Maternal Mental Health Clinic
About us
The Maternal Mental Health Clinic provides counselling and psychological therapy to women experiencing significant mental health as a result of a traumatic pregnancy or birth, pregnancy loss, or the bereavement of a baby after birth. This would include the experience of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following a birth trauma or the loss of a baby at any stage during pregnancy or infancy up to 12 months of age. We also offer support and guidance for women who have a severe fear of childbirth (Tokophobia), or a fear of medical procedures involving an unborn baby.
In addition to our psychological therapy services, we can provide support to Midwives and Social Care professionals working with pregnant women experiencing significant mental health difficulties as a result of a previous experience of temporarily or permanently being separated from their baby as a result of social care proceedings.
What we offer
Initially we would offer a psychological assessment in order to gain some further information and think with you about your needs and hopes for therapy. If you have been referred by a professional requesting advice and guidance about supporting you in the context of previous care proceedings, we may offer a space to help us understand your current situation and think with you about what might be helpful moving forwards. This would then influence our involvement with the professionals already involved in your care and help us to identify any other additional support that might be beneficial for you at this time.
For some people this assessment space may be sufficient to clarify their thoughts about what they need at this time, and they may decide to seek a different kind of support rather than psychological therapy. In this case we can make suggestions of alternative support options available from other services and charities. If, however, it seems that therapy might be a helpful next step, then there are a variety of approaches that we can offer that can be adapted to suit your individual requirements. Therapies we currently offer include Counselling, Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR). We can offer some flexibility about whether these sessions take place online or face-to-face, depending on preference and need.
Health Inequalities
We recognise that some women and birthing people face additional challenges in accessing the right care and support in their perinatal journey. As a service, we are particularly keen to promote access to women and birthing people from ethnic minority populations, LGBTQ+ communities, as well as people who are disabled. Please do let us know if there is anything we can do to make accessing our service easier for you.
How can I request support?
If you think that you would benefit from support from the Maternal Mental Health Clinic please discuss this with your GP, Midwife or Health Visitor and they can make a referral on your behalf.
If you are a professional and would like to discuss a referral with the team please contact us on 01392 674964, and we would be happy to help. Completed referral forms can be emailed to dpt.mmhc-referrals@nhs.net. Referrals are reviewed on a weekly basis and we will inform you of the outcome as soon as possible.
Confidentiality and consent
The details you share with us will remain confidential. This principle is central to trust between patients and health professionals. Details of your care and treatment, including anything you tell us, will be confidential within the service, and will only be shared with other professionals if there are specific concerns about your own or someone else’s safety. All health professionals are bound by law and professional codes of conduct to this duty of confidentiality to their patients.
Crisis support
If you are in need of immediate support please visit our I need help now page.