Find a Perinatal Therapist

Perinatal mental health encompasses the emotional and psychological wellbeing of a person leading up to and during pregnancy, and in the first year after birth. (Antenatal or pre-natal refer to before birth, and postnatal or postpartum, meaning refer to after birth). 

The perinatal period is one of the most significant and vulnerable transitions in a person's life, bringing profound changes to identity, relationships, body, and daily reality. Dana Raphael coined the term Matrescence to describe postnatal identity shifts - Learn more about Matrescence HERE.  Mental health difficulties during the perinatal period are estimated to affect up to 1 in 5 women, yet they often go unrecognised or untreated due to stigma, lack of awareness, or the mistaken belief that struggling is simply part of new parenthood. Left unsupported, perinatal mental health difficulties can affect not only the mother, but also the developing attachment between mother and baby, and the wider family.

The "baby blues" are a very common and short-lived emotional response to the dramatic hormonal shift that happens in the days immediately after birth, typically peaking around day 3 or 4, and resolving within two weeks. They might involve tearfulness, mood swings, irritability, or feeling overwhelmed, but they generally don't interfere significantly with day-to-day functioning. 

Perinatal depression and anxiety are different in both their impact and duration. They persist beyond two weeks, are more pervasive, and can include symptoms like persistent low mood, inability to experience joy, intrusive or distressing thoughts, constant worry, panic attacks, difficulty bonding with the baby, or feeling completely disconnected from yourself and your life. These conditions don't simply pass with time and rest, and require specialist support and care. Learn More HERE

A perinatal mental health psychotherapist focuses exclusively on your emotional and psychological experience of pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. Whereas your midwife or obstetrician monitors your physical health and the baby's development. A therapist provides a confidential, non-judgemental space in which to explore how you are feeling, make sense of difficult experiences, and develop coping strategies.The range of issues a perinatal specialist can support includes: fertility challenges; antenatal anxiety and depression; postnatal anxiety and depression; birth trauma and PTSD following a difficult delivery; tokophobia (fear of childbirth); pregnancy loss, miscarriage, stillbirth, and infertility grief; neonatal illness or NICU experiences; adjustment difficulties and loss of identity; relationship strain and changes in intimacy; difficulties bonding with a baby; previous trauma activated by pregnancy or birth; and complex grief when the perinatal experience doesn't match expectations. Perinatal specialists hold qualifications in Psychotherapy, Counselling, or Psychology, and undertake additional specialist training in perinatal issues.

If difficult feelings have lasted more than two weeks, are getting worse rather than better, or are interfering with your ability to function, care for yourself or your baby, or find any enjoyment in life, it's time to reach out for support. Many people wait, hoping things will improve on their own, but early intervention typically means a shorter and smoother recovery, so it’s best to seek help sooner rather than later.  You don't need to reach a crisis point to deserve help. If something feels wrong, you deserve to be supported to feel better.

Yes. Fathers face their own profound transition in parenthood (patrescence) and 1 in 10 struggle with their mental health. Changes to their identity, relationship, financial pressure, sleep deprivation, and often a sense of being sidelined or unsure of their role are common. They may also experience grief after pregnancy loss or birth trauma, sometimes without feeling socially "allowed" to express it. Because the focus naturally falls on the birthing parent, fathers often suffer in silence, and their difficulties can go unrecognised for far longer. Perinatal mental health support is equally relevant and available for fathers.

Partners can access perinatal mental health support both individually to address their own emotional experience, and as part of couples therapy, which can be particularly valuable when a relationship is under strain from the pressures of new parenthood, grief, trauma, or one partner's mental health difficulties. Therapy can help partners understand what their loved one is experiencing, navigate changed relationship dynamics, improve communication, and rebuild intimacy and connection. Supporting a partner through perinatal mental health difficulties can itself be exhausting and emotionally costly, and partners deserve their own space for support, not just as caregivers, but as people going through a significant life change in their own right.

Many of the therapists listed in our directory also work with fathers.

For Questions about PPCAI please see our ABOUT section.

For our Directory of Therapists please see our DIRECTORY.

To learn about Perinatal Mental Health and common challenges please see out WHAT WE DO page.

For Questions about joining PPCAI please see our JOIN PPCAI page.

For questions relating to the logistics of therapy settings, please consult with the individual therapists on our DIRECTORY.

Any other questions please email us at info@ppcai.ie and we will return your query as soon as possible. Please note this is not a crisis resource and it may take time before we can reply.

It is important to note that this is not a crisis service. If you find yourself in an immediate crisis or emergency, your safety is paramount. Please contact your local emergency services or a crisis hotline immediately.

These services are equipped to provide urgent assistance and are available 24/7. Here are some resources you can contact:

• Emergency Services: Dial 112 or 999
• Samaritans: Available 24/7.  Call 116 123
• Pieta: Provides a 24/7 Freephone Crisis Helpline & Text Service.  Call 1800 247 247 or Text HELP to 51444