TREATMENT
Seeking help early is very important as the first years of life are a period of enormous growth in all areas of a baby's development. It is during these first years that through the interactions with his primary caregivers the baby starts to discover the world. Each baby develops at their own pace and in their own way with the help of their parents and caregivers. These relationships are the foundation of the baby’s mental health, so when a parent is depressed, worried, or the interaction is disturbed, the consequences may be negative for both parent and baby.
PARENT-INFANT PSYCHOTHERAPY
Parent-infant psychotherapy is a way to help parents and babies understand and develop healthy relationships. The therapist helps the parents observe and reflect on their interactions –which are mostly non-verbal– addressing concerns and worries that parents might have about sleeping, feeding, playing, crying and all aspects of the infant’s development, and helping them find the best way to respond to their baby and establish a positive and secure attachment.
It can also be helpful for mothers suffering from postpartum depression and anxiety, who may be having trouble connecting to their babies due to the feelings of sadness and concern that they are experiencing.
VIDEO INTERACTION ANALYSIS
Video interaction has been utilized in different settings in order to observe, analyze and understand the interaction between two people. It is commonly used in working with babies as the interactions between parents and infants are very rapid and nuanced.
I have specifically designed an intervention for Postpartum Depression using video microanalysis to analyze the moment to moment exchanges that take place between parent and baby and provide the parent with information about their infant’s emotional and social development as well as to process the parent’s feelings regarding their role as parents, their connection to their infant and their own feelings. This intervention is particularly useful in achieving rapid change and is ideal in this fragile time where immediate action is vital.
“There is no such thing as an infant, meaning, of course, that whenever one finds an infant one finds maternal care, and without maternal care there would be no infant.”
PSYCHOTHERAPY DURING PREGNANCY
Treatment during pregnancy can be especially challenging as there are so many demands and external variables to contend with. It can be a very overwhelming time -lots of planning, medical visits, etc.- and it can be a difficult time for some as rapid changes in body and mental representations are taking place.
Psychologically there are many tasks that the new parents have to meet and external changes they have to adjust to. Especially important are aspects of their relationship with their partners and their history with their own parents. Being able to process these feelings before the arrival of the baby can be of great help in having a more fulfilling experience of parenthood as well as laying the groundwork to having a healthier attachment with their infant.