Handbook

This course designed for postgraduate study aims to provide up to date information on perinatal psychology.

The arrival of a baby into a family is an intensely emotional experience. If new parents are able to support one another and negotiate the challenges of becoming a family, it is a time for learning and growth. For some families, however, this experience is fundamentally challenging and coping well with the changes remains elusive.

The transition to parenthood is widely acknowledged as a period of great change. It is also a time of increased psychological vulnerability. Although emotional upheaval is normal, the vulnerability of this period can have important consequences from the standpoint of the mother and father, their infant, and their family. The phenomenon of perinatal depression in parents is well recognised. In Australia, 29% of women are likely to develop a depressive or anxiety disorder in the first 6-8 months postpartum. There is also a growing body of evidence showing that infant growth and development can be influenced by the psychological health of his or her parents.

This six module course explores the psychological processes associated with pregnancy and the first year postpartum. The course covers a range of topics, from the psychology of pregnancy, to bonding and attachment, mood disorders in the perinatal period, infant psychological growth and development, and interventions to support parents, infants and families who experience difficulties. The course focuses not only on evidence-based practice, but also the latest research findings and their implications for future clinical and research initiatives in the field. 

Learning Outcomes:

 By the end of this course, participants will:

• Be able to identify the risk and protective factors associated with psychological vulnerability in the perinatal period (including perinatal anxiety and depression), and apply this knowledge to situations likely to be encountered in clinical practice, particularly in terms of patient assessment and referral.
• Identify and discuss the relative merits of the different approaches to engaging parents in psychological support

• Describe the range of psychosocial services and resources available, and provide advice on how to access these

• Identify and use the available evidence regarding the association between parental psychological health in the perinatal period, and infant physical and emotional health, as well as how to apply this evidence in clinical practice