Groups can be especially valuable in such circumstances. In a pilot group counseling study utilizing self-report and observational measures, women who had moderate to severe depressive symptoms during the postpartum period reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms and experienced their infants as more reinforcing following treatment (the group experience) than did depressed women in a wait-list control group. The counseling group operated for 12 weeks according to a standardized manual, with specific topics being focused on each session. Mothers in the postpartum depression group also were rated as exhibiting significantly more positive effective involvement and heightened communication in interactions with their infants following treatment than did mothers in the wait-list control group Clark, Tluczek, & Brown, 2008)