Motherhood and Mental Illness

Emma Haynes, PhD, is a Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst and UKCP-registered psychotherapist who has dedicated her professional life to researching and treating maternal mental illness and developmental trauma. She is a lecturer in psychotherapy at Metanoia Institute, London.

"This book is the culmination of many years of clinical experience of providing psychotherapy to women experiencing perinatal mental distress. Emma’s wisdom and compassion flow from the page and as you will see, her writing style is clear, accessible, and ‘speaks to’ not only the reader, but to the very women she is writing about. Haynes has provided our profession with a handbook for the psychotherapy of maternal mental illness that all psychotherapists- regardless of their theoretical orientation or modality can make use of. I am certain that many readers – myself included – will keep this book to hand and return to it often as a trusted practical guide when working with women who are experiencing perinatal mental health problems." Mark Widdowson, UKCP Registered Psychotherapist, Senior lecturer in counselling and psychotherapy, University of Salford, UK

• PART I Hear Us Speak 1. Transitions 2. A Silent Problem 3. Historical Aspects of Maternal Mental Illness 4. Pre-conception, Common Conditions & Confounders 5. Maternal Trauma 6. Postpartum Psychosis 7. Narratives of Maternal Mental Illness 8. Barriers to Treatment PART II Listening Beyond Words 9. A Relational Approach 10.Ethical Dilemmas in Motherhood 11. Treating the Cause of Maternal Mental Illness 12. Affect Regulation 13. The Therapeutic Role 14. Using Creativity and Creative Methods in Psychotherapy 15. Neurodivergence and Motherhood 16. Couples Work 17. Conventional Treatment of Maternal Mental Illness 18. A Lifetime Reduction in Mental Illness