Parent-Infant Psychotherapy

Having a baby is a momentous experience for all families and brings with it many different powerful feelings. Sometimes something may go wrong and these feelings can become hard to manage; both parents and babies can feel overwhelmed by their own and one another’s feelings.

You or your partner may have experienced a difficult or traumatic birth that feels difficult to come to terms with. You and your baby may be having feeding or sleeping problems. It may feel as though your baby is crying incessantly and you may not be able to work out why; this may result in you feeling helpless and as though you are unable to make a difference.

How Parent-Infant Psychotherapy helps

Parent-Infant Psychotherapy places the relationship between you and your baby at the centre of the therapy. It acknowledges the importance of understanding and making sense of the mutual impact that you have on one another. Parent Infant Psychotherapy is suitable for mothers and/or fathers who are;

• Finding parenthood difficult to cope with

• Feeling overwhelmed after a traumatic birth

• Experiencing difficult or unexpected feelings since becoming a parent

• Concerned about their baby's physical needs or emotional development

• Worried about their relationship with their baby

• Adoptive parents who would like some help in developing their new relationship with their baby

Relationship difficulties

Post-natal depression (in either parent) is known to place particular strain on the developing parent-infant relationship. Similarly, other mental health issues, socio-economic pressures or conflict within the parental relationship also impacts on the developing relationship.

Single parents also struggle sometimes and need a third person to help them manage the complex feelings around their relationship with their baby.

Early Intervention

Ideally the earlier the work begins the better and this can be from before birth (the relationship between parent and infant begins in the womb) up to 12 months of age at the time of referral. Sometimes six sessions are enough to help new families on their way and sometimes more are required.  

It’s not easy being a new parent

Many new parents experience feelings of depression, anxiety, possibly difficult and scary angry feelings towards their baby, or/and feelings of being overwhelmed by their new responsibility. This can be either before or after the birth.

You don’t have to be a new parent in order to experience difficulties; the arrival of any new baby is the beginning of a new relationship. Different babies illicit different feelings!

How I work with parents to change things for the better

I offer a safe and containing relationship in which to explore the relationship between you as parents, and your baby. As a specialist parent infant psychotherapist I work directly with you and your new baby using an informal relational style. As we all get to know one another, and as we think together we can help make sense of your baby's communications and help you to respond sensitively to them. By noticing and helping you to notice your baby’s sometimes minute communications, I will also help your baby to actively engage with you. You and your baby will both play an active role in the therapeutic work.

Possible parental trauma

Sometimes traumatic experiences in some parents' own childhood may be impinging on their relationship with their new baby. By acknowledging and understanding this I work with parents to help them to make sense of this and then their baby's own emotional experience in their own family context.

A safe place

Sometimes parents are concerned about being labelled by coming to therapy at this vulnerable time in their developing relationship. I am sensitive to this and provide a warm, friendly and safe environment for them and their baby who may feel vulnerable. I help them explore their difficulties and facilitate the development of their relationship so that they can go forward more confidently.

When you arrive we will all sit on the floor together as a way of helping us move into, and explore the world from your baby’s position. I use just a few toys to facilitate our work together.

Background and Training

I qualified as an Integrative adult psychotherapist in 1992 having trained at The Minster Centre. I have been UKCP accredited since 1993. I have also worked in various Family and Children's centres focusing on the emotional needs of Under 5’s. In 2014 I completed my training as a Psychoanalytic Parent Infant Psychotherapist at The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.

I now work as an independent Parent Infant Psychotherapist from my home in Barcombe, where my consulting room is nestled into the trees around my garden. I continue to have an Adult psychotherapy practice and supervise other Adult and Parent Infant Psychotherapists for various voluntary organisations in the UK.

I also supervise trainee and qualified Parent-Infant Psychotherapists working in the NHS.

Fees

I have a sliding fee scale of between £90 and £60 depending on household income.