About Us
About The Pregnancy to Parenthood Clinic
The Pregnancy to Parenthood Clinic (P2P) is a community based early intervention service for families transitioning to parenthood who are experiencing emotional difficulties.
We support families from pregnancy through to 2 years old.
No out-of-pocket expenses for families.
Our interventions help families through strengthening the emotional wellbeing of parents, their babies, and the family system. Parents are supported to build a nurturing relationship with their baby to support optimal development, whilst also learning skills to cope with the emotional demands of parenthood. (To learn more about families’ experiences of attending P2P click here)
Families can self-refer or be referred by a health professional. If you are interested in making a referral, please click here?
We actively build capacity and capability of our future workforce by providing a specialised training program for postgraduate clinical psychology trainees and other allied health students.
Under close supervision of the PIMH Supervisors and Practitioners, trainees work with families during their 6 to 12 months placement at P2P. Click here to view our student testimonials.
The P2P intervention and training model is innovative, distinctively different to the traditional mental health services and the only one of its kind in Australia.
Our Mission, Vision and Values
Vision: All families experience a WA System of Care that is innovative and can holistically support all the complexities that come with life of families with babies and very young children.
Mission: We are dedicated to strengthening early relationships that build the foundations for lifelong health, development, and wellbeing for children and building a WA workforce that provides high-quality interventions with proven success for the WHOLE families during pregnancy and the early years.
At the Pregnancy to Parenthood Clinic we value:
- Dedication, passion, and commitment to the emotional well being of babies, very young children and their families.
- Highest standard of excellence in our work through using an Evidence Based and Reflective Practice framework to:
- Nurture and support trainees and early career staff
- Create opportunities for leadership and innovation for all staff and trainees
- Centrality of healthy positive relationships, including
- Authentic Collaboration
- Respectfulness
- Inclusiveness, and Diversity
- Building long term partnerships with families and with those committed to supporting families during pregnancy and the first two years of life
- Implementing evidence based and ground breaking interventions that are grounded in research and valued by families.
Our Objectives
The Pregnancy to Parenthood Clinic acknowledges that Pregnancy, Infancy and Early Childhood is a critical time to support families with mental health difficulties and has the following objectives:
- Deliver an integrated service delivery model focussing on early relational health that meets the mental health needs of parents, infants and their families
- Address a significant gap in mental health services and meet the needs of the whole family
- To be ahead of the curve and aligned with contemporary WA and National Government Policy
- Provide a model of how to build workforce capacity in Perinatal Infant Mental Health
Our History
P2P began operating in 2014 within Edith Cowan University Psychological Services Centre and grew rapidly over seven years. At the end of 2021, P2P began the process of transitioning to a not-for-profit organisation to ensure the long-term sustainability and an opportunity to scale up to meet the growing demand for early intervention services across Western Australia.
P2P has established a successful framework of preventative mental health intervention and a specialised PIMH training model. We will continue to build upon this base to improve education, health and social outcomes for Western Australian families.
Family Stories
What we have learnt so far?
Collaborative relationships with families are integral to shaping and improving the P2P services we provide to families.
Parents have shared with us that P2P plays a critical role in breaking down barriers associated with negative beliefs about depression, parenthood and psychological care.
P2P provides access to specialised interventions at a time when there is motivation for parents to be healthy for themselves and for the wellbeing of their child.
Families have provided feedback to us on their experience of the P2P intervention (interviews at end of intervention) and in a connected, broader community-based study (Better Together, 2019) families shared their experience of WA PIMH services and how they could be improved.
These learnings have been the driver for significant adjustments to the P2P model, resulting in:
- Improved access to P2P services;
- Increased advocacy and collaboration with other services that are also working with P2P families
- More fathers seeking help and engaging in P2P interventions.
We have learnt from families:
- There are not enough integrated early intervention services available that support the emotional well being of parents and their very young children
- A strong desire for a System of Care that provides a unique, tailored, and flexible approach to meet the needs of the whole family, specifically to include fathers in PIMH services.
Family Testimonials
Student Testimonials
Let’s get started
Our team are ready to support parents to be responsive, sensitive, and nurturing to their baby in their everyday parenting. Get in touch today to start your journey.
Our most frequently asked questions
We are sure that you will have questions. Take a look at our most frequently asked questions or get in touch to learn more.
Who do Pregnancy to Parenthood support??
We provide psychological counselling sessions to expectant and new parents and their very young children. Families are eligible for P2P services if they have a diagnosis of, or are at risk of developing, a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder and who:
- are pregnant; or
- have a baby up to 24 months old.
Support is also provided to people who have experienced a stillbirth, miscarriage or termination within the last 12 months. Partners can access these specialised services as well.
How much does Pregnancy to Parenthood cost?
There will be no costs associated with attending P2P.
Do I need a mental health care plan from my GP?
No, you do not need a mental health care plan from your GP, however we encourage you to obtain one if you can. As part of our intake process, we will liaise with your GP and any other health professionals that you are seeing.
How many counselling sessions can I access?
This is a tricky question to answer as each family has their own unique needs that require a different number of sessions. When you start at P2P you will provide you with as many sessions as you require within a 12-to-18-month period. Typically, families attend anywhere between 15 to 40 weekly sessions depending on your individual needs. If difficulties persist beyond 1 year and you need more long term and intensive support then we facilitate a transfer to an alternative, more appropriate service.
Will I be seeing a trainee for my counselling sessions at P2P?
Yes, it is likely that your P2P practitioner will be a trainee as we are a student led clinic. Each trainee is carefully selected and closely supervised during the 6-to-12-month placement. The trainee is supervised weekly by an experienced PIMH Supervisor and he/she may join some of your counselling sessions.
How soon will my first session be?
Once your referral has been accepted, we will book an appointment with a practitioner as soon as possible. This will depend on the length of the waiting list, your availability and the availability of the practitioner.
What can I expect from the counselling sessions?
If you have had your baby, we encourage you to bring him/her to sessions. The first 4 sessions will gather information needed to complete a comprehensive assessment. This includes exploring your needs and concerns, understanding what is contributing to your emotional difficulties and learning about your journey to parenthood and your own experiences of being parented. We also explore all the aspects of your relationship with your baby and how your baby’s development is tracking.
A written report including the information gathered across the 4 sessions is prepared by your practitioner and reviewed with you in a feedback session. Our practitioners are specially trained in perinatal and infant mental health and from here, goals are developed, and you (and partner) and your baby (if postpartum) will begin counselling sessions.