Perinatal & Infant Mental Health Services
The perinatal period, lasting from pregnancy to the first 12 months after giving birth can be a period of significant adjustment for the mother, child and other family members. There are major physical changes, emotional changes, and often lifestyle changes associated with this stage of life. Perinatal counselling helps parents-to-be and parents to adjust to this life stage and helps with related issues such as losses, grief, trauma, postnatal depression/anxiety and other perinatal disturbances.
For parent-infant or parent-toddler psychotherapy, parents and infants/young children attend together. This approach is used to explore difficulties with sleep, toilet training, tantrums, adaptation to fostering or adoption and other forms of early relationship difficulties caused by post- partum disturbances, chronic illness, disrupted attachment, separation and trauma. The focus is on strengthening the attachment relationship between the child and her caregivers in order to prevent future difficulties.
Lifespan Psychology Centre welcomes all families, including gender and sexuality diverse parents.
ABC is designed to work with caregivers of babies from birth to 24 months of age whose child may have experienced or be at risk of experiencing adversity.
ABC is a free, flexible, 10-session home visiting program, designed to support caregivers in understanding and responding to the needs of their infant and/or toddler.
ABC strengthens the relationship between caregiver and child, helping the child to regulate behaviours and emotions. The program assists caregivers to learn to respond to the baby’s signals, strengthening the relationship and helping to protect against stress and early challenges.