Postgraduate and Workforce Training
Across Australia there is an urgent and increasing need for parent and infant mental health services, with thousands of parents experiencing perinatal anxiety and/or depression each year, severely impacting their wellbeing and connection to their baby as well as the baby’s opportunity to thrive.
There is also a significant shortage of dedicated parent and infant mental health practitioners in Australia, and a lack of specialist training. In Western Australian alone, there are only 24 endorsed PIMH professionals.
This gap leaves our most vulnerable families without crucial support for this life stage that could fundamentally improve outcomes across generations.
Pregnancy to Parenthood is addressing these critical national health issues by cultivating the next generation of parent and infant mental health practitioners and upskilling current medical and allied health professionals working with babies and families. Our specialised training for existing professionals is available for clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, occupational therapists and allied health professionals.
We do this through equipping and supporting trainees and professionals through:
- Specialised training practicums
- In-service training
- Targeted training for government departments including WA Country Health Service in regional and remote Western Australia
- Advocacy
- Eligibility for Australian Association of Infant Mental Health (AAIMH) WA Endorsement®
Clinical Placement Program
The P2P Clinical Placement Program is innovative, distinctively different to traditional mental health services and the only one of its kind in Australia.
This ground breaking approach ensures continuous training of new and existing health professionals in the field of PIMH and maintains the quality and access to targeted PIMH interventions and services for families now, and into the future.
What’s involved in the Clinical Placement Program?
Typically, trainees complete a nine to 11 month long placement working two days per week, which includes a case load of allocated families.
Trainees have the opportunity to observe experienced clinicians provide specialised assessment and intervention and gradually work independently with families under close supervision from Pregnancy to Parenthood’s Supervisors and practitioners. Supervisors are AHPRA Board Approved.
Over the duration of their placement, trainees have the opportunity to develop competencies in accordance with The AAIMHI WA Competency Guidelines for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health (2015) and AHPRA requirements.
At the successful completion of the placement program trainees will hold demonstrable knowledge, skills, and expertise in the following areas of PIMH:
- Professional practice
- Theoretical foundations
- System expertise
- Direct service skills
- Reflective practice
PIMH Training and Professional Development for Existing Health Professionals
P2P also provides specialised parent and infant mental health training programs for organisations to upskill current allied health and medical practitioners who support families during pregnancy and early childhood (0 to 3).
In 2024, Pregnancy to Parenthood provided specialised parent and infant mental health training to 12 multidisciplinary health and medical professionals in Western Australia’s Mid-West.
“Investing in the capacity of parent and infant mental health workforces is not just about strengthening one community – it’s about creating a pathway to inform specialised training on a state and national level. Together, we are not only building a workforce – we are shaping the future of emotional wellbeing and mental health support for children at their earliest point in life and families across Australia.”
The foundations of workplace training and expertise in parent and infant mental health have been laid in Geraldton. The Building Stronger Foundations Project shaped a model of training that can be adapted to other areas, ensuring every community has access to the same level of support.
