Feature article
Working with Families in Perinatal Mental Health
Brinda Taparia (ACA-accredited PANDA Helpline counsellor)
It’s very common for expecting and new parents to experience mental health and wellbeing challenges. We know that for some people, it can be a daunting experience to reach out for support and tell someone how they have been feeling.
Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia – widely known as PANDA – offers a free national telephone counselling service delivered by professional counsellors, and dedicated peer support practitioners with a lived experience of perinatal mental health. For counsellors, our services can be an additional tool to support parents going through a tough time.
Many callers to PANDA are trying to make sense of unfamiliar thoughts and feelings. Our counsellors meet callers where they are at, centring callers as the experts in their own lives and encouraging them to share their story and experiences. We want to understand what callers are concerned about and how it is affecting them and their family.
PANDA’s Model of Care is person-centred, trauma-informed, culturally safe, evidence-informed and strengths-based. The model was co-designed with members of our community, staff with clinical expertise and people with lived experience of perinatal mental health and wellbeing challenges.
For counsellors beginning to work with clients or families who are experiencing perinatal mental health challenges, you can offer a reassuring, confidential space for them to talk openly and honestly about thoughts, feelings and experiences around planning for a baby, pregnancy, parenthood and perinatal loss. You can find some practical tips here: Recognising the signs of perinatal mental health challenges and Tips for health care providers: What to look and listen for.
PANDA counsellors ask about parent-infant safety and wellbeing in every call, including risk screening and safety planning as appropriate. The PANDA Mental Health Checklist is available on our website, and asks expecting and new parents about their physical, emotional, mental and relational health, in addition to some questions about risk (suicide, harm to infant and relationship conflict).
Parents can complete the checklist and bring the results with them to a counselling session, or you may like to complete the checklist with parents in-session to start a conversation about perinatal mental health.
Please note: the checklist is not a validated screening measure, but it is a great way to start conversations about perinatal mental health. If you are interested in exploring validated screening measures to use in your practice with perinatal clients, the Centre for Perinatal Excellence’s National Perinatal Mental Health Guideline is available online and contains screening guidance and recommendations.
PANDA counsellors often share strengths-based safety plans with callers (focused on mental health, parenting and suicide) that you may like to use in your practice with perinatal clients, such as the following:
As a counsellor, you can help families find the support they need. Perinatal counselling is one essential aspect of care during pregnancy, early parenthood, and after perinatal loss, but all families need and deserve a network of support during this time of intense transitions and life changes.
As counsellors, we can help families explore what types and combinations of supports will be the most effective and sustainable. PANDA has put together a suite of resources that combines self-support suggestions alongside professional supports, parent-infant and family care options.
As a counsellor working with families, you can offer your clients exercises such as grounding, co-regulation and relaxation as well as discuss achievable self-care options with them. A full list is available on our website, and can be shared with clients.
You might also find it helpful to offer your clients psychoeducation around a variety of topics relating to new and expecting parenting including:
- Adjusting to parenthood/transition to parenthood
- Partners to parents/couple conflict
- Birth trauma
- Intrusive thoughts
While a referral is not required for people wanting to call PANDA, you can find information about how to refer individuals and families to the Helpline.
For counsellors working with clients in the perinatal mental health space who might be looking for further advice, ACA members can contact PANDA’s Secondary Consultation Service. This is a free, nationwide secondary consultation service for healthcare providers, with a specialist focus on perinatal mental health.
PANDA also offers free training courses for healthcare providers which you can access in our Learning Hub.
Perinatal mental health challenges are serious and can involve a lot of stigma. PANDA’s free services play an important role in assisting new and expecting parents and supporting the people around them during this transition. We support all families, especially those facing barriers accessing mainstream services.
Author Biography
Brinda is a counsellor and systems thinker, passionate about perinatal mental health, trauma-informed practice and creating more equitable support systems. She currently works in a dual capacity at PANDA, as both Clinical Practitioner and Practice and Wellbeing Coordinator, supporting clinical practice, staff wellbeing, and service improvement initiatives. With experience across counselling, advocacy, training and digital service improvement, Brinda’s work sits at the intersection of human connection and systemic change. She is particularly interested in culturally-responsive care, late-diagnosed neurodivergence and using innovation to improve access and outcomes in mental health services.