Following a successful pilot phase, Canberra Health Services has extended a therapy program helping new mothers struggling with complex social and emotional difficulties.
The Mother-Infant Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Program is a six-month program that helps mothers with children under the age of two learn how to best manage their emotions and behaviours.
The program, run by the Perinatal Infant Mental Health Consultation Service (PIMHCS), includes weekly group work and individual therapy.
Dialectical behaviour therapy, designed to support individuals with borderline personality disorder, helps to build skills for regulating emotions, improving interpersonal relationships, and coping with distressing situations.
The program has been adapted from a more traditional Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Program by including specific skills for new mothers and parenting. There is onsite childcare, so mothers can participate in the sessions with the other mothers but also spend some of the time practising skills directly with their babies.
New mothers on the waitlist will have access to person-centred pre-treatment while they wait to join.
“We now know that the first 1000 days of life, that’s from conception until the age of two, is a critical time in infant brain development; where interactions with our own parents and carers teach us about our emotions, and how to regulate them,” Dr Philip Keightley, psychiatrist, PIMHCS, said.
“This is a program adapted from one running successfully for many years in South Australia. Feedback from participants has so far been very positive. These are mothers who really want to learn how to do a better job of helping their baby learn about emotions than what they might have experienced themselves.”
Emma Davidson, ACT Minister for Mental Health, said the program is an important service to make parenting a cherished life experience that strengthens family bonds for mothers with underlying mental health conditions.
“Having children can be both a joy and a challenge,” Ms Davidson said. “For people in our community who already face complex mental health challenges, parenthood can be an especially challenging experience.
“Mothers who have pre-existing mental health conditions may experience big waves of emotions that can be hard to manage. They can also find it difficult to connect with and understand their emotions, may struggle with relationships, or experience confusion with who they are and what they want in life.
“The program helps mothers understand and better manage these challenges through strategies such as mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness, to reduce and change behaviours that can be life threatening, self-harming or negatively impact their quality of life.
“I look forward to seeing the difference this program makes for its participants and how it is best tailored and expanded to meet community need.”
The $597,300 program is funded through the 2023/2024 Budget.
