How I can help
Support for parents in the perinatal period and beyond
The transition to parenthood is a time of enormous adjustment and change. It can be an exciting experience, but very often parents can feel overwhelmed, anxious and like they are struggling to cope. Mothers and fathers can feel like they are failing if they are struggling, and it can therefore feel very difficult to ask for help or let people know that you’re not ok.
I offer psychological therapy to mothers and fathers during the perinatal phase, including for people experiencing anxiety and/or low mood during pregnancy or after their baby is born (including postnatal depression and postnatal anxiety), following a traumatic birth experience or when their baby has additional health needs or has required neonatal hospital care. I also offer bereavement support to parents and other family members when their baby has died.
Support for parents about their parenting experiences
The way that we parent can be influenced by our own experiences of being parented. Transitioning to the role of a parent may bring up challenges or memories from one's own childhood or upbringing. I offer a space for parents to explore their own thoughts, feelings and experiences connected with being a parent and any challenges and dilemmas that may arise in your own parenting journey. We can think together about how you want to be as a parent, and what values are important to you as you move through parenthood.
I am able to help with the following:
Support for mothers and fathers during the perinatal period
- Emotional challenges during and after pregnancy
- Loss, miscarriage or fertility difficulties
- Adjustment when becoming a parent, including postnatal depression and postnatal anxiety
- Support following a difficult or traumatic birth experience.
Support for parents with coping with physical illness:
- Support for parents to find a way of talking with children about their own or someone else’s health condition
- Support for parents coping with the emotional impact of their own or their child's physical illness
Support around parenting
- A space to explore your experiences of being a parent
- A space for parents to think about how they would like to be as a parent (sometimes this can be different from their own experiences of being parented).
- Support when parenting your child triggers difficult memories and experiences from your own childhood.
- Helping parents to support their child's emotional wellbeing without directly involving the child.
Bereavement support for parents
- Support for parents after a bereavement (including supporting parents to support their children).
- Support for parents whose baby or child has died.