Perinatal and infant mental health is focused on the well-being and development of parents and infants from pre-conception, through pregnancy (antenatal), birth and up to three years postpartum (postnatal). This is what a perinatal psychologist focuses on in therapy sessions.
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The perinatal period is a time of significant psychological and physical change which can impact the “whole family”. There are so many changes and transitions that can be quite difficult to navigate and cope with. The perinatal period can also be a time when your own experiences of being parented may resurface impacting your well-being and expectations as a parent. For these reasons, many parents find it helpful to talk to a perinatal psychologist about how they are feeling throughout this period. A perinatal psychologist can also explore the experience of your infant which can help with bonding and attachment. Our psychologists and psychiatrist based on the Sunshine Coast provide support.
Common reasons people seek help with a perinatal psychologist include:
Grief and loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, termination),
Attachment and parent-infant bonding
Parent stress and parenting difficulties
Our team based on the Sunshine Coast, is experienced and dedicated to learning in the perinatal field. In addition to their psychology qualifications most of our psychologists have also completed either one or both of the Centre for Perinatal Psychology's training (Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Intensive and Bearing the Unbearable: Perinatal Loss Training), Circle of Security training, and other attachment theory training.
We know it can be tricky to know whether to seek help with a perinatal psychologist, because it’s hard to know what are “normal” feelings, especially as a first-time parent and also because a lot of parents don’t often talk about how they are really feeling.
Also, how often do we hear comments like “it’s just the pregnancy hormones”?
So, if you’ve noticed that you’ve been struggling it might be helpful to talk about it with a perinatal psychologist. We can provide support both face to face at our Sunshine Coast Perinatal Child and Family Hub and Australia wide via Telehealth.