luna helps prevent crises, improve mental well-being, and strengthen families.
How Project Luna Works
Women who qualify for Project Luna receive:
- A mental health intake session to assess their needs.
- Up to 16 counseling sessions with trained professionals.
- Support tailored to their specific situation, including therapy, breastfeeding assistance, parenting education, and referrals to additional resources.
The program collaborates with hospitals, birth centers, midwives, doulas, and OB/GYN offices to connect women with care as early as possible.
Supporting Project Luna
Project Luna relies on community support to continue its mission. You can help by:
- Donating – Every dollar provides therapy for mothers in need.
- Partnering – If you’re a healthcare provider or mental health professional, you can collaborate with us.
- Advocating – Raise awareness about maternal mental health and help connect families to support.
Closing the Gap in Maternal Mental Health Care
Mental health care should not be a privilege. With your help, we can ensure every mother—regardless of financial status—gets the support she deserves.
Donate. Advocate. Make a Difference.
Who Are We
About the Founders
Safer Birth in Bama formed as a 501(c)3 non-profit in 2015.
Jessica Thompson, a registered nurse and her husband Dr. Jeremy Thompson laid the foundation for Safer Birth in Bama in 2015. They founded with the mission to increase access to care and improve outcomes through education about the importance of not only access to care, but access to high quality evidence based care in and out of hospitals across the state for birthing mothers. The Thompsons have 5 biological children. 3 of the 5 were born outside of a hospital facility.
As medical professionals the Thompsons see the importance of filling in the gaps in care. Alabama mothers specifically face hurdles to access certified midwifery care in and out of the hospital and while that is a matter of preference many others lack proper access to an obstetrician within a safe driving distance as well as a safe place to deliver. Only 28 of 67 Counties in Alabama currently have a hospital where a woman could deliver. That is a problem.