How might talking to a perinatal psychologist help?

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.

Common reasons people seek help with a perinatal psychologist include:

• Preparation for the transitions to parenthood

• Fertility difficulties

• Perinatal Depression and Anxiety (antenatal & postnatal),

• Grief and loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, termination),

• Birth trauma

• Adjusting to the transitions to parenthood.

• Attachment and parent-infant bonding

• Parent stress and parenting difficulties

• Relationship difficulties and navigating role changes

Carla Anderson based on the Sunshine Coast, is experienced and dedicated to learning in the perinatal field. In addition to her psychology qualifications Carla has also completed the Centre for Perinatal Psychology's training (Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Intensive and was a co-developer of 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.